NEW DELHI: Marathi film Vishu, starring Gashmeer Mahajani and Mrinmayee Godbole and directed by Mayur Madhukar Shinde, will release in cinemas on 1 April, the makers have said. It will follow close on the heels of Marathi films Ananta and Lochya Zaala Re that have announced 11 February release.
Films in regional languages such as Marathi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam have managed to sustain impressive box office collections despite the big Bollywood rollouts since Diwali. They are at a bigger advantage now since all Hindi releases have been pushed.
Marathi film Jhimma, for instance, had made ₹5.83 crore within two weeks of release despite the 50% cap in Maharashtra theatres, and Hindi films like Sooryavanshi and Antim- The Final Truth running alongside. Dulquer Salman’s Kurup has set the cash registers ringing as has another Malayalam film Jan-E-Man. Bengali sports drama Golondaaj was even dubbed into Hindi after a successful run in its home state.
Trade experts say the word-of-mouth for these films has been positive and they have benefited from audiences looking for quality content post the pandemic, apart from the fact that ‘revenge viewing’ is taking place in substantial measure with people visiting theatres continually if they come once.
Smaller regional language film industries that do not boast of large budgets of Hindi, Tamil and Telugu cinema, are bleeding with the pandemic having created losses of nearly Rs. 600 crore, according to trade experts.
Not only are multiple projects stuck with interest costs mounting for producers, but also content in these languages have still not picked up in a big way by large video streaming platforms which focus on languages with a bigger draw.
Producers active in these language industries have kept all future plans on hold, not green lighting any new films with the bigger worry being whether theatres will be able to allot adequate shows to these niche offerings once alongside Hindi releases.
