Good Marathi films need support

A National award boosts the self-esteem of filmmakers but it doesnt necessarily translate into box-office collections,says director Sunil Sukhthankar

For the last 20 years,Marathi films have been consistently winning National Awards. But somehow the media and the audience were not too aware about it and so these achievements went unnoticed. I still remember that in 1994 Sumitra Bhave and I won three National Awards for our film Doghi but we hardly got any mention in the media,while at the same time the Oscars got a lot of coverage. Today things have changed for the better and there is an awareness both among the audience and the media.

This year Marathi movies have won 12 National Awards. I would attribute this to the greater number of films being made in Marathi cinema. As a result,the number of good movies has also increased. For instance,while earlier around 20 films were made out of which four to five were really good films,today 100 films are made out of which there are 15 good movies. As the number of good movies increases,they make a mark and win various honours. Today we get to see a lot of socially-relevant films in Marathi cinema. It was an enriching experience for me to be a part of the Screen Marathi Awards jury earlier this year. It was a welcome change to watch good,socially-relevant movies. Marathi movies are now going through a good phase. On one hand,we have the old-school slapstick comedies that are now loaded with glamour,while on the other,we have movies like Baboo Band Baajaa and Mee Sindhutai Sakpal. I especially loved Baboo Band Baajaa. Though on a basic level,it is about a mother who fights against all odds to get her son educated,it has a simple narrative and excellent acting and editing. So gradually Marathi movies are displaying technical expertise as well.

A National Award definitely boosts the self-esteem of the winner but it doesnt necessarily translate into good box-office collections. The movies that win this prestigious award are often viewed as different or not-so-entertaining films by the audience. So they do not get a proper release and as a result dont get due recognition from the public.

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Two of the Marathi movies that won National Awards this year Baboo Band Baajaa and Mee Sindhutai Sakpal have won rave reviews at international film festivals. When movies are screened at such events,filmmakers get creative satisfaction,but then again it doesnt translate into commercial success. Last year my film Ek Cup Chai was screened at the Gothenburg international film festival and it was wonderful to see thousands of people queuing up outside the theatre to buy tickets and watch our film when the temperature there was -15 degree Celsius. They were Swedish people who came to watch the movie after reading its synopsis in the festival booklet. They didnt understand the language but they realised that it was meaningful and intelligent cinema. In most cases,such festivals serve as gateways to international markets. But that doesnt always happen.

I believe that National Award-winning movies will get due recognition from the public only if the distributors and viewers get their acts together. There arent any good distributors in Marathi cinema as all of them are busy promoting Hindi movies. As a result,Marathi movies are living in the shadow of Hindi films. Similarly the audience prefer watching Marathi movies on the small screen or DVDs. They should make it a point to go and watch Marathi films in theatres. Only then will things change for the better!