Marathi audience now ready for meaningful cinema: Kishori Shahane

Mumbai, May 25 : Marathi actress Kishori Shahane, who is also a classical and folk dancer, says the film-going audience of Maharashtra is ready for "meaningful" content.

With the critical and commercial success of "Sairat", one can see Marathi cinema turning over a new leaf.

"Earlier the audience did not get that content after a while. For example, my era was about the comedy genre. It became an overdose after a while… so, it stopped making a difference. Makers were having a problem as all genres were over-exposed," Kishori, who will soon be seen in Life OK’s mythological TV show "Nagarjuna…Ek Yoddha", told IANS here.

"When the National Film Award winning movie ‘Shwaas’ came, meaningful cinema became a rage because of that. Our Marathi audience is now ready for meaningful cinema," she added.

Kishori, who has films like "Bomb Blast", "Maza Pati" and "Benny Babloo" to her credit, believes that the fate of a film sometimes also depends on its marketing.

"It depends on the channels that back the movies… It depends a lot on that. Marketing is playing a big role and the Marathi culture is being shown now. Our audience doesn’t want that glitz and glamour to an extent.

"They want subjects that are related to their own roots… Something that appeals to them and touches them for that matter," added the actress, who has also worked in TV shows like "Sssshh… Phir Koi Hai", "Ek Daav Dhobhipachhad", "Mumbai Godfather" and "Karma".

On the big screen front, Kishori will next be seen in the Hrithik Roshan starrer "Mohenjo Daro" and Hollywood film "Heartbeats", which has been directed by Duane Adler.