“Punjabis and Gujaratis own all the businesses, South Indians have the hotels, people from central India hold the high positions in Mumbai. What have we Maharashtrians got?” bemoans Dinkar Bhosale to Shivaji Maharaj in Me Shivaji Raje Bhosale Boltoy.
The film, directed by Santosh Manjrekar, is about a Marathi manoos feeling cornered in his own city and has opened to a great response in Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra. Meanwhile, with the producers’ strike taking effect from Saturday, the film is likely to get undivided attention due to the absence of other releases.
If initial public reaction is anything to go by, the film could emerge as a big money-spinner. “I just came back from a show at Plaza cinema and the audience was ecstatic. It was unbelievable,” says noted filmmaker Kiran Shantaram. Before this, De Dhakka, which did a business of over Rs8 crores, was the highest Marathi grosser.
Although Me Shivaji… is the most expensive Marathi film ever made — with a budget that’s pegged at over Rs3crore — the makers are confident of making a neat profit, even bettering De Dhakka. “It’s early to say, but the response so far has been fantastic. In fact, we are now releasing two prints with English subtitles and plan to release two prints in the US too,” says co-producer of the film Sanjay Chhabria.
But while the sentiments aired in the film may be a hit among the masses, do Maharashtrians in the city feel the same way? “It’s true that the feeling of being sidelined is widespread among most Maharashtrians, but I don’t endorse it myself.
aharashtrians and Bengalis have this permanent sense of grievance towards the rest of India,” says Loksatta editor Kumar Ketkar. Adman Bharat Dhabolkar is of the opinion that the middle class is where this sentiment is stronger. “They feel left out and persecuted. But it’s not the same with the upper strata of Maharashtrians; they all hold high positions in most important places,” says Dhabolkar, who plays the role of Shivaji’s sworn enemy, Afzal Khan, in the film.
Shantaram feels that Me Shivaji…will strike a chord with the Marathi manoos.
“Every Mahashtrian should watch the film. It’s well made and a step in the right direction for Marathi cinema. It had a multiplex premiere and that’s a big deal,” says Shantaram.
Ketkar feels that although the film is based in Mumbai, it will ring a bell more with the rural audiences. “In Mumbai, the work ethics are different. Maharashtrians here are more efficient and committed to work than those in rural Maharashtra. And if you are hardworking, you don’t have to worry about being left behind in the rat race,” says Ketkar.
“Except in multiplexes, where the film has been released in one or two shows each, the film has opened to a bumper response all over Maharashtra. With no Hindi film releasing for the next few weeks due to the strike, it means Maharashtrians will be able to give their undivided attention to the film,” says trade analyst Amod Mehra. However, he rules out the possibility of non-Maharashtrians taking to the film in a big way, irrespective of the producer-distributor strike that began on Saturday.
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