The Aryavarth Express Mumbai (Maharashtra): Actor Riteish Deshmukh recently spoke about the origins of Indian cinema and the hurdles confronting the Marathi film industry at the Vision India: Creative Economy Summit.
Addressing the audience, Riteish reflected on Maharashtra’s pivotal role in the birth of Indian cinema, crediting legendary filmmaker Dadasaheb Phalke for starting the journey. He noted that while Hindi cinema grew exponentially, Marathi films gradually began to shrink.
“The birth of the film industry happened here in Maharashtra, in Mumbai. A Marathi man, Dadasaheb Phalke, started this journey. But as Hindi films began growing bigger, Marathi content started shrinking,” he said.
Riteish also highlighted how other states prioritize their local-language films. In Maharashtra, however, Hindi often became the first choice, while Marathi was relegated to second place, resulting in reduced space for Marathi cinema. He emphasized the large Marathi-speaking population, which currently ranges from 9.5 to 11 crore, yet receives comparatively limited content.
“In states like Andhra Pradesh or Tamil Nadu, local language films are prioritized, with Hindi coming second and English third. In Maharashtra, Hindi was first, Marathi second. This caused the industry to shrink over the years. Despite a large Marathi-speaking population, we are not making enough content for them,” he said.
Riteish also addressed the economic challenges of the Marathi film industry. Most films are produced on smaller budgets, typically between Rs 3 to 7 crore, which limits their scale compared to big-budget Hindi or South Indian films.
“When films have smaller budgets, there’s only so much you can do. Audiences often choose larger-scale films because they offer a more thrilling experience. As a result, budgets remain small, collections are limited, and it becomes increasingly difficult for Marathi films to compete,” he explained.
Riteish’s comments shed light on the pressing need for more investment, support, and content creation in the Marathi film industry to meet the demands of its large audience.
