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Top Marathi Grossers: Riteish Deshmukh's Ved crosses Pawankhind to emerge second highest grosser; Sairat tops
Ved can emerge as Riteish Desmukh's second Industry Hit after Lai Bhaari back in 2014.
The Marathi Film Industry has been in tatters since the last few years, with only a few films breaking out and doing the big numbers. The latest film to enter the presigious set of films that did well in the Marathi language is Ved, directed by and starring Riteish Deshmukh. The film, in barely two weeks, has established itself as the second highest grossing Marathi film of all time and with the sort of trend that it is observing, it has chances to emerge as the highest grossing Marathi film too. Aided by no new big releases and supported by very good word of mouth, Ved has put up an incredible show, theatrically.
Sairat Continues To Be The Most Watched Marathi Film Of All Time:
Sairat has been holding the record for the highest grossing Marathi film for over 6 years now. That film is hands down the most watched Marathi film in terms of the number of individuals that purchased tickets for the film. It is a record that is likely to stay for some more time as even if Ved eclipses the numbers of Sairat domestically, it won't be able to match its ticket receipts. Interestingly, Sairat also has the highest return on investment for a Marathi film, pegged at over 25 times its production budget.
2013 - 2016 Can Be Regarded As The Golden Phase For Marathi Films:
The period from 2013 to 2016 was a golden period for the Marathi film industry as it saw its highest grossing film being topped seven times in four years, from Duniyadari to Timepass to Lai Bhaari to Timepass 2 to Katyar Kaljat Ghusali to Natsamrat and finally Sairat.
Pawankhind Changed The Tide For Marathi Film Releases With A Blockbuster Run:
Post that, not many films did the big numbers at the box office. Even the sequel to Timepass 2 and Riteish Deshmukh's film on the lines of Lai Bhaari didn't do the desired numbers at the box office. The director of Sairat, Nagraj Manjule, who made Jhund with Amitabh Bachchan too failed to make a mark at the box office with a dismal theatrical performance. The only film that performed beyond industry standards was Pawankhind, that emerged as the second highest grossing Marathi film of all time. With two outright films breaking into the top 3 list of Marathi grossers, in the form of Pawankhind and Ved, in the span of a few months, we can expect more films to do the big numbers as there is a clear indication that the audience is ready to watch them.
Why Were Marathi Films Not Doing The Desired Numbers For A Few Years?
The Marathi Film Industry had been facing a tough time because of numerous reasons. Films with better production value from other movie industries released simultaneously, giving stiff competition to local releases. Also, the actors that were a part of Marathi films worked on the television front and were part of numerous active plays in the city. This reduced the exclusivity of actors among audiences, eventually leading to low theatrical numbers.
What Kind Of Movies Do Marathi Movie Lovers Tend To Enjoy?:
Marathi audiences are a sucker for high concept films and one can expect those kind of films, along with the big budget period dramas that have always been preferred, to rake in the big numbers. Films with redundant concepts may find it tough to survive because of the exposure of a lot of content from worldover. If the movie industry works on its strengths, it can really make a big mark for itself in the years to come. The regional movie industries are really turning it on since the pandemic and the most recent movie industry to breakout is Sandalwood, with films like Kantara, KGF: Chapter 2, 777 Charlie, James, Vikrant Rona and others.
Indian Box Office Update:
Almost every movie industry has seen their highest grossers topple post the pandemic, showing that there is a hunger for watching movies in theatres. Sandalwood saw regional records topple with KGF: Chapter 2 and then Kantara. RRR emerged as the highest grossing Telugu film in the Andhra states. Vikram and Ponniyin Selvan both emerged back to back highest grossers in the state of Tamil Nadu. Even a couple of Punjabi films almost emerged as the highest grossing film in the Punjabi language. Bollywood will be targetting to get its highest grosser this year and so will a couple other regional industries.
The Highest Grossing Marathi Films (on gross basis) In India Are As Follows:
1. Sairat - Rs. 85 cr
2. Ved - Rs. 49.5 cr (in 14 days)
3. Pawankhind - Rs. 47 cr
4. Natsamrat
5. Katyar Kaljat Ghusali
Among the upcoming Marathi film releases, it is expected that Mahesh Manjrekar's period drama, Vedat Marathe Veer Daudle Saat, scheduled to release in Diwali 2023 will aim for the top spot, considering that it has a high cost of production and it has ropped in one of India's most bankable actors, Akshay Kumar, to play a vital role in the film.
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