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By:

Bharati Dubey

17 May 2026 at 1:38:10 am

Raja Shivaji sparks a new era for Marathi cinema

Mumbai: As Raja Shivaji marches steadily towards the Rs 100 crore mark, the film has reignited debate around the future of the Marathi film industry. Having already crossed Rs 80 crore at the Indian box office, the historical drama is now only the second Marathi film after Sairat to achieve the milestone. Its success has raised a larger question within the trade: can a major blockbuster finally attract sustained investment into Marathi cinema, an industry often marked by cycles of growth and...

Raja Shivaji sparks a new era for Marathi cinema

Mumbai: As Raja Shivaji marches steadily towards the Rs 100 crore mark, the film has reignited debate around the future of the Marathi film industry. Having already crossed Rs 80 crore at the Indian box office, the historical drama is now only the second Marathi film after Sairat to achieve the milestone. Its success has raised a larger question within the trade: can a major blockbuster finally attract sustained investment into Marathi cinema, an industry often marked by cycles of growth and slowdown? Much of the buzz surrounding the film stems from the support it received from prominent Hindi film stars, several of whom reportedly came on board to back the project and the industry. Trade analyst Girish Wankhede believes the film’s biggest achievement lies in the scale of collaboration it represents. “The real strength of Raja Shivaji lies in its creative ensemble star cast, which Riteish Deshmukh successfully brought together. By roping in heavyweight Hindi stars like Abhishek Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, and Salman Khan, the film showcases the immense combined value of cross-industry collaboration. This strong gesture of Hindi cinema’s biggest names extending full support to a Marathi project has created a powerful impression, generating tremendous curiosity and respect for Marathi cinema among audiences, investors, and other industries. It underscores how Marathi films can now command pan-Indian attention and star power,” he says. At the same time, Wankhede feels it may still be premature to call the film a runaway commercial success given its production scale and costs. “What is heartening is the visible new energy and creative fuel that Riteish Deshmukh has infused into Marathi cinema. With him at the helm of affairs, the film looks strong and polished, and this momentum, further amplified by the star support, is already drawing serious attention from investors who were earlier hesitant about the regional space,” he adds. Producer Suniel Wadhwa, Co-Founder and Director of Karmic Films, says the film’s performance could play an important role in rebuilding investor confidence in theatrical cinema. “The success of Raja Shivaji could significantly improve investor confidence in theatrical cinema, especially at a time when many non-film investors have become cautious about the sector. If the film succeeds as a large-scale theatrical event rather than just an opening weekend phenomenon, it will reinforce the belief that culturally rooted Indian stories still possess massive commercial potential across regions and demographics,” he says. However, Wadhwa points out that the industry continues to face deep structural challenges. “One of the biggest is the shortage of true theatrical stars who can create urgency for audiences to step into cinemas. Streaming has created visibility, but not necessarily ticket-selling mythology. At the same time, India remains heavily under-screened, and even strong films often struggle with inadequate show slots, limited showcasing windows, and overcrowded release calendars. Many films today are judged within the first 48–72 hours, leaving little room for organic word-of-mouth growth,” he says. According to him, the theatrical business is evolving rather than disappearing. “Audiences are now reserving cinema outings for event-driven experiences — spectacle, emotion, mythology, action, horror-comedy, and culturally resonant storytelling. Films that can create that collective viewing urgency will continue to attract both audiences and serious investment capital,” he adds. The Marathi film industry has witnessed a mixed year so far. More than two dozen films have released, but only a handful — including Raja Shivaji, Kranti Vidyalay Marathi Madhyam, Aga Aga Sunbai Mahnatay Sasubai, and Super Duper — have performed strongly at the box office. Veteran journalist Dilip Thakur believes Marathi cinema has already begun regaining momentum after the slowdown caused by the pandemic. “New Marathi films are getting launched regularly. The upcoming film Bapya had its screening at Sunny Super Sound, which was attended by non-Marathi journalists in big numbers. The story of Bapya is complex and difficult to make. The point here is that a producer agreed to put his money into the film. Sabar Bonda was another difficult subject which won an award at Sundance. So, producers willing to invest money in such subjects is one positive sign,” he says. Thakur also points to the continued appetite for mainstream Marathi entertainers. “The boom after Sairat still exists in Marathi cinema. There was a setback for four years because of Covid, but the industry has gained momentum. Ravi Jadhav’s new film Fulawara, based on tamasha folk art, will soon go on floors in Pune,” he says. He further notes that Marathi cinema is increasingly attracting investors from outside the industry. “Most Marathi films have non-Marathi investors. They are putting in money because there is business in Marathi cinema. But not every film becomes a hit. Subhash Ghai also produced a few Marathi films. If the subject is good, people are willing to invest,” he adds. Not everyone, however, is convinced that one major hit can alter the industry’s fortunes overnight. Nitin Datar, president of the Cinema Owners Association, remains cautious about reading too much into the film’s success. “Only one film success is not going to bring investors. In the last five years, out of nearly 500 films produced, the success rate has not been encouraging,” he says. Datar acknowledges that the presence of Hindi stars has helped boost the film’s commercial appeal but stresses that Marathi cinema still lacks enough bankable stars capable of consistently drawing audiences to theatres. “The production houses and directors have attracted audiences. Unfortunately, producers haven’t been successful in attracting financial assistance, which has resulted in low production and advertising budgets. But if films succeed in pulling audiences over the weekend, exhibitors automatically increase shows and reduce screenings of underperforming films from other languages. The audience is always there, waiting to visit theatres in large numbers for a good film,” he says. For now, Raja Shivaji has undeniably given Marathi cinema a strong moment in the spotlight. Whether that momentum translates into long-term financial confidence and sustained industry growth remains the larger question.

The Last Valley: A Forgotten Masterwork of a Forgotten War

Updated: Jan 27, 2025

Masterwork

In the heyday of Hollywood’s ‘intelligent epic,’ when David Lean’s atmospheric spectacles such as The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) and Lawrence of Arabia (1962) graced the silver screen, a certain grandeur imbued cinema with both visual splendour and intellectual weight. By the early 1970s, however, this kind of motion picture, which counted such epics as Spartacus (1960) and Khartoum (1966) was fading into obscurity.


It was in this twilight that The Last Valley (1971) emerged. Set against the bleak and blood-soaked backdrop of the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648), The Last Valley is an anomaly as English-language films on this epochal conflict are virtually non-existent.


The war, which began as a religious clash between Protestants and Catholics, morphed into a brutal struggle for political and military supremacy, engulfing nearly all of Europe’s major powers, from the Dutch Republic to France, Habsburg Austria, and even the Ottoman Empire.

By the time the Peace of Westphalia was signed in 1648, the death toll had reached an estimated eight million, making it the most devastating conflict of the pre-industrial age. Central Europe, particularly the Germanic states, bore the brunt of the devastation, and its economy would not fully recover for over a century.


The complexity of this war - its shifting alliances, its interplay of faith and realpolitik - has rendered it nearly impenetrable not just for filmmakers but historians as well. As Peter H. Wilson notes in his magisterial work Europe’s Tragedy, covering all aspects of this fiendishly complex conflict would require “knowledge of at least fourteen European languages” and “sufficient archival records to occupy many lifetimes of research.”


Given that even academia offers few comprehensive accounts of the Thirty Years’ War, it is little surprise that cinema, constrained by time and audience accessibility, has shied away from this topic.


A rare exception is the 1978 West German TV miniseries Wallenstein, based on Golo Mann’s biography of the enigmatic general. While heavy on political and diplomatic intrigue, it overlooks the profound human cost that reshaped Central Europe.


Herein lies the brilliance of The Last Valley. Directed by James Clavell, better known as the novelist of King Rat and Shagun, the film eschews the grandiose sweep of history in favour of an intimate, microcosmic narrative. Based on J.B. Pick’s 1959 novel, it tells the story of a weary, philosophical teacher named Vogel (played with subdued elegance by Omar Sharif) who stumbles upon a secluded valley untouched by the war’s ravages. There, he encounters a band of ruthless mercenaries led by ‘The Captain,’ a hardened pragmatist played superbly by Michael Caine. Through their uneasy alliance, the film explores the fragile coexistence of soldiers, villagers, priests, and intellectuals, offering a visceral glimpse into the moral and physical devastation wrought by the conflict.


Caine’s performance is one of the film’s many revelations. With a surprisingly convincing German accent, he shades ‘The Captain’ with a complexity that veers between calculated brutality and begrudging humanity. Complementing his renowned roles in Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago, Sharif, too, delivers one of his finest, if overlooked, performances, embodying a man whose idealism is tempered by the horrors he has witnessed.


The supporting cast is equally superb: Nigel Davenport as the shrewd village headman Gruber, and Per Oscarsson as a fanatical priest whose fervour mirrors the religious zeal that ignited the war in the first place.


The film’s haunting atmosphere owes much to John Barry’s evocative score that ranks alongside his work on The Lion in Winter (1968). Barry’s music underscores the bleakness of the valley and the tenuous peace that holds its disparate inhabitants together.


Despite its many merits, The Last Valley struggled to find an audience upon its release, particularly in the United States, where its bleak tone and cerebral approach were at odds with the escapism many viewers sought.


In the decades since, the film has languished in relative obscurity, a ‘hidden gem’ that film enthusiasts occasionally champion but which remains absent from most discussions of great historical cinema. But for those with an interest in history or cinema’s potential to illuminate the past, The Last Valley is a must-watch.


It stands as testament to an era when mainstream epics challenged the intellect as much as they dazzled the eye.

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