Marathi cinema wins multiple awards at 71st National Film Awards
Aatmapamphlet, directed by Ashish Bende, won the best debut film by a director in the feature film category, while Naal 2, helmed by Sudhakar Reddy Yakkanti, was awarded best children's film, both receiving the coveted Swarna Kamal and ₹3 lakh each.
Additionally, Shyamchi Aai was declared the best Marathi feature film, directed by Sujay Dahake. Young Marathi actors also left their mark, with Naal 2 child artists Treesha Thosar, Shrinivas Pokale, and Bhargav Jagtap, along with Kabir Khandare from Gypsy, jointly winning the best child artist award.
You Can Also Check:
Pune AQI
|
Weather in Pune
|
Bank Holidays in Pune
|
Public Holidays in Pune
The awards, announced on Friday in New Delhi, marked a significant achievement for Marathi filmmakers across categories, ranging from debut direction and children's cinema to feature films inspired by literary legends.
Filmmaker Ashish Bende won the best debut film by a director for Aatmapamphlet, a coming-of-age drama that resonated with audiences and the jury alike. Overwhelmed by the recognition, Bende said, "Getting a national award was always a dream for me, but I did not know that my dream would be realised in my directorial debut. Though it is an award for direction, I feel that it is not a solo award but an award for the entire team of Aatmapamphlet.
The film was made during the Covid-19 pandemic with a lot of effort, and today all those efforts have paid off."
Bende will receive the Swarna Kamal for this award. He added, "The Marathi film industry has a long legacy of quality films, and today I feel proud that I am part of this rich tradition. The award will personally encourage me to keep doing quality work."
A sequel to the much-loved Naal, Naal 2, directed by Sudhakar Reddy Yakkanti, which won best children's film in the children's film category, impressed the audience with its sincerity and strong performances by its young cast.
Its child actors — Treesha Thosar, Shrinivas Pokale, and Bhargav Jagtap — were jointly honoured with the best child artist award, alongside Kabir Khandare for his role in another Marathi film, Gypsy.
The film, Gypsy, was praised at various film festivals. The film's director, Shashi Chandrakant Khandare, said: "Kabir is inherently a very talented actor, and he is deeply passionate about acting. He also possesses great patience and endurance, which are essential for acting.
During the shoot, we were filming in nearly 42-degrees heat near Solapur. According to his character, he didn't wear slippers in some of the early scenes.
For almost 12 consecutive days, he walked barefoot through forests, barren fields, tar roads, and villages — without ever showing the slightest sign of pain on his face."
The award for best Marathi feature film was announced for Shyamchi Aai, directed by Sujay Sunil Dahake.
The film is based on the childhood of freedom fighter and writer Sane Guruji and is inspired by his autobiographical classic. Set in pre-Independence India, Shyamchi Aai is a moving portrayal of a mother's love through the eyes of her son. The film is also a creative reimagining of the 1953 classic of the same name.
With three major awards — for debut direction, children's cinema, and regional feature — Marathi cinema has reaffirmed its cultural depth and artistic excellence at the national level. These wins not only celebrate past legacies but also pave the way for a promising future in regional storytelling.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
21 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Marathi cinema shines bright at 71st National Film Awards
MARATHI CINEMA once again asserted its creative prowess at the 71st National Film Awards, with a diverse range of films clinching honours across critical categories. Marathi filmmakers and artists were celebrated for their contribution to Indian cinema with 'Shyamchi Aai' winning the Best Marathi Feature Film award. Directed by Sujay Sunil Dahake, Shyamchi Aai offered a contemporary cinematic retelling of the classic Marathi novel by Sane Guruji. The jury commended its sensitive exploration of values, sacrifice, and familial bonds set against a rural backdrop. The film was awarded the Rajat Kamal. Marathi cinema has always held a historic legacy at the National Film Awards, being the very first to be recognised at the highest level. In 1954, 'Shyamchi Aai', directed by P.K. Atre, was awarded the President's Gold Medal for the All India Best Feature Film, a recognition now known as the National Film Award for Best Feature Film. This heartwarming story of a mother's sacrifice marked the beginning of a prestigious tradition for Marathi films. In the debut category, 'Aatmapamphlet', directed by Ashish Bende, was honoured with the Best Debut Film of a Director in the Feature Film section. The film stood out for its stylised narrative and bold thematic choices, reflecting the inner world of adolescence and rebellion. The film was awarded the Swarna Kamal. Continuing Marathi cinema's strength in children's storytelling, 'Naal 2', directed by Sudhakar Reddy Yakkanti, received the award for Best Children's Film. The film, a sequel to the 2018 critically acclaimed Naal, appealed to audiences across age groups and earned the Swarna Kamal. In the performance categories, Marathi films dominated the Best Child Artist segment. Three young actors from Naal 2: Treesha Thosar, Shrinivas Pokale, and Bhargav Jagtap, were jointly honoured for their nuanced performances. Additionally, Kabir Khandare was awarded in the same category for his role in 'Gypsy', another Marathi film, which presented a moving narrative of a child's bond with nature and his struggle for acceptance. With these films reflect the diversity and depth of storytelling emerging from Maharashtra, Marathi cinema has once again reaffirmed its place as a vital and dynamic force within the broader spectrum of Indian cinema.
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Documentary on Marathi actor late Arun Sarnaik released: As CM, Pawar allowed ‘Sinhasan' shooting in his cabin, in Mantralaya, says Jabbar Patel
When Sharad Pawar was the Chief Minister of Maharashtra in 1979, he had allowed the shooting of the iconic film 'Sinhasan' right in his cabin and even in the Mantralaya, despite objections from bureaucrats. This revelation was made by well-known theatre personality and film director Dr Jabbar Patel at the premiere of the documentary 'Pappa Sanga Kunache', chronicling the life of popular late Marathi actor Arun Sarnaik. 'It was the first time probably in the history of India and Maharashtra that a movie was shot in Mantralaya and bungalows of ministers. I don't think any Chief Minister in the country would have allowed a movie to be shot on the subject of politics and especially on the dispute between a Chief Minister and a Finance Minister. The full credit goes to Sharad I want to thank him for that,' said Patel at the Balgandharva Rangmandir auditorium in Pune on Saturday. Sinhasan, directed by Dr Jabbar Patel, is an Indian-Marathi political drama film that was released when Sharad Pawar was the Chief Minister. He then led the Progressive Democratic Government. The movie was written by journalist Arun Sadhu. The movie was about the fight between the Chief Minister and his Finance Minister, fighting for the CM's chair. Arun Sarnaik played the role of the chief minister 'The last scene of the movie regarding expansion of the cabin was shot right in the Chief Minister's cabin…,' said Patel highlighting how there were objections from the bureaucracy as the movie was related to political happenings, but Pawar over-ruled them. Dr Patel said he told Sharad Pawar that he would not shoot in the Chief Minister's cabin as it was not appropriate. 'To this, Sharad Pawar said why not ? He then called his personal assistant and sought to know his schedule. He then asked me how many days we would need for the shoot. I told him three days. He said 'I have other programmes next three days'… We then shot the last scene of the movie, regarding cabinet expansion in the Chief Minister's cabin,' recalled the director while describing Sharad Pawar as the most popular Chief Minister of Maharashtra. Dr Patel said the Secretariat was given on rent for two-and- a-half days on weekends. 'When we told Pawar to reduce the rent from Rs 4000 to Rs 2000, he promptly agreed,' he said. When Dr Patel was revealing the generous side of Sharad Pawar, the veteran politician who was seated among the crowd in the first row, smiled lightly. He however did not address the crowd. The organisers said he was not well. Dr. Patel also shared a memory of Arun Sarnaik attending a play that was written for him and praising the actor who played the lead role in Sinhasan. 'Arun Sarnaik's humility and kindness were evident in his willingness to attend the play and appreciate the actor's performance,' he said. The premiere of the documentary was dominated by speeches of Jabbar Patel and veteran actor Nana Patekar. There was a sort of duel between the two, which kept the jam-packed auditorium on the edge of their seats. Veteran actor Mohan Agashe shared his memories and experiences with Arun Sarnaik, which revealed the various facets of the actor and his charismatic personality. The documentary has been produced by his daughter Dr Savita Sarnaik-Naiknavare. Former minister Harshvardhan Patil, documentary director Dr. Santosh Pathare, Dr. Savita Sarnaik Naiknavare Ranjeet Manyavar and Neel Naiknavare were also present. Dr. Savita Sarnaik Naiknavare, spoke about her father's memories and shared some personal anecdotes. 'When I was growing old, I used to think whether my father belonged to me or God. As I grew older, I realized that Pappa wasn't just mine, but belonged to the audience, and he always will,' she said. 'While making the documentary, I used to get emotional. Even now, I have the same feeling…,' said Dr Savita. Recalling their days in Kolhapur, Dr Savita said, 'Whenever my pappa used to return home from shooting, he used to scream, Savi, Me Alo…(Savi I have returned). His voice was heard in the entire area, I used to feel shy and hide myself in the house. My pappa used to play carrom with my brother Sanjay whenever he was home. I used to disturb them but my father never got angry with me.' Both Jabbar Patel and Nana Patekar praised her speech. Patel said there was 'no melodrama' in her speech despite seeing so much pain in life. The documentary's director, Santosh Pathare, said, 'Since we didn't have a tradition of documentation in the past, making this documentary was a challenge. However, we tried to overcome this challenge by using available films, plays, photographs, and memories.' Praising Arun Sarnaik's acting style, Nana Patekar said, 'Ease was a hallmark of Sarnaik's acting, and such acting is an ideal to strive for. Arun Sarnaik taught us the golden meaning of acting in both film and theatre.' Dr. Mohan Agashe shared his experiences of working with Arun Sarnaik and praised his humility and simplicity. The event concluded with the announcement of the Arun Sarnaik Scholarship, which will be awarded to talented actors and singers from Kolhapur. The scholarship will be given away by the Sarnaik and Naiknavare families. Neil Naiknavare proposed the vote of thanks, and Swati Rajee anchored the program. Ratna Chauhan welcomed the gathering. Manoj More has been working with the Indian Express since 1992. For the first 16 years, he worked on the desk, edited stories, made pages, wrote special stories and handled The Indian Express edition. In 31 years of his career, he has regularly written stories on a range of topics, primarily on civic issues like state of roads, choked drains, garbage problems, inadequate transport facilities and the like. He has also written aggressively on local gondaism. He has primarily written civic stories from Pimpri-Chinchwad, Khadki, Maval and some parts of Pune. He has also covered stories from Kolhapur, Satara, Solapur, Sangli, Ahmednagar and Latur. He has had maximum impact stories from Pimpri-Chinchwad industrial city which he has covered extensively for the last three decades. Manoj More has written over 20,000 stories. 10,000 of which are byline stories. Most of the stories pertain to civic issues and political ones. The biggest achievement of his career is getting a nearly two kilometre road done on Pune-Mumbai highway in Khadki in 2006. He wrote stories on the state of roads since 1997. In 10 years, nearly 200 two-wheeler riders had died in accidents due to the pathetic state of the road. The local cantonment board could not get the road redone as it lacked funds. The then PMC commissioner Pravin Pardeshi took the initiative, went out of his way and made the Khadki road by spending Rs 23 crore from JNNURM Funds. In the next 10 years after the road was made by the PMC, less than 10 citizens had died, effectively saving more than 100 lives. Manoj More's campaign against tree cutting on Pune-Mumbai highway in 1999 and Pune-Nashik highway in 2004 saved 2000 trees. During Covid, over 50 doctors were asked to pay Rs 30 lakh each for getting a job with PCMC. The PCMC administration alerted Manoj More who did a story on the subject, asking then corporators how much money they story worked as doctors got the job without paying a single paisa. Manoj More has also covered the "Latur drought" situation in 2015 when a "Latur water train" created quite a buzz in Maharashtra. He also covered the Malin tragedy where over 150 villagers had died. Manoj More is on Facebook with 4.9k followers (Manoj More), on twitter manojmore91982 ... Read More
Hindustan Times
3 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Hanging by a Thread
For many Indians — and it is a common experience for most college students — a conversation about caste is often a conversation only about reservations. Why reservation in education and jobs for people from historically backward castes is wrong? Or why is it right? Writer-director Akshay Parvatkar, 30, has had that experience all his life, and it became the fuel for his impassioned story in 'Hanging by a Thread', a film that ends with a rousing Dalit poem entreating and evoking the end of caste by Goa's poet-politician Vishnu Surya Wag. 'I got admission into college through reservation, but caste was never a big factor for me growing up. My father, a teacher, and mother, who had a government job, kept me shielded from the idea that society may see me differently because of my caste. But in my adult life, I have come across so many people who see caste only as that which allows for reservation. After hearing so much about caste from that lens, I also began to see my life differently. But the point is, there is caste everywhere in India,' Parvatkar, who now works as a writer and director in Mumbai, says. Caste has been unpalatable to Mumbai's film producers and cinema lovers, which perhaps explains why there are so few Bollywood films about caste. Nagraj Manjula's blockbuster Marathi film 'Sairat' (2016), which steered an inter-caste love story with a winning combination of realism and crowd-pleasing aesthetics and music, is an outlier. Neeraj Ghaywan ('Masaan', 'Geeli Poochi' in the anthology 'Ajeeb Daastaans', 'Homebound') is another director who has openly talked about his own Dalit identity and made caste an effective propeller in his films. Parvatkar takes a linear, no-fuss approach in his film language — depending equally on high-pitched drama and literal messaging to deliver his message. Rohit (Saiesh Sonawane) and Aditya (Ved Amonkar), two teenaged boys and best friends, play football at a neighbourhood field with boys older than them. When Rohit notices that the boys who wear a Hindu sacred thread — the Brahmin insignia handed down over several centuries — get different, more favourable treatment from the older boys who call the shots on field, Rohit decides to make a sacred thread for himself. What follows is a shame storm, culminating in blood-drenched thread hanging over a toilet, and a mother-son moment that conveniently sets the identity story right for Rohit — 'Caste doesn't define you,' his mom consoles, in lyrical Konkani. A still from the movie 'Hanging by the Thread'. The film has a distinct look and feel — the field has the danger and unpredictability of a battlefield, and the interiors of Rohit's unpretentious flat (the family home of the filmmaker) are a canvas for the awkward, tense build-up of unspoken caste consciousness in the Dalit family to which Rohit belongs. Cinematographer Abhiraj Rawale captures the smallest detail of the home, including a whirring Usha sewing machine, which becomes a symbol of labour, industriousness and even antiquity — qualities that the writer-director suffuses his writing with, when it comes to portraying what Indian society considers 'low caste'. After completing his education in Goa, Parvatkar decided to make a career out of his amateur storytelling and dramatics, which he chiselled through his college days. Made with a grant from the Museum of Goa and later funding from a Konkani writer-producer based in London, 'Hanging by a Thread' is Parvatkar's first professional work. 'I got together Goan film professionals who work in Mumbai and elsewhere, and made it like a guerrilla project. Because there are hardly any Konkani language films, it became about doing something that hasn't been done much. It kept the group motivated,' Parvatkar says. A moment from the movie. Earlier, Parvatkar has made the documentary 'Grandmother's School' (2020), about a one-of-a-kind school in Maharashtra's Fangane district, which is meant only for grandmothers to study in. His other film is a mockumentary 'The First Wedding' (2020), which subverted the hetero-normative stereotype by setting the story in a way that makes a heterosexual couple the outsider in a world in which homosexuality is the norm and celebrating 'the first heterosexual couple's wedding' the politically correct thing to do. At present, Parvatkar is at work on his next film, about the heady chaos of a woman unfolding on the day of her twenty-eighth birthday. 'Hanging by a Thread' continues to be screened at various venues across India, having premiered at the International Film Festival of India in Goa in 2024. 'Some festivals have rejected this film on the point of subtlety. It is not subtle about its message that caste is outdated and needs to be flushed out, and I meant the drama to be in-your-face, that was the point,' Parvatkar says. And some reposes have overwhelmed the filmmaker — 'Once a man came up to me after a screening and said he once did what the protagonist does in the film — make a sacred thread for himself to wear.' A scene from 'Hanging by the Thread'. In a world fast leaping into tech-fuelled utopia — or dystopia, however you look at it — seemingly insular to small details of real-life hustles, a film like 'Hanging by a Thread' at first seems quaint. It then reminds you that we live simultaneously in different ages. Even now, a boy who wants to kick a ball and score a goal can be intrigued by how a thread around his torso could upgrade his life in small but significant ways. DETAILS: Produced by: Herman Kirtan Budget: ₹4 lakh Running time: 20 minutes Language: Konkani Short Stream is a monthly curated section, in which we present an Indian short film that hasn't been seen before or not widely seen before, but is making the right buzz in the film industry and film festival circles. We stream the film for a month on HT Premium, the subscription-only section in Sanjukta Sharma is a Mumbai-based writer and film critic. Write to her at
