Marathi cinema

Marathi Cinema
No. of screens	Approx 610 in Maharashtra state of India.[1]
Main distributors	Aatpat Production Rasika Productions Dreaming 24/7 Productions Almonds Creations Everest Entertainment Pickle Entertainment and Media AP Communications Swarali Films Creation Six Sense Film Production Mulakshar Productions Planet Marathi
Produced feature films (2022)[2]
Total	120 (Theatrical)
Gross box office (2023)[3]
National films	India: ₹201 crore (US$24 million)

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Marathi Cinema, also known as Marathi film industry, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Marathi language widely spoken in the state of Maharashtra. It is based in Mumbai. It is the oldest film industry of India and one of the leaders in filmmaking in the Indian film industry.^[4]

Raja Harishchandra, directed by Dadasaheb Phalke and released in 1913, was the first Marathi-language film ever made, and was also India's first full-length feature film. The claim is disputed and some claim that Dadasaheb Torne's Shree Pundalik (1912) was the first film made in Maharashtra.^[5][6][7] The first Marathi talkie film was Ayodhyecha Raja,^[8] released in 1932, one year after Alam Ara, the first Hindi talkie. All Marathi films until then were silent films with intertitles. Pinjara (1972), directed by V Shantaram, was first colour film in Marathi cinema.^[9]

Kolhapur was a centre for film production during the 20th century, though currently, a majority of films are made in Mumbai.^[4] During Marathi cinema's infancy between the 1910s and 1930s, which only had silent films, the majority of films were made on Hindu mythological subjects. Later during the 1970s, films were made on rural stories. Between the 1980s and 1990s, comedy and thriller films started to flourish. Since the turn of the millennium, there have been films based on social subjects and biographical dramas. Although the industry is much smaller than Bollywood (which is also based in Mumbai), Marathi cinema is tax free at the privilege of the government of Maharashtra, and is experiencing growth in recent years.

Marathi cinema is the oldest film industry in India.^[4] Dadasaheb Phalke is widely considered a pioneer and founder of Marathi cinema and Cinema of India.^[10] He brought the revolution of motion pictures to India with his first indigenously made film, Raja Harishchandra, released in 1913. Although the film had Marathi and English intertitles, it is considered a Marathi film by IFFI and NIFD,^{[clarification needed]} citing that while filming, Phalke had employed a full Marathi crew, including actors.^[11] Some claim that the first ever Marathi movie was Shree Pundalik of Dadasaheb Torne; it was released on 18 May 1912 at Coronation Cinematograph, Bombay.^[6] But this claim is disputed; it is not considered the first Marathi or Indian movie because it was not a movie in the true sense; it was a recording of a then popular theater play; the cameraman who filmed that movie, Jonson, was a British national; it was processed in London; and the negative also remained in the United Kingdom.^[7]

Kolhapur was a centre of film production in the twentieth century. In 1919, Baburao Mistry, popularly known as Baburao Painter, founded the Maharashtra Film Company with the blessings of the Maharaja of Kolhapur and released the first significant historical film, Sairandhri (1920), starring Balasaheb Pawar, Kamala Devi and Zunzarrao Pawar. It was also the first Indian film to cast women artists.^[12] Notably, Sairandhri became the first Indian film to face censorship by the British Government.^[13] Because of his special interest in sets, costume design and painting, he chose episodes from Maratha history for interpreting in the new medium and specialized in the historical genre.^[14] Baburao Painter made many silent movies till 1930, including Surekha Haran (1921), for which he brought the best camera of the time, manufactured by Bell & Howell, and Savkari Pash (Indian Shylock) in 1925, a social film based on a short story by Narayan Hari Apte. However, after a few more silent films, the Maharashtra Film Company pulled down its shutters with the advent of sound. Baburao was not particularly keen on the talkies, for he believed that they would destroy the visual culture so painfully evolved over the years.^[15]

Ayodhyecha Raja (1932) was the first talkie of Maharashtra; prior to it, all the movies were silent films with Marathi and English intertitles. It was released one year after the first sound film of the nation, Alam Ara (1931), and five years after the first Hollywood sound film, The Jazz Singer (1927), which is the first sound film made in the world.^[16][17]

As cinema grew in the Union of India, major production houses rose, and one of them was again a company owned wholly by Maharashtrians, the Prabhat Film Company. Prabhat's Sant Tukaram (1936) was the first Indian work to win the Best Film Award at the Venice Film Festival in 1937.^{[18][dubious – discuss]} In 1954, at the very first edition of the National Awards, Shyamchi Aai won the first President's Gold Medal for Cinema. It was directed by Acharya P. K. Atre, and it was an adaptation of the eponymous novel by Sane Guruji.^[19] Marathi cinema was in its full bloom by this time with the advent of greats like V. Shantaram, Master Vinayak, Bhalji Pendharkar and Acharya Atre, followed by Raja Paranjpe, Dinkar D. Patil, G. D. Madgulkar, Sudhir Phadke and Raja Thakur.

Nilu Phule, a legendary actor of the 1970s–1980s, achieved fame for playing villain roles with natural acting

The 1960s saw the emergence of directors such as V. Shantaram and Anant Mane who made Marathi films based on the folk art form Tamasha. Shantaram's Pinjara (1972) was a hit, it is the first movie of Marathi cinema that was made in colour.^[20][9] Then came directors like Datta Dharmadhikari and Rajdutt, who made traditional family dramas. The early 70s saw the advent of Dada Kondke, who captured the audiences with his sense of humour that included sexual innuendo. He went on to create satirical, pun-ridden films often including social and political commentary, many of which became cult classics. By this time Marathi cinema was caught in either the Tamasha genre or tragedies revolving around traditional family dramas on one side and the comedies of Kondke.^[21]

In 1980s directors Mahesh Kothare (left) and Sachin Pilgaonkar (right) emerged as successful directors by directing mainly comedy-thriller and comedy genre films respectively.

The mid-1980s saw two comedy heroes raised to stardom, Ashok Saraf and Laxmikant Berde, become popular superstars. In the mid '80s Mahesh Kothare and Sachin Pilgaonkar made many box-office hit films. Kothare used to make action-comedy-thriller genre movies, while Pilgaonkar used to make mainly comedy movies. Pilgaonkar made hit classics such as buddy films Gammat Jammat (1987), Ashi Hi Banwa Banwi (1988), the latter becoming one of the highest-grossing Marathi films of its time, earning ₹3 crores. He also directed the supernatural revenge drama Bhutacha Bhau (1989), feel good movie Aayatya Gharat Gharoba (1991), Aamchya Sarkhe Aamhich (1990),^[22][23] and around the same time Kothare made hit films Dhoom Dhadaka (1985), Dhadakebaaz (1990), De Danadan (1987), and horror-thriller Zapatlela (1993), which was an unofficial remake of Hollywood cult classic slasher film Child's Play (1988).^[24] He introduced technological advancements, such as the fact that he was the first director who filmed his movie in CinemaScope, used chroma key technique and did wire-flying in Dhadakebaaz, used puppetry in Zapatlela, he filmed Zapatlela's sequel in 3D format, probably this film was the first ever sequel film made in Marathi cinema, and ventured into film genres such as horror comedy, thriller, and fantacy.^[25] Both Kothare and Pilgaonkar acted and directed their respective films; latter even sang many songs for his movies. Other directors also made entertaining movies during this period, including Bin Kamacha Navra (1984), Amhi Doghe Raja Rani (1986), Kalat Nakalat (1989), Chaukat Raja (1991), Ek Hota Vidushak (1992) and Sawat Mazi Ladki (1993).^[26] The cult family drama Maherchi Sadi (1991), which earned a record ₹12 crores, became one of the highest-grossing films in Marathi cinema history.^[27]

While the theatre of Maharashtra earned recognition at the national level, the cinema failed to make a mark. A major reason was the proximity to the production centre of Hindi cinema (Bollywood), which encroached on the identity of Marathi cinema. Other reasons include the shortage of cinema halls for distribution due to poor marketing, lack of money magnets, a vibrant theatre scene and the emergence of private television. It also lacked the powerful lobby at the national level unlike South Indian cinema because the state encouraged Hindi cinema for profit mainly; the regional film industrial advantage being soaked up by Bollywood.^[19]

Marathi cinema received critical acclaim in 2004 with the film Shwaas winning the Golden Lotus National Award. It was India's official entry to the 77th Academy Awards. It won the President's medal for best film, beating Bollywood's prolific output with quality.^[28] Shwaas was the second Marathi film to win the President's Medal after Shyamchi Aai (1950).

In 2009, Harishchandrachi Factory (with a budget of Rs. 6 crore), told the struggle of Dadasaheb Phalke in making Raja Harishchandra (1913), directed by theatre-veteran Paresh Mokashi, it was selected as India's official entry to Academy Award in the Best Foreign Language Film category, making it the second Marathi film, after Shwaas, to receive this honour.^[29][30][31]

Road movie De Dhakka (2008), satire film Nishani Dava Anghatha (2009) based on failure of government of India's Adult education programme, political satire Gallit Gondhal Dillit Mujra (2009), period drama and musical hit Natarang (2009), film raising state's farmar's issue, rampant corruption in government officials, satire Jau Tithe Khau (2007), Kaydyach Bola (2005) made impacts on the audience's mind during this period.^[20]

Since the new decade beginning in 2010, several contemporary Marathi artistic films were released including Vihir (2009) and Deool (2011), and Nagraj Manjule's Fandry (2013). They have given a new direction to Marathi films. Ritesh Deshmukh's Lai Bhaari (2014) achieved eyeballs.

Deool became the third movie after Shyaamchi Aai and Shwaas to win the National Film Award for Best Feature Film. Deool Band (2015) grabbed audience attention.

Acclaimed director Dr Jabbar Patel explains the reasons behind the change, "The kind of Marathi cinema that is being made today is very fresh and different. This is thanks to directors and writers getting exposed to world cinema via television, film festivals etc. They are coming up with new storylines and innovative concepts."

With outstanding contribution and efforts from different producers and directors of the Mumbai film industry, Marathi cinema relatively outshone other Indian film industries such as Bollywood in the first quarter of 2010 in box office collections and critical appreciation.^[32]

Sairat (2016) musical romantic drama starring Rinku Rajguru and Akash Thosar, directed by Nagraj Manjule emerged as the biggest weekend opener for a Marathi film breaking record previously held by Natsamrat. Sairat was the first Marathi film to cross ₹50 crore (US$7.8 million) mark. The film has become the first Marathi film to gross over ₹100 crore (US$16 million) worldwide.

In recent past Ritesh Deshmukh's Mauli (2018) earned audience's attention, his Ved (2022) became a hit.

In the early days of Marathi cinema, theater experience was essential for actors. Dadasaheb Phalke, regarded as the father of Indian cinema, laid the foundation with his pioneering film Raja Harishchandra in 1913. During this period, acting styles in Marathi films were heavily influenced by stage performances.^[33]

With the advent of sound in the 1930s, a shift toward more naturalistic acting emerged in Marathi cinema, although traces of the theatrical style remained. V. Shantaram, a prominent actor-director of the era, introduced a more refined approach to acting.^[34] Renowned actors of this time included Shanta Apte, Durga Khote, Lalita Pawar, Meenakshi Shirodkar, Shobhna Samarth, Chandrakant Mandare, Shahu Modak, Master Vinayak, and Baburao Pendharkar.^[35]

Following India's independence, Marathi filmmakers began to focus on mythology and pressing social issues such as caste discrimination, women's rights, and the struggles of rural populations. The 1950s and 1960s are often considered the golden era of Marathi cinema, with filmmakers like V. Shantaram, Bhalji Pendharkar, Anant Mane, Raja Paranjape, and Raja Thakur creating impactful works.^[36] Notable actors of this period included Sulochana Latkar, Sandhya, Hansa Wadkar, Usha Kiran, Chandrakant Gokhale, Raja Gosavi, Suryakant Mandhare, and Ramesh Deo. Rising to fame in the late 1950s, Jayshree Gadkar became one of the most influential actresses of the 1960s after her memorable performance in Sangtye Aika.^[37] In recognition of Marathi cinema, the Maharashtra government launched the annual Maharashtra State Film Awards, with Prapanch being the first film to win the Best Film award. Anant Mane is also credited for sustaining Marathi cinema with his groundbreaking work on Tamasha films.^[38]

The 1970s saw the rise of Dada Kondke, who became a leading figure by producing and directing hit films like Songadya, Ekta Jeev Sadashiv, Andhala Marto Dola, Pandu Havaldar, Tumcha Aamcha Jamala, Ram Ram Gangaram, Bot Lavin Titha Gudgulya, Aali Angavar, and Hyoch Navra Pahije. He holds a Guinness World Record for delivering nine silver jubilee hits at the box office.^[39] This decade also introduced notable actors such as Smita Patil, Usha Chavan, Usha Naik, Asha Kale, Anjana Mumtaz, Nilu Phule, Kashinath Ghanekar, Shriram Lagoo, Ravindra Mahajani, and Vikram Gokhale.^[40]

The 1980s were dominated by Ashok Saraf and Laxmikant Berde, who were regarded as the superstars of Marathi cinema.^[41] Ashok Saraf featured in over 300 films, portraying a variety of leading roles, while Sachin gained widespread recognition for his film Ashi Hi Banwa Banwi, which became the first Marathi movie to gross 30 million at the box office.^[42] Mahesh Kothare is also credited for introducing the first cinemascope film, Dhadakebaaz, in 1990.^[43] Other notable personalities from the 1980s and 1990s include Nana Patekar, Ajinkya Deo, Nitish Bharadwaj, Prashant Damle, Ramesh Bhatkar, Sachin Khedekar, Ranjana, Varsha Usgaonkar, Nivedita Joshi, Supriya Pilgaonkar, Ashwini Bhave, Priya Berde, Alka Kubal, Sonali Kulkarni, Neena Kulkarni, and Mrinal Kulkarni.

In more recent times, actors like Upendra Limaye have garnered critical acclaim, with Limaye receiving the National Film Award for acting.^[44] Contemporary figures such as Nagraj Manjule, Ashutosh Gowariker, Makarand Deshpande, Atul Kulkarni, Siddharth Jadhav, Shreyas Talpade, Shivaji Satam, Mrunal Thakur, Radhika Apte, Sai Tamhankar, Urmila Matondkar, Amruta Khanvilkar, Renuka Shahane and Reema Lagoo have achieved national recognition for their contributions to cinema.^[45]

• Maharashtra State Film Awards
• Filmfare Awards Marathi
• Zee Chitra Gaurav Puraskar
• Fakt Marathi Cine Sanman
• Maharashtracha Favourite Kon?
• National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Marathi
• Sakal Premier Awards
• Pune International Film Festival
• Maharashtra Times Sanman Awards
• Lokmat Sakhi Awards
• Pravah Picture Awards

Nowadays, Marathi movies have been listed at many international film festivals, which provides a platform for such movies and the filmmakers to know big in the world film industry. All Lights Film Services^[68] provided platform for Marathi films such as Pinky – Ek Sathyakatha, Kapus Kondyachi Goshta, Hou De Jarasa Ushir, Sopanchi Aye Bahina Bhai, Touring Talkies, Langar to almost all leading international festivals across the world.

• Marathi Cinema: In Retrospect, by Sanjit Narwekar. Maharashtra Film, Stage & Cultural Development Corp., 1995.

• List of Marathi films
• List of Marathi film actresses
• List of Marathi film actors