The Marathi film industry is getting out of a self-created slump and revenues are looking up, reports Chandran Iyer
At its peak, the Marathi film industry boasted of doyens that dominated the large screen, the hey days of V Shantaram, Acharaya P K Atre, Bhalji Pendharkar, Baburao Painter and Master Vinayak. Then it went into a tailspin, playing second or third fiddle to big brother Bollywood, its future largely uncertain. Now in the last three years, the Marathi film industry, once a pioneer in the business of film making, is in the process of reviving its fortunes.
For one, the number of Marathi films being churned out annually has gone up from two dozen odd to more than 100 films. The industry has been rejuvenated post-Shwaas with young directors willing to explore new themes and content. In 2006, the industry released 67 movies while 91 hit the screens in 2007. Now the number have gone up to more than 100.
Producers are willing to put in up to Rs two crores - a high figure for regional cinema - as compared to Rs 25 to 30 lakh a couple of years ago. This has also resulted in a sharp rise in the annual turnover.
A number of factors contributed to the decline of Marathi cinema; poor scripting, lack of quality directors, talent drain of good actors like Nana Patekar, Laxmikant Berde, Ashok Saraf and others to Hindi films, an irregular distribution network and spawning of multiplex theatres more interested in block buster Hindi films than regional Marathi fare.
Sanjay Chabbria, managing director of Everest Entertainment Pvt. Ltd, says the word revival has negative connotations. “I would say that it is now in the consolidation mode. Looking at the number of good films that are being churned out every year in Maharashtra, things are looking bright,’’ he points out. According to him,‘‘this revival began with the release of Shwas or Breath.’’ Chabbria has a point because in 2003, this Sandeep Sawant film broke the mould and captured the imagination of even non-Maharashtrian audiences. It won the Golden Lotus National Award in 2004 and was official entry to the 77th Academy Awards. Other films like Not Only Mrs Raut, Anahat and Saat Chya Aat Gharat too did well at the box office as well as get critical acclaim. Shrirang Godbole, managing director, Indian Magic Eye Motions Pictures, believes quality has improved thanks to satellite rights. “Marathi movies are earning good revenue from satellite rights. This augurs very well for business as it offsets production costs considerably”. According to industry sources, Deool and Shala received Rs 1.5 crore each as satellite rights.
Says noted writer and director Raju Phulkar, who has directed super hit comedy films like Gadhavacha Lagna (Wedding of An Ass) and 40 other mainly mythological films, “though Marathi films are now doing reasonably well, people often compare it to the Hindi film industry which is wrong. A commercial Marathi film is made on a shoe-string budget of around Rs one or two crores, a Hindi film budget ranges from Rs 50 to 100 crores. A hero or heroine in a Hindi film industry gets more money than the entire budget of a Marathi film. This is because our audiences are confined to Maharashtra while Hindi films have pan-India appeal.’’
What about Tamil and Telugu films which also do very well despite being confined to their respective states? Explains Chabbria: “You cannot compare Marathi cinema with Tamil or Telegu cinema because the audience there is very different. Culturally, Tamil and Telugu audiences go berserk when they see their stars. This is unheard of in Marathi cinema. If there is a movie starring Rajnikant, Tamil audiences will not miss it.’’
Godbole, however, terms this as brand loyalty of southern audiences. “In south India, people are very loyal to their language. Even TV viewership in regional languages is more than 50 per cent, which is not the case in Maharashtra.’’
Chabbria’s Everest Entertainment Pvt Ltd, an integrated media and entertainment company, has become a household name within the Marathi entertainment industry. It not just produces and commissions films but also distributes and showcases films globally across all formats: cinema, home entertainment, television and new media. It has pioneered a successful business model, releasing four to six new films every year across various platforms. The company also has an impressive film library with over 200 titles, making it one of the prime content owners in the business. Umesh Kulkarni, film director known for acclaimed Marathi films such as Valu (The Wild Bull), Vihir (The Well) and Deool ( Temple) says “young film directors are joining the fray which augurs well. Things are better but a lot more needs to be done.’’ His Girni won the National Film Award for the best non-feature film and Valu, released in January 2008, was featured at the Berlin film festival, as was Vihir at Berlin and the Rotterdam International Film Festival in 2010.
Technology too has improved. Films until 2003-04 were made on a 16mm format, usually used for shooting documentary and TV news. They would then be blown up for the big screen; technically the picture would be of poor quality without wide or long-shots. Using scissors to edit has made way for modern computer editing. The industry is now eyeing overseas audiences.
At its peak, the Marathi film industry boasted of doyens that dominated the large screen, the hey days of V Shantaram, Acharaya P K Atre, Bhalji Pendharkar, Baburao Painter and Master Vinayak. Then it went into a tailspin, playing second or third fiddle to big brother Bollywood, its future largely uncertain. Now in the last three years, the Marathi film industry, once a pioneer in the business of film making, is in the process of reviving its fortunes.
For one, the number of Marathi films being churned out annually has gone up from two dozen odd to more than 100 films. The industry has been rejuvenated post-Shwaas with young directors willing to explore new themes and content. In 2006, the industry released 67 movies while 91 hit the screens in 2007. Now the number have gone up to more than 100.
Producers are willing to put in up to Rs two crores - a high figure for regional cinema - as compared to Rs 25 to 30 lakh a couple of years ago. This has also resulted in a sharp rise in the annual turnover.
A number of factors contributed to the decline of Marathi cinema; poor scripting, lack of quality directors, talent drain of good actors like Nana Patekar, Laxmikant Berde, Ashok Saraf and others to Hindi films, an irregular distribution network and spawning of multiplex theatres more interested in block buster Hindi films than regional Marathi fare.
Sanjay Chabbria, managing director of Everest Entertainment Pvt. Ltd, says the word revival has negative connotations. “I would say that it is now in the consolidation mode. Looking at the number of good films that are being churned out every year in Maharashtra, things are looking bright,’’ he points out. According to him,‘‘this revival began with the release of Shwas or Breath.’’ Chabbria has a point because in 2003, this Sandeep Sawant film broke the mould and captured the imagination of even non-Maharashtrian audiences. It won the Golden Lotus National Award in 2004 and was official entry to the 77th Academy Awards. Other films like Not Only Mrs Raut, Anahat and Saat Chya Aat Gharat too did well at the box office as well as get critical acclaim. Shrirang Godbole, managing director, Indian Magic Eye Motions Pictures, believes quality has improved thanks to satellite rights. “Marathi movies are earning good revenue from satellite rights. This augurs very well for business as it offsets production costs considerably”. According to industry sources, Deool and Shala received Rs 1.5 crore each as satellite rights.
Says noted writer and director Raju Phulkar, who has directed super hit comedy films like Gadhavacha Lagna (Wedding of An Ass) and 40 other mainly mythological films, “though Marathi films are now doing reasonably well, people often compare it to the Hindi film industry which is wrong. A commercial Marathi film is made on a shoe-string budget of around Rs one or two crores, a Hindi film budget ranges from Rs 50 to 100 crores. A hero or heroine in a Hindi film industry gets more money than the entire budget of a Marathi film. This is because our audiences are confined to Maharashtra while Hindi films have pan-India appeal.’’
What about Tamil and Telugu films which also do very well despite being confined to their respective states? Explains Chabbria: “You cannot compare Marathi cinema with Tamil or Telegu cinema because the audience there is very different. Culturally, Tamil and Telugu audiences go berserk when they see their stars. This is unheard of in Marathi cinema. If there is a movie starring Rajnikant, Tamil audiences will not miss it.’’
Godbole, however, terms this as brand loyalty of southern audiences. “In south India, people are very loyal to their language. Even TV viewership in regional languages is more than 50 per cent, which is not the case in Maharashtra.’’
Chabbria’s Everest Entertainment Pvt Ltd, an integrated media and entertainment company, has become a household name within the Marathi entertainment industry. It not just produces and commissions films but also distributes and showcases films globally across all formats: cinema, home entertainment, television and new media. It has pioneered a successful business model, releasing four to six new films every year across various platforms. The company also has an impressive film library with over 200 titles, making it one of the prime content owners in the business. Umesh Kulkarni, film director known for acclaimed Marathi films such as Valu (The Wild Bull), Vihir (The Well) and Deool ( Temple) says “young film directors are joining the fray which augurs well. Things are better but a lot more needs to be done.’’ His Girni won the National Film Award for the best non-feature film and Valu, released in January 2008, was featured at the Berlin film festival, as was Vihir at Berlin and the Rotterdam International Film Festival in 2010.
Technology too has improved. Films until 2003-04 were made on a 16mm format, usually used for shooting documentary and TV news. They would then be blown up for the big screen; technically the picture would be of poor quality without wide or long-shots. Using scissors to edit has made way for modern computer editing. The industry is now eyeing overseas audiences.
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