Marathi film "Sairat," which had the biggest opening weekend, is creating history at the box office. The film has minted over Rs. 60 crore since its release, and now is on the verge of becoming one of biggest blockbusters in Marathi cinema.
The film, directed by Nagraj Manjule, started creating records with its opening weekend collection itself. The collection of over Rs. 14 crore in three days is the highest in Marathi cinema, beating the previous record of Nana Patekar's "Natasamrat", and the film continues to create records even after finishing its 10-day run.
"Sairat," starring rank newcomers, Rinku and Akash, has grossed Rs. 40 crore until the second weekend, and is racing towards the path breaking barrier of 100 crores. The impressive storyline and stellar performances of the casts made the film worth a watch. Positive reviews, word of mouth and Bollywood celebrities promoting the film have also benefitted the movie at the box office.
Manjule says, “The film has certain autobiographical nuances to the story. I was unlucky in my first love. I have made the film with utmost love and care and maybe, that has caught the imagination of the audiences. I am also thankful to music composers Ajay- Atul who worked hard and recorded songs in a foreign studio for the first time for a Marathi film. I am also thankful to the producers for providing me with all the resources to make a film on such a large scale”.
Co-producer Nikhil says, “I was confident about Nagraj’s directorial abilities after Fandry and decided to back him on Sairat, a film with a bigger budget and bigger canvas. Financer-distributor, Nanubhai explains, “I believe that the success of the film is due to its easy identification and relatability of the characters which seem real, and thought that I was seeing my own story in the film. Its music contributed a great deal in making the film a blockbuster, and perhaps a happy ending could have led to more success for the film”.
Sameer D, of a leading Marathi distribution company opines, “ The subject of the film was massive and it was based on a very relevant subject of caste discrimination which was also not discussed earlier in Marathi cinema. The marketing and distribution team made a great job of distributing the film which has made the film cross almost 75 crores and still counting and opening the doors of the 100 crore club for Marathi films. This will now make it easier for Marathi films to get theatre slots easily”.
A. Nagrath, character actor and trade analyst informs,“the recent Marathi films have had good content and Sairat has very good content, good music, good direction and performances, and good marketing too. It was youth oriented and was released during the post- exam period, which kept the crowd coming in. I believe that this film will enter the 100 crore club soon”.
Well, Sairat’s success story is one of the most amazing things to happen to Marathi films in recent times!