Regional films from Maharashtra have often lived under the shadow of Bollywood movies — their richer, glamorous cousin originating from the state's metropolis Mumbai.
But Indian director-actor Mahesh Manjrekar, who has dabbled in several Bollywood and international projects, such as Kaante and Slumdog Millionaire, is on a mission to raise the stakes for his native Marathi films.
For the first time, Dubai will play host to the Marathi International Film and Theatre Awards (MIFTA) on December 17 at the Palladium to bolster talent among his Maharashtrian film fraternity.
Just like any other movie awards night, the glitterati will be present, with stars from Marathi film industry, including Nana Patekar, Atul Kulkarni, Vikram Ghokale and Sachin Khedekar, rubbing shoulders with the chief guest, Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan, who will also screen his film Vihir during the three-day festival.
tabloid! caught up with one of the Award's key founders, Manjrekar, to know more about the award.
Excerpts from the interview:
Tell us more about MIFTA and why you chose to spearhead it.
At one point, Marathi films were a pioneer in bringing good cinema. Dada Saheb Phalke [Marathi filmmaker] made India's first feature film, and those were the glorious years. But of late with the Hindi culture getting into the scene, Marathi films have somehow lost their sheen.
Having said that, things are moving back on track with some local Marathi filmmakers churning out some interesting content. Through MIFTA, we want to make people aware of the existence of good, top-notch Marathi films. And we chose Dubai primarily because the Maharashtrians here have always patronised and supported good Marathi plays and cinema.
Why do you think Bollywood has overshadowed Marathi films being?
The fight to grab eyeballs for Marathi films is intense because a majority of Maharashtrians speak Hindi and there's no undivided loyalty to their native language among them. For instance, Telugu or Tamil films don't face stiff competition from Bollywood.
Most South Indians are very loyal to their local language cinema. This is not the case with Marathis. The next problem revolves around budget. How does a Marathi film made on a budget of Rs15 million [Dh1.2 million] compete with a Bollywood movie made on a Rs150 million plus budget? Ideally, cinema shouldn't have any language. But these are our ground realities.
Though your cause is noble, you have directed award-winning Bollywood features like Astitva and Vaastav: The Reality. Do you think all filmmakers finally need to be in Bollywood to achieve widespread recognition in India?
Again, I hate to demarcate films based on their language or on whether they're made by a [foreigner] or an Indian. Bollywood is never going to take a backseat for me because I have nothing against it. But I have decided that I make at least one Marathi film a year. As long as we concentrate on our subject and do it sincerely, there will always be an audience.
You played gangster Javed in Danny Boyle's Oscar-winning saga Slumdog Millionaire. But did that film benefit you as much as it has actors like Dev Patel, Anil Kapoor and Freida Pinto?
Slumdog Millionaire was as good or as bad any Bollywood film. If I had to rate it, I would give it just 5.5 points out of 10. Unlike others, I am not gungho about the film winning so many Oscars. Yes, I am happy that I was a part of the project, but I am yet to figure out why it got so many Oscars. If I had been in the jury, it wouldn't have got so many awards.
Tell us more about your future plans in Bollywood and Marathi films?
Acting is going to take a back-seat, because I plan to direct as many as eight films in Marathi in the next couple of years. A movie about the unsung heroes in Maharashtra and an entertaining tale about farmers' suicides are on top of my list. In Bollywood, I plan to make a film for Salman Khan's Being Human charity foundation about children's education.
Don't miss it
What: Marathi International Film and Theatre Award
When: December 17
Where: The Palladium, Dubai
Tickets: Dh50(regular), Dh500 and Dh1,000
Contact: 056-7745785 and 056-7745786
