In the list of new movie releases last Friday, a special mention goes to Madhuri Dixit’s debut Marathi film Bucket List, which has earned Rs 3.66 crore in three days and is playing on 409 screens. But the question is why does this film need a special mention?
The journey of a Marathi film is not as easy as that of a Hindi one, which still casts its long shadow across the Indian film industry. In addition, limited marketing budgets and lackluster promotions are some of the reasons that act as stumbling blocks for Marathi movies. Hence, a strong run of a film from this segment requires a special mention.
But this segment has also enjoyed its share of attention from audiences thanks to strong content, new-age writers and filmmakers, and unusual subjects. And factors like state government’s grants and subsidies to the Marathi films have led to renaissance of sorts in Marathi cinema in the last decade-and-a-half.
The proof of this is the massive earnings of films like Sairat, which is the all-time highest grossing Marathi film. The film, which was made at a budget of Rs 4 crore, entered the coveted Rs 100 crore club by minting approximately Rs 110 crore which is a feat not many Marathi films have achieved.
Then came Nana Patekar’s Aapla Manus, which clocked in Rs 20 crore in the first 50 days of its release this year. In 2014, Riteish Deshmukh-starrer Lai Bhaari minted more than Rs 40 crore with a budget of Rs 7 crore.
The success story of this segment doesn’t end with strong collections of one or two films — the Marathi film industry as a whole is witnessing a change. According to an EY report, the Marathi film segment releases about 100-120 films on an average every year, which was as low as 20 films a year about a decade ago.
The segment has found recognition as content-driven cinema have earned critical acclaim in the international festival circuit. In 2017, films such as Lapachhapi, a horror film, and Kaccha Limbu, a movie from the drama genre, were well received at the box office and also found acclaim at film festivals.
The journey of a Marathi film is not as easy as that of a Hindi one, which still casts its long shadow across the Indian film industry. In addition, limited marketing budgets and lackluster promotions are some of the reasons that act as stumbling blocks for Marathi movies. Hence, a strong run of a film from this segment requires a special mention.
But this segment has also enjoyed its share of attention from audiences thanks to strong content, new-age writers and filmmakers, and unusual subjects. And factors like state government’s grants and subsidies to the Marathi films have led to renaissance of sorts in Marathi cinema in the last decade-and-a-half.
Then came Nana Patekar’s Aapla Manus, which clocked in Rs 20 crore in the first 50 days of its release this year. In 2014, Riteish Deshmukh-starrer Lai Bhaari minted more than Rs 40 crore with a budget of Rs 7 crore.
The success story of this segment doesn’t end with strong collections of one or two films — the Marathi film industry as a whole is witnessing a change. According to an EY report, the Marathi film segment releases about 100-120 films on an average every year, which was as low as 20 films a year about a decade ago.
The segment has found recognition as content-driven cinema have earned critical acclaim in the international festival circuit. In 2017, films such as Lapachhapi, a horror film, and Kaccha Limbu, a movie from the drama genre, were well received at the box office and also found acclaim at film festivals.
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