Thursday, January 27, 2011

Mee ShivajiRaje Bhosale boltoy and the rise of Marathi Cinema !

It has been some time since i have seen a Marathi movie.. And this one was a very pleasant watch after a long time.

Gone are those days when i used to be a regular at Prabhat/Neelayam theaters in Pune for Matinee shows. Also gone are the days of senseless comedies Ashok Saraf and Lakshmikant Berde.

Marathi movies, since then, have become socially relevant and it is certainly a pleasure to watch some of them. The shift possibly began with 'Saat Chya aat Gharaat' when Marathi cinema started focussing on relevant social themes instead of senseless comedies. Shwaas, Dombivili Fast and Natrang are great movies with wonderful performances. I am no expert on Marathi Cinema, but I can certainly sense a change in the mindset of the industry - the proof being the increasing number of movies having social relevance.

Coming back to 'Mee ShivajiRaje Bhosale boltoy', the performances of Sachin Khedekar and Mahesh Majrekar are stellar. Though it might gone in overdrive mode in the second half, it certainly sends across the message to all 'maharashtrians'. One of the learnings from the movies is the maturity in the definition of a 'Maharashtrian'. Sachin Khedekar, in one of the most prominent sections of the movie, defines a 'Marathi Manus' as anybody who has domiciled in the state of Maharashtra and does not limit it to those speaking Marathi. Going by this, even a taxi driver bhaiyya from UP or an Udupi/Marwadi who has setup business in Maharshtra becomes a Maharashtrian. The industry has gone way beyond the petty politics of MNS and others alike. And it is a welcome sign...

A must watch for anybody who has stayed in Maharashtra at any point of time in their lives - I can guarantee that you would be able to relate to it...

Way to go Marathi Cinema !! I am already awaiting the next big one...

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