Veteran filmmaker Mahesh Manjrekar says that Marathi is rich in cinema stories, but struggles due to competition and scale lack. The filmmaker and actor offered to be a cruel honest on the position of Indian cinema, stating that only Malayalam and Marathi industries only prioritize meaningful materials, while others focus on large -scale commercial success.

In a special interview with India Today Digital, Mahesh Manjrekar said, “Material-wise, Malayalam and Marathi are the only industries that give materials, otherwise it is all commerce.”

Despite this strength, he said that Marathi films are ignored, even in his home state. “You talk, but you don’t see it. My problem is different. We are a situation where I think, 100% people understand Hindi. This is the biggest problem.”

This, he says, the audience often ignore homegron films, moving towards the release of big sites. “This is the choice, watching a film of 5 crores and looking at 200 crores at the same time. Therefore, the difference is clear.”

Comparing with South Indian industries, Manjrekar said, “What happens today when a South film is made-his audience is very big. Their collections are very large. Therefore, they can take the risk of making a film that is equal to a Hindi film, budget-wise. Therefore, he goes to Pan India.”

He strongly believes that Marathi cinema is entitled to the same scale and access. “You let us make a big Marathi film and release it to Pan India, it will definitely do good, because we have got very good material.”

He urged the industry to move his attention from quantity to quality. “Focus on quality, then volume. Now, now, from now on, from now on, at least 10 Marathi films are coming. You can’t stop them because they also need a time slot. They also see a time slot which is perfect. They think it’s right.”

He said, “So, see if the 5 producers come together, instead of spending 5 crores on each film, they come together and make a film that is 25 crores, it will definitely make a big difference. It will earn a little more money than what they are doing personally.”

However, challenges remain. “What we are doing today … I do a film in Marathi in Hindi, and release it in Maharashtra, I am competing for my film.”

The position is complicated beyond market dynamics. “What happens when a South film is released in Hindi, they know, no one in Delhi is going to see it in Tamil or Telugu, they will see it in Hindi. And Maharashtra is the largest area in this country. Therefore, this is an issue that we face.”

Despite these obstacles, Manjrekar is confident of Marathi cinema’s story strength. “We come on topics that are valid, we have great subjects.”

Manjrekar also addressed the priorities of the changing audience across the country. “Not only Bollywood movies, even South films – they are not working.”

He pointed to recent examples to support his claim. “The last Prabhas film that came, it did not work at all. A film I did with Prabhas and Shraddha Kapoor, ‘Saaho’, who did not work.”

पैन-इंडिया की सफलता के आसपास लोकप्रिय कथा को चुनौती देते हुए, उन्होंने कहा, “अचानक एक बड़ी बात है-दक्षिण भारतीय फिल्में सभी पैन-इंडिया हैं। मैं एक ही दर्शकों को बताना चाहता हूं, पिछले 10 वर्षों में, केवल आठ फिल्में बनाई गई हैं। आठ नहीं! एक साल में भी नहीं। तीनों में से तीन कन्नड़-केजीएफ और केजीएफ 2, पुष्पा 2, पुष्पा 2, पुष्पा 2, पुष्पा 2, पुष्पा 2, पुष्पा 2, पुष्पा 2, Pushpa 2, Pushpa 2, Pushpa 2, Pushpa 2, Pushpa 2, RRR-South are also crashed left and right and right.

Nevertheless, he remains optimistic. “But in Marathi, there is material. I feel very good that there is very good material and in a place like Mumbai, it faces competition from Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Karnataka, Bengali and Punjabi.

Mahesh Manjre will be seen next time in the Marathi film, ‘Devmanas’. Directed by Tejas Prabha Vijay Deoosar, The film also stars Renuka ShahenAnd Subodh Bhave, in an important role with Siddharth Bodke. It is ready to hit the big screen on 25 April.