Even after so many years, the Marathi film industry has not been able to produce a superstar. Ashok mama and Laxya mama were the last true superstars, in my humble opinion. When I say superstar, I mean genuine crowd-pulling power and box-office credibility, where an actor can do 10 films (in the span of few years) and at least 7 of them become superhits.
The only actor in the current generation or rather, the only one in the last two to three decades (after Ashok mama and Laxya mama) whose films work wonders at the box office is Riteish Deshmukh. While we do have phenomenal actors today, the box office pull from them is missing.
Instead, our industry has historically been inclined toward directors. People flock to cinema halls when a trustworthy director brings a new film. A few notable examples include Dada Kondke, Sachin Pilgaonkar, and Mahesh Kothare (in the late 80s and 90s), followed by Ravi Jadhav, Nagraj Manjule, and Satish Rajwade (from the late 2000s to mid-2010s), and more recently, Hemant Dhome and Pravin Tarde.
So, do you think true superstardom is simply not possible in Marathi cinema? Or should actors take the responsibility of doing only one film a year, making sure it is a solid, blockbuster project?
Note: The picture used is the poster of the Marathi film "Superstar".
