Pinjara (1972), the first Marathi film made in colour, was a historical juggernaut and so were Sushila (1978), Dhoom Dhadaka (1985) etc.
While Bollywood adapted to the multiplex era in the early 2000s, Marathi cinema couldn't do the same.
Interestingly, these four films were unlike what audiences typically associate with mainstream Marathi cinema.”He added, “So, Marathi films are doing well at least from 2025.
Three significant Marathi films have been released this year – Krantijyoti Vidyalay Marathi Madhyam, Tighee and Raja Shivaji.
He does few Marathi films, but whenever he does, he leaves a huge impact and shakes up the box office.
The much-loved historical Raja Shivaji, produced by Jio Studios and Mumbai Film Company, has collected Rs. 84.70 crores in two weeks. The film, directed by Riteish Deshmukh and starring him in the leading role, is holding steady, and trade and industry are excited to see if and when it enters the Rs. 100 crore club. However, what’s also significant is that in a few days from now, it’ll cross the Rs. 90 crore club. Once that happens, the ten-year-old record of Sairat (2016) will finally be broken, and the historical will emerge as the highest Marathi grosser of all time. In this feature,
From V Shantaram’s juggernaut Pinjara, Ashi Hi Banwa Banwi’s Rs. 3 cr milestone to Sairat’s HISTORIC craze and Raja Shivaji’s Rs. 90 cr+ feat: Tracing Marathi cinema’s BLOCKBUSTER evolution
Marathi cinema over the years
Marathi cinema flourished in the olden times and films like Shyamchi Aai (1953) set the gold standard for emotional, socially conscious storytelling. Sangtye Aika (1959) set a record with its historic 131-week run at a theatre in Pune. It is also considered the first golden jubilee hit of Marathi cinema. Dada Kondke's debut film Songadya (1971) had a dream run in several single screens of Maharashtra. Pinjara (1972), the first Marathi film made in colour, was a historical juggernaut and so were Sushila (1978), Dhoom Dhadaka (1985) etc. Films of Sachin Pilgaonkar, Ashok Saraf, Laxmikant Berde etc. dominated the box office and pulled in the audience; Sachin's Ashi Hi Banwa Banwi (1988) is said to be the first Marathi film to cross the Rs. 1 crore mark and collect a whopping Rs. 3 crores. While Maherchi Sadi (1991) became a sensational cultural phenomenon, Zapatlela (1993) dazzled the audiences thanks to its horror comedy genre and use of special effects.
However, soon the film industry faced challenges as several low-budget, poorly produced films were churned out. There was a direct competition from Bollywood as both were set in the same city, Mumbai. While Bollywood adapted to the multiplex era in the early 2000s, Marathi cinema couldn't do the same. The government did not charge entertainment tax for Marathi films. In other words, the tickets for Marathi movies were sold at a lower price. Yet, several films struggled to find an audience.
However, things began to change gradually. Shwaas (2004) was India’s official entry to the Oscars and it threw a massive spotlight on the industry. Films like Saade Maade Teen (2007), Khabardar (2005), Jatra (2006), De Dhakka (2008) etc. earned well at the box office. Saade Maade Teen was even backed by Zee Talkies. Valu: The Wild Bull (2008) was distributed worldwide by Subhash Ghai’s Mukta Arts. It is considered the first-ever Marathi film to get a structured corporate global distribution strategy. The massive screen count and lack of competition from Hindi films at that time proved beneficial for Valu.
2009 was a landmark year for the industry as Mee Shivajiraje Bhosale Boltoy (2009), starring Sachin Khedekar and Mahesh Manjrekar, took the box office by storm. It is the first Marathi film to cross the Rs. 25 crore mark. Its timing was perfect – it was released in the same week when the producers vs multiplex strike, lasting two months, commenced. The social drama took advantage of a clean run and terrific word of mouth.
From here on, Marathi cinema gave huge grossers like Natarang (2010), Timepass (2014), Ventilator (2016), Katyar Kaljat Ghusali (2015), Duniyadari (2013), Timepass 2 (2015) etc. Riteish Deshmukh debuted in Marathi cinema with Lai Bhaari (2014), which was a blockbuster, earning Rs. 35 crores. As per trade reports, Nana Patekar-starrer Natsamrat (2016) was a bigger hit than Lai Bhaari. On the other hand, films like Court (2015), Fandry (2014), Deool (2011), etc. got lot of critical acclaim.
Post-pandemic scenario
The industry was massively affected in Covid. While certain Hindi filmmakers saved themselves by selling their films for direct OTT release, the same option wasn’t available to Marathi producers. As per Ormax, the gross box office collections of Marathi films in 2020 was a mere Rs. 8 crores while it jumped to Rs. 23 crores in 2021, which was still a paltry figure.
In 2022, things improved significantly. Pawankhind was a huge success despite the 50% occupancy rule, and it brought back confidence into the industry. This was followed by the success of Dharmaveer. Riteish Deshmukh’s Ved released in the last week of 2022 and was a surprise super-hit, earning Rs. 60 crores. In 2023, Baipan Bhari Deva’s blockbuster run stunned one and all. The Jio Studios production went on to collect Rs. 76.05 crores, a figure that many Hindi films also struggle to reach.
However, the issues persist. There were fewer successes than failures post-pandemic, while many films failed to collect well, despite positive word of mouth. Newer ideas were attempted in films like Vaalvi (2023), Zombivli (2021) etc. and yet the box office numbers were below par.
2025 was probably Marathi cinema’s worst year in a long time. The combined box office collections of all Marathi films released in 2025 didn’t even cross the Rs. 100 crore mark. The last time this happened was more than 10 years ago, barring the pandemic-hit years of 2020 and 2021. The footfalls stood at just 70 lakhs, while the 2024 figure was higher by a crore, at 1.70 crore. The Dilip Prabhavalkar-starrer Dashavatar was the highest Marathi grosser of 2025, grossing Rs. 29 crores. However, the other top grossers – Jarann, Gulkand and Ata Thambaycha Naay – collected just Rs. 8 crores each.
2026 began on a fine note. Krantijyoti Vidyalay Marathi Madhyam, which released on the first day of the year, starred Sachin Khedekar and marked the Marathi debut of Prajakta Koli. It collected around Rs. 25 crores and ran in cinemas for more than 50 days. Tighee got massive acclaim, while Raja Shivaji is about to set a new record.
Marathi vs Malayalam cinema
Marathi cinema is churning out fine films and yet, it hasn’t become big in non-Maharashtra territories. A filmmaker said on condition of anonymity, “Look how there’s a craze to watch Malayalam films, even by those who don’t know the language. Our films are no less and deserve that kind of acceptance.”
When asked why Marathi cinema hasn’t got a pan-India reach, trade veteran Taran Adarsh confessed, “This is surprising. Maybe we have not taken the initiative, or the Marathi filmmakers have not been very aggressive or ambitious. They need to do that. They should think beyond their home state. This applies not just to Marathi but also to Gujarati and Punjabi cinema. They can dub their film in Hindi and if it works, then the sky is the limit.”
Shariq Patel, former CEO of Zee Studios and who backed several Marathi films, commented “Marathi cinema had a golden period from 2013 to 2019, beginning with Fandry. Films like Sairat, Namsamrat, Balak-Palak (2013) etc. also succeeded. In short, the peak of Marathi cinema happened before the OTT era. Meanwhile, Fahadh Faasil and other actors broke out in Malayalam cinema and it coincided with Covid. It was the case of the right films of the right size being available at the right time.”
He also added, “Moreover, it got the benefit of the halo effect of South blockbusters like Baahubali and KGF. There’s a perception that ‘South films bahut accha business kar rahi hai’. But when asked about the quality of films, Malayalam movies like Aavesham (2024), Manjummel Boys (2024) etc. would be mentioned. Moreover, Malayalam cinema was available for cheap prices and hence, it was picked up by Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. Meanwhile, Marathi cinema was mostly present on Zee5. Because of the platform not getting very popular, some very fine Marathi movies didn’t get the desired viewership. Also, there exists a South head for acquisition in both Netflix and Amazon. They don’t have a Marathi head as such.”
The positive side
However, the experts are optimistic and also focus on the positives of the industry trends. Author and film critic Ganesh Matkari said, “Marathi filmmakers have done some remarkable work but it’s not been successful in terms of box office. For example, Aatmapamphalet (2023) and Ghaath (2024) were great films and were even screened at the Berlin Film Festival. Sadly, no one even noticed when Ghaath came and went. Also, the quality of the films in those years was below par. 2025 was much better. Sthal won at the Toronto Film Festival while Sabar Bonda was honoured at Sundance. Films like Ata Thambaycha Naay, Jarann, Gulkand etc. had decent collections. Dashavatar was the biggest Marathi hit of 2025. Interestingly, these four films were unlike what audiences typically associate with mainstream Marathi cinema.”
He added, “So, Marathi films are doing well at least from 2025. 2026 seems fine. Raja Shivaji did wonders, Krantijyoti Vidyalay Marathi Madhyam is the second biggest hit, while Tighee got immense critical acclaim.”
Popular actor-producer Adinath Kothare agreed, “It’s a step-by-step process. We are getting there, albeit slowly and steadily. Three significant Marathi films have been released this year – Krantijyoti Vidyalay Marathi Madhyam, Tighee and Raja Shivaji. All these films have been consumed by people from other regions as well. Slowly and steadily, the pan-India audience is getting used to watching Marathi talent and Marathi stories. As you can see, a lot of stories with a Marathi backdrop are also reflecting in mainstream Marathi cinema like Chhaava, City Of Dreams etc. This is a very positive sign and in times to come, Marathi cinema will have a broader audience.”
He further stated, “Kudos to the efforts of all the great filmmakers who are making an effort to push the envelope and broaden the horizon.”
Taran Adarsh went down memory lane and said, “One of my earliest memories was watching a Marathi film in Parel with my cousins, called Pinjara. It remains one of my all-time favourite films even today. It was made by Dr V Shantaram. What a story it had; even if you watch it today, you’ll be shaken completely. I saw it at a very young age and it was one of my first instances where I was blown away by cinema.”
Shariq Patel shared, “Though it doesn’t get its due online, on television, Marathi films do very well. There are 3 movies channels and through them, Marathi films are able to penetrate into the heartland of Maharashtra and the border areas.”
To conclude
The industry seems to be optimistic about the future. Shariq Patel said, “I remember talking to Riteish after Ved’s success and suggested that we really need to step up, make huge investments and ensure Marathi cinema also delivers a huge grosser. He is a superstar in Marathi cinema and I am glad he took this initiative into creating an iconic film. He does few Marathi films, but whenever he does, he leaves a huge impact and shakes up the box office. Hopefully, Marathi cinema will now start seeing numbers come up.”
Taran Adarsh signed off by saying, “This is a very big, encouraging sign for Marathi filmmakers who would want to think big and think pan-India.”
Adinath Kothare, in agreement, hoped, “The success of Raja Shivaji is going to open a lot of new doors and horizons for Marathi cinema. This project is going to create a perception that we can dream big in Marathi also.”
Also Read: Why doesn’t Marathi cinema get preference from the OTT giants? Experts share their views: “There’s a South head for acquisition in Netflix and Amazon but no Marathi head”; also reveal, “Most Marathi films are made in Rs. 3-5 cr; P&A costs additional Rs. 1-1.5 cr”
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