Marathi Cinema Finds a Fan in this Pakistani Blogger

Editor: Abhishek Ranjan

Namaskar everyone.

Despite the fact that my country Pakistan has never been on good terms with India, and despite the ubiquitous Indophobia in my country, I have successfully mustered up the courage to articulate my love for music and cinema of a state from India, a country,which is often seen as the one always conspiring against Pakistan.

I’ve always been curious about exploring India and especially the culture its different states have to offer. Unfortunately, I can’t easily travel to India because of severe visa restrictions.

But this did not stop me from exploring my neighbouring country. I decided to learn about India through music and cinema. We all know Pakistan gets enough Bollywood content to satiate someone’s desire to explore India without even going there. But I wanted more. Bollywood doesn’t show the true diversity of India and the cultural values of each and every Indian state. For someone like me who’s interested in exploring culture of a particular state of India, regional cinema was my best option.

The Indian state which I have tried to explore is Maharashtra.

My journey to understand Maharashtra’s culture and Marathi cinema and music has been great so far, and to be honest, I am infatuated with the Marathi language.

A good majority of my fellow countrymen don’t even know what Maharashtra is and where it’s located.

They are familiar with other foreign languages like French, German, Spanish, which have their origins saat samundar paar in Europe. But they are blissfully ignorant of several beautiful languages being spoken sarhad ke paar in neighbouring India which is just one hour’s drive from my home in Lahore.

My love for Maharashtrian culture, music and cinema may seem a bit weird to many Indians reading this article. Growing up, I used to watch a lot of Indian reality TV shows like Nach Baliye, Jhalak Dikhlaja, Indian Idol, X Factor, etc. It was through these shows I got to see a dance performance ranging from Bhangra to Lavani. It’s not just the dance but also the variety of songs you get tot hear. Among all the dance forms and songs, Marathi used to enthral me the most with its peculiar festive feel, lively music and not to forget the catchy lyrics. Even though these songs weren’t in a language which I can fathom easily, I enjoyed listening to them. TBH, I even tried shaking a leg or two on a few Marathi peppy numbers.

Before I knew it, I fell in love with Marathi. I then started studying it and found it spectacular.

I also discovered that Marathi thrived in all ages and all times, even when Marathas lost their strong influence in India. What was fascinating to see was that the language didn’t lose its charm despite the state being ruled by ‘outsiders’ from the north for a long period of time.

The notable Marathi songs which have been giving me an ear-gasms for a long time are Apsara Ali and Wajle Ki Bara (both from one of my favourite Marathi movies Natarang). Lavani dance form has been a common feature and when it’s combined with the lively musical rhythm of Marathi songs, a lethal combo emerges for someone like me, who is addicted to Indian music and dance.

via GIPHY

Lavani truly complements not just all Marathi music tracks but even Hindi songs with Marathi themes like my favourite Pinga from Bajirao Mastani.

After watching numerous reality shows, I quickly switched to Marathi cinema to quench my thirst for shudh Marathi content, unadulterated by Hindi or some other language. Before spilling the beans on which Marathi movies had me in an awe, I must say that if Marathi cinema didn’t exist then Marathi wouldn’t have been of the same significance to me as a language as it is now.

Natarang was the first Marathi movie which awed me to such an extent that I still get excited when I recall the stellar dance performances by Sonalee Kulkarni and Amruta Khanvilkar. I still weep when I recall the harsh life experiences of Guna, the protagonist played by the actor Atul Kulkarni in Tamasha (a popular theatrical Maharashtrian folk art form). I also relished Swapnil Joshi and Mukta Barve-starrer Mumbai Pune Mumbai.

The movie is based on a love story between a boy and girl who hail from different cities of Maharashtra (Pune and Mumbai) respectively and how despite having pride in their cities, they fall for each other. I would definitely recommend this movie to everyone out there reading my article. Through films, I even visited Pune and some of its cultural hubs like Tulsi Baug.

I also fell in love with the phenomenal Sandeep Kulkarni starrer 2005 movie Dombivali Fast. The movie traced the tribulations of Madhav Apte (an ordinary, law-abiding and honest citizen) in his crusade against injustice and corruption that pervades in all walks of his life from his workplace to his house. The movie didn’t have the kind of climax I craved and while I was watching it on YouTube, it brought tears in my eyes.

My exploration reiterates the notion that art has no boundaries. It’s my dream to visit Maharashtra’s each and every city one day. From Mumbai to Kolhapur. From Pune to Sangli. Meet the inhabitants of the land which has produced legends like Shivaji. I hope one day my wish will come true.

Sarmad Iqbal, My Report

(Sarmad Iqbal is a Pakistani writer, blogger, columnist, and student who can be followed on Twitter @sarmadiqbal7 and Facebook: facebook.com/sarmad.iqbal3 .)