Marathi cinema is an
Indian film industry
The film industry or motion picture industry comprises the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking, i.e., film production companies, film studios, cinematography, animation, film production, screenwriting, pre-production, p ...
of
Marathi-language
motion pictures
A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
. It is based in
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...
,
Maharashtra. Based in old
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...
, it is the oldest film industry of Indian cinema.
The first
Marathi film to be released in India was ''
Shree Pundalik
''Shree Pundalik'', which was released on 18 May 1912 at the Coronation Cinematograph, Girgaum, Mumbai, is sometimes considered the first feature-length Indian film by a minority. The government of India and most scholarly sources consider ''Ra ...
'' by
Dadasaheb Torne
Ramchandra Gopal Torne () (13 April 1890 – 19 January 1960), also known as Dadasaheb Torne was an Indian director and producer, best known for making the first feature film in India, '' Shree Pundalik''. This historic record is well establis ...
on 18 May 1912 at Coronation Cinematograph, Mumbai.
and a Marathi crew who were performing Marathi and Sanskrit (musicals) and plays in Marathi at that period.
The first Marathi talkie film, ''
Ayodhyecha Raja'', was released in 1932, just one year after ''
Alam Ara'' the first Hindi talkie. Although the industry is much smaller than
Hindi cinema (which is also primarily based in Mumbai), Marathi cinema is tax free at the privilege of the state of Maharashtra, and is experiencing growth in recent years. ''
Raja Harishchandra
''Raja Harishchandra'' () is a 1913 Indian silent film directed and produced by Dadasaheb Phalke. It is often considered the first full-length Indian feature film. ''Raja Harishchandra'' features Dattatraya Damodar Dabke, Anna Salunke, Bhal ...
'', directed by
Dadasaheb Phalke
Dhundiraj Govind Phalke (Pronunciation: ̪ʱuɳɖiɾaːd͡ʒ pʰaːɭke, popularly known as Dadasaheb Phalke () (30 April 1870 – 16 February 1944), was an Indian producer-director-screenwriter, known as "the Father of Indian cinema". His de ...
, was a
Marathi film, now known as India's first full-length feature, released in 1913. The
Dadasaheb Phalke Award
The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India's highest award in the field of cinema. It is presented annually at the National Film Awards ceremony by the Directorate of Film Festivals, an organisation set up by the Ministry of Information and Broad ...
is India's highest award in cinema given annually by the
Government of Maharashtra for lifetime contribution to
Indian cinema
The Cinema of India consists of motion pictures produced in India, which had a large effect on world cinema since the late 20th century. Major centers of film production across the country include Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, ...
. It is also known by the sobriquet Mollywood in various print and online media.
History
Silent movies period
Marathi cinema is the oldest form of Indian cinema.
The first Marathi movie released in India was ''Shree Pundalik'' by
Dadasaheb Torne
Ramchandra Gopal Torne () (13 April 1890 – 19 January 1960), also known as Dadasaheb Torne was an Indian director and producer, best known for making the first feature film in India, '' Shree Pundalik''. This historic record is well establis ...
on 18 May 1912 at Coronation Cinematograph, Mumbai.
Dadasaheb Phalke
Dhundiraj Govind Phalke (Pronunciation: ̪ʱuɳɖiɾaːd͡ʒ pʰaːɭke, popularly known as Dadasaheb Phalke () (30 April 1870 – 16 February 1944), was an Indian producer-director-screenwriter, known as "the Father of Indian cinema". His de ...
is known as the first pioneer and founder of cinema in pre-Independence India. He brought the revolution of moving images to India with his first indigenously made film ''
Raja Harishchandra
''Raja Harishchandra'' () is a 1913 Indian silent film directed and produced by Dadasaheb Phalke. It is often considered the first full-length Indian feature film. ''Raja Harishchandra'' features Dattatraya Damodar Dabke, Anna Salunke, Bhal ...
'' in 1913, which is considered by
IFFI and NIFD as part of Marathi cinema as it used Marathi dialogues while shooting and had a fully Marathi crew. Kolhapur in Western Maharashtra was another centre of active film production in the twenties. In 1919
Baburao Mistry — popularly known as Baburao Painter — formed the
Maharashtra Film Company
Maharashtra Film Company was an Indian film production company, established by Baburao Painter in Kolhapur. Established in 1918, it was a silent film studio, which was a pioneer in Maharashtra and Marathi cinema, under the patronage of the Shahu M ...
with the blessings of the Maharaja of Kolhapur and released the first significant historical ''Sairandhari ''(1920) with Balasheb Pawar, Kamala Devi and Zunzarrao Pawar in stellar roles. Because of his special interest in sets, costumes, design and painting, he chose episodes from Maratha history for interpreting in the new medium and specialized in the historical genre. Baburao Painter made many silent movies till 1930. However, after a few more silent films, the
Maharashtra Film Company
Maharashtra Film Company was an Indian film production company, established by Baburao Painter in Kolhapur. Established in 1918, it was a silent film studio, which was a pioneer in Maharashtra and Marathi cinema, under the patronage of the Shahu M ...
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.
After advent of sound
As cinema grew in Union of India, major production houses rose and one of them was again a company owned wholly by
Maharashtrians, the
Prabhat Film Company
Prabhat Film Company (popularly known as Prabhat Films) was an Indian film production company and film studios founded in 1929 by the noted film director V.Shantaram and his friends.
It was formed in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India in 1929, towar ...
. Prabhat's ''Sant Tukaram'' was the first Indian work to win the Best Film Award at the Venice film festival in 1937.
In 1954 at the very first edition of the National Awards, ''
Shyamchi Aai'' another Marathi film, 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.
The Golden era
Marathi cinema was in its full bloom by this time with the advent of greats like
V. Shantaram,
Master Vinayak
Vinayak Damodar Karnataki (19 January 1906 – 19 August 1947) commonly referred to as Master Vinayak was an Indian actor and film director of the 1930s and 1940s.
Personal life
Master Vinayak was born in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India. He mar ...
,
Bhalji Pendharkar
Bhalji Pendharkar (3 May 1897 – 26 November 1994) was a film personality in India, and recipient of Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the most prestigious award in the field.
Early life and family
Born to Radhabai and her husband Dr Gopal Pendharkar ...
,
Acharya Atre, followed by
Raja Paranjpe, Jyotiram, sonal and mumtaz, Dinkar D Patil,
G. D. Madgulkar,
Sudhir Phadke,
Raja Thakur . The 1960s saw the emergence of directors like Anant Mane who made Marathi films based on the folk art form
Tamasha. Then came directors like Datta Dharmadhikari and Raj Dutt who made traditional family dramas. The early 70s saw the advent of
Dada Kondke
Krishna "Dada" Kondke (Marathi pronunciation: ̪aːd̪a koːɳɖke 8 August 1932 – 14 March 1998) was an Indian actor and film producer. He was one of the most renowned personalities in Marathi film industry, famous for his double entendre ...
who captured the audiences with his sense of humour that included
sexual innuendo
An innuendo is a hint, insinuation or intimation about a person or thing, especially of a denigrating or derogatory nature. It can also be a remark or question, typically disparaging (also called insinuation), that works obliquely by allusion ...
. 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
Dada Kondke
Krishna "Dada" Kondke (Marathi pronunciation: ̪aːd̪a koːɳɖke 8 August 1932 – 14 March 1998) was an Indian actor and film producer. He was one of the most renowned personalities in Marathi film industry, famous for his double entendre ...
.
1980s
The 1980s saw two comedy heroes catapult to stardom,
Ashok Saraf
Ashok Saraf (Hindii pronunciation: �ʃoːk səɾaːf born 4 June 1947) is an Indian film and stage actor and comedian. He has appeared in many Marathi language films and stage plays in lead roles and in Hindi language films and TV serials in ...
and
Laxmikant Berde. Around the mid-80s two young actors donned the director's mantle:
Mahesh Kothare
Mahesh Amber Kothare (Marathi pronunciation: əɦeːʃ koʈʰaːɾe born 28 September 1953) is an Indian film actor, director and producer of Marathi and Hindi films. He started his acting career as child artist. Kothare acted in well-known ...
and
Sachin Pilgaonkar
Sachin Pilgaonkar, often known mononymously by his screen name Sachin, is an Indian actor, director, producer, writer and singer of Marathi and Hindi films. He has directed and acted in several Marathi films of the late 1980s and early 1990s. ...
.
Pilgaonkar directed ''Navri Mile Navryala'' and around the same time Mahesh Kothare directed ''Dhumdhadaka''.
Pilgaonkar's film was a box-office hit while Mahesh Kothare's became a mega hit at the box-office, became a trend-setter, and brought young audiences to Marathi cinema. Mahesh Kothare went on to make comedy films that became major hits. He made the first Marathi film shot on the anamorphic format (Cinemascope) — ''Dhadakebaaz''.
Reasons for the decline of Marathi cinema
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
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
), 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.
Revival: Marathi New Wave
In past few years, the Marathi cinema industry has produced many films that are not only critically acclaimed but commercially successful as well.
Acclaimed director Dr
Jabbar Patel
Dr. Jabbar Patel (born 23 June 1942, Pandharpur) is a former paediatrician and a Marathi-language theatre and film director of India. His production of the play Vijay Tendulkar's play Ghashiram Kotwal, in 1973 is considered a classic in Moder ...
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 outshined other Indian film industries such as
Bollywood
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
in the first quarter of 2010 in box office collections and critical appreciation.
Actor-director Mahesh Kothare brought a number of innovations in the technical quality of Marathi films and was the first to bring
Dolby Digital sound to Marathi cinema with ''Chimni Pakhara'' in 2003. He made the first Marathi film with Digital Special Effects, ''
Pachadlela'', in 2004. He also made first Marathi movie in
3D ''
Zapatlela 2'', in 2013.
Contemporary
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. ''Shwaas'' was the second Marathi film to win the President's Medal after ''
Shyamchi Aai'' (1950).
The
Maharashtra state government has begun to issue grants to Marathi film (between 1.5 million and 3.0 million rupees). After the success of ''Shwaas'', Indian media players like Shringar Films and Zee Telefilms are exhibiting a re-emerging interest in Marathi cinema. The growing popularity of Marathi television (notably
Zee Marathi,
ETV Marathi,
Mi Marathi,
Star Pravah
Star Pravah is an Indian Marathi language general entertainment pay television channel owned by Disney Star (formerly ''Star India''), a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company India. It was launched on 24 November 2008. Its programming consis ...
,
Saam TV) has helped to popularize older Marathi cinema and promote the genre.
Zee Talkies
Zee TV (stylised as ZEE TV) is a Hindi general entertainment pay television channel in India. It was launched on 2 October 1992, as the first privately owned TV channel in the country. It is owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises. Zee TV als ...
and Shemaroo MarathiBana a 24-hour channel dedicated to Marathi movies, has been introduced.
In 2009,
Marathi film ''
Harishchandrachi Factory
''Harishchandrachi Factory'' (; ) is a 2009 Indian Marathi-language biographical film written and directed by Paresh Mokashi. It is about Dadasaheb Phalke, who made the first Indian feature film ''Raja Harishchandra'' (1913), and starring Nandu ...
'' (with a budget of Rs. 6 crore), depicting the struggle of
Dadasaheb Phalke
Dhundiraj Govind Phalke (Pronunciation: ̪ʱuɳɖiɾaːd͡ʒ pʰaːɭke, popularly known as Dadasaheb Phalke () (30 April 1870 – 16 February 1944), was an Indian producer-director-screenwriter, known as "the Father of Indian cinema". His de ...
in making ''
Raja Harishchandra
''Raja Harishchandra'' () is a 1913 Indian silent film directed and produced by Dadasaheb Phalke. It is often considered the first full-length Indian feature film. ''Raja Harishchandra'' features Dattatraya Damodar Dabke, Anna Salunke, Bhal ...
'' in 1913, India's first feature film, directed by theatre-veteran
Paresh Mokashi was selected as India's
official entry to
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
in the
Best Foreign Language Film category, making it the second Marathi film, after ''
Shwaas'', to receive this honour.
2009 saw the blockbuster musical movie ''
Natarang'', which both commercial and critical applause and has served as a path-breaking movie for Marathi cinema.
Since the new decade beginning in 2010, several contemporary Marathi artistic films released including
Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni
Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni is a Marathi film director. He is an alumnus of the Film and Television Institute of India ( FTII), Pune. He is known for Marathi films such as '' Valu'' (The Wild Bull), '' Vihir'' (The Well), ''Deool'' (The Temple) a ...
's ''
Vihir
''Vihir'' (English: The well) is a 2009 Marathi film directed by Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni which was released in March 2010 and was featured in Berlin film festival and Rotterdam International Film Festival 2010, the Netherlands.
This is AB Corp L ...
'' and ''
Deool
''Deool'' () is a 2011 Indian Marathi dark comedy directed by Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni and produced by Abhijeet Gholap. The film stars Girish Kulkarni, Nana Patekar, Dilip Prabhawalkar, Sharvani Pillai, Sonali Kulkarni in lead roles. The film ...
'', and
Nagraj Manjule's ''
Fandry
''Fandry'' () is a 2013 Marathi-language film, written and directed by Nagraj Manjule in his directorial debut. It stars Somnath Avghade and Rajeshwari Kharat. The story focuses on a young boy's love amidst caste-based discrimination. The fil ...
''. They have given a new direction to Marathi films.
Deool
''Deool'' () is a 2011 Indian Marathi dark comedy directed by Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni and produced by Abhijeet Gholap. The film stars Girish Kulkarni, Nana Patekar, Dilip Prabhawalkar, Sharvani Pillai, Sonali Kulkarni in lead roles. The film ...
became the third movie after Shyaamchi Aai and Shwaas to win the
National Film Award for Best Feature Film
The National Award for Best Feature Film is one of the categories in the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in India. It is one of se ...
Sairat (2016) musical romantic drama starring
Rinku Rajguru and
Akash Thosar, directed by
Nagraj Manjule and produced by Nagraj Manjule, Nitin Keni, and Nikhil Sane 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. Also it ran for more than 100 days in many centres of Maharashtra.
Big Budget moives
In recent year Marathi industry produced many big budget movies that have awesome response on box office and were blockbuster movie like (
Zombivli) and (
Pawankhind) made on budget of 12 crore gross 40.05 crore on box office .
Awards
Filmfare Awards
Maharashtra State 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
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.
Highest Grossing Marathi Films
National Film Awards
Further reading
* ''Marathi Cinema: In Retrospect'', by Sanjit Narwekar. Maharashtra Film, Stage & Cultural Development Corp., 1995.
See also
*
List of Marathi films
This is the list of films produced in the Marathi language in India. The Marathi film industry is the oldest of all Indian film industries.
''Raja'' ''Harishchandra'', the first silent film of India was directed by Dadasaheb Phalke with t ...
*
List of Marathi film actresses
*
Sayali Sanjeev Chandsarkar
Sayali Chandsarkar, also professionally as Sayali Sanjeev, is an actress from Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. She works in Marathi film and TV shows. She has appeared in Marathi films ''Basta'', ''Jhimma'', ''Goshta Eka Paithanichi'' and '' AB Aani C ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marathi Cinema
Culture of Maharashtra