Mumbai is and has always been the citadel for Hindi cinema. But Maharashtrian directors have never dominated. But for some sparkling exceptions. On Maharashtra Day (May 1), here’s looking at the helmsmen who made a name in Hindi cinema.
Dadasaheb Phalke was the father of Indian cinema with the silent Raja Harishchandra and even went on to later make a few talkie films. Many other directors of eminence like Bhalji Pendharkar were seen during the silent era and there were those who came in during the 1930s and 1940s.
The first name to make a mega-impact and remain increasingly relevant was V. Shantaram, who also started out in the silent era and went on to make landmark motion pictures later like Padosi, Stree, Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje, Do Ankhen Bara Haath, Navrang, Geet Gaaya Pattharon Ne and Jal Bin Machhli Nritya Bin Bijli in his Hindi output. His last film was Jhanjhaar in 1987.
Vasant Joglekar was another well-known name, who made several films, including Aap Ki Sewa Mein that saw Lata Mangeshkar’s Hindi playback debut. And there were other names from Marathi cinema, like Raja Paranjape, making occasional forays into Hindi films. Comedian Bhagwan, of course, made multiple films, most notably Albela.
And then a gap!
But after that, there was an inexplicable gap of over 20 years. Hit Marathi director Raja Thakur directed the hit Zakhmee in 1975, but sadly passed away too soon to benefit from the success of the film produced by Aamir Khan’s father Tahir Husain. Hit Hindi film writer and a Maharashtrian, Ram Kelkar, turned director with two films that did not go anywhere—Do Jhoot and Pyaasi Ankhen.
The husband-and-wife team of Aruna and Vikas Desai formed the Aruna-Vikas duo and directed the 1977 Vinod Khanna-Shabana Azmi suspense thriller Shaque (a success) and then the supernatural Gehrayee. They parted ways in reel and real life and failed to get success later.
Vijaya Mehta, nee Jaywant, directed arthouse movies Raosaheb, Hamidabai Ki Kothi and Pestonji. Theater stalwart Sai Paranjpye directed the successful Chashme Buddoor (remade later by David Dhawan) and Katha besides several arty and also children’s films from the 1976 Sikandar. Amol Palekar, beginning in Hindi as director with Ankahee (1985), had a similar mix of films, besides helming Shah Rukh Khan’s big-budget home production Paheli¸ which was nominated to the Oscars, but failed nationally.
Marathi comic and filmmaker Dada Kondke also tried his luck (with marked lack of national appreciation of his brand of comedy) with four Hindi movies.
The lone exception
However, way back in the 1980s, we had the unique example of a mid-stream realistic film that connected with the masses—N. Chandra’s 1985 Ankush, introducing Nana Patekar in the lead.
In 1985, Ankush commercially scored over Rahul Rawail’s Arjun, with a similar angst-and-rebellion storyline, despite the latter film having the stars Sunny Deol and Dimple Kapadia! Chandra followed this film with the intense Pratighaat (1987), which ran for 50 weeks despite no star in it, and the Anil Kapoor-Madhuri Dixit blockbuster Tezaab (1988) that became the actress’ passport to superstardom.
And for the first time in decades, a film directed by a Marathi director became a year’s biggest hit! However, until 35 years later, there was no repeat performance of this kind by a Marathi director! And Chandra himself never delivered a super-hit again, though Narsimha, Yugandhar, Tejaswiniand Style did modest business as against many flops later.
Sporadically, actors Sachin (Prem Deewane and three more films), Mahesh Kothare (Masoom in 1996 and one flop), Shafi Inamdar (Hum Dono) and Nana Patekar (Prahaar) met with limited or occasional success, though the first two have been massively successful in Marathi films!
Ashutosh Gowariker began with flops but soon made the Oscar-nominated Lagaan (2001), the highly applauded Swades and the modestly-successful Jodhaa Akbar (2008), but sadly could not sustain after that.
Later, we saw Madhur Bhandarkar make a solid impact with Chandni Bar (2001) and Mahesh V. Manjrekar with Vaastav (1998). However, neither could sustain despite their prolific output, though Bhandarkar triumphed in 2005 again with Page 3.
Showtime with limited success
In 2010, Milind Ukey directed the Shahid Kapoor flop, Paathshaala. And since 2019, some Marathi filmmakers came but failed to go anywhere. Vijay Ratnakar Gutte directed The Accidental Prime Minister, Abhijit Panse directed the bi-lingual Thackeray, Abhishek Dixit helmed Hum Chaar, Mikhil Musale made Rajkummar Rao’s Made In China and Nagraj Munjale helmed Jhund with Amitabh Bachchan.
Nishikant Kamat did sparkle a shade with Drishyam (2015), but that was a faithful remake of a Malayalam film. His original films, led by Mumbai Meri Jaan and Force and later films like Rocky Handsome and Madaari could not get audience rapport, though his Marathi oeuvre was replete with good and successful films.
And Rajesh Mapuskar directed the above-average (at box-office) Ferrari Ki Sawaari besides the web series, Rudra: The Edge of Darkness.
The tide turns
But now, the tide seems to have turned, and a major point came in 2020 when Om Raut gave us Tanhaji—The Unsung Warrior, co-produced by Ajay Devgn. The film with a historical base, as Tanhaji was Marathi Emperor Shivaji’s trusted lieutenant, did whopping business and was the year’s biggest hit. However, Raut was heavily panned for his next film, Adipurush, a twisted version of Ramayan, though technically it did enter the 100 crore club.
Next up was cinematographer-turned-director, Laxman Utekar. He made his Hindi debut with the successful Luka Chhupi, which explored the living-in concept with humor. His next, Mimi, was a rework of the National award-winning Marathi movie, Mala Aai Vhaaychya, and the film was majorly altered into a mediocre remake. However, surprisingly, the film worked on its OTT release and Kriti Sanon even won the 2021 National award for Best Actress. His third film, Zara Hatke Zara Bachke, did modestly well, and then he made Chhaava, a biopic on Emperor Shivaji’s son, Emperor Shambhaji, which created box-office history and is still running, well past the Rs. 600 crore mark!
Of course, we have had a few failures too, like Nipun Dharmadhikari in Ihsq Vishk Rebound. Jayprad Desai’s Kaun Pravin Tambe? and Phir Ayees Hasseen Dillruba were both OTT releases, though Desai had impressive work in the serial-web series zones. Sameer Vidwans directed Satyaprem Ki Katha which also failed to do well. Avinash Arun Dhaware only got some critical acclaim with Three of Us. Ravi Jadhav, with an enviable track-record, failed to get success with Banjo as well as Main Atal Hoon, though his web series with Sushmita Sen, Taali, worked. Dnyanesh Zoting did not impress with his Hindi OTT film, Collar Bomb.
Analysis
Says Abhijit Panse, “Maharashtrian directors tended to look at cinema as a kala (art), rather than accepting that it was also about commerce. It is a Maharashtrian trait that is perhaps being corrected now.”
But Laxman Utekar, who had earlier directed two Marathi films and also been a director of photography since 2007, demurs, “I do not agree that Marathi directors go heavily into art. The fact is that we all look at Hindi films as a step up. Fly-by-night filmmakers who never produce a second film, a lack of stars and above all, a lack of strong personalities backing Marathi cinema, have all been causes of this. So Hindi films, in that sense, are more about business and glamour. But I think that it is just the law of averages that Marathi directors have not always been successful.”
More names now!
2024 was the year of two Maharashtrian Aditya’s! Aditya Sarpotdar directed the horror drama, Munjya, which emerged as the biggest hit of 2024 in terms of Return on Investment (ROI) or cost-to-profit ratio. Aditya Suhas Jambhale directed the brilliant Article 370, the superb re-telling of a historic occasion that was also dramatized to a decent extent, and this year, we have had the gripping Ground Zero, directed by Tejas Vijay Prabha Deoskar. Deoskar, in 2021, had made the modest success, Chhatriwali.
Gender no bar
And last but not least, the female of this species has arrived too. Her first feature (after being a writer and short film director) was Cargo, a dark comedy, in 2019. She has just released Mrs., the remake of the Malayalam movie, The Great Indian Kitchen, to acclaim.
Cinema is surely opening up for more and more established as well as fresh Marathi names to come into Hindi cinema, even if “as the next step.”
(Used under special arrangement with NIT)
