State Government to Launch International-Standard Marathi Film Festival

Cultural Affairs Minister Adv. Ashish Shelar Announces Initiative

Nominees Announced for the 60th State Marathi Film Awards
Technical and Child Artist Categories Declared

Mumbai : To strengthen the Marathi film industry, the Maharashtra government will launch an international-standard Marathi Film Festival starting this year, announced Cultural Affairs Minister Adv. Ashish Shelar at a press conference. Additionally, the nominees for the 60th State Marathi Film Awards and winners in the technical and child artist categories have been declared.

For the past 60 years, the State Marathi Film Awards have been organized, and various international film festivals have been hosted across Maharashtra by different institutions. The government provides financial support ranging from ₹10 lakh to ₹4 crore for such initiatives. Adv. Ashish Shelar proposed the concept of a dedicated Marathi Film Festival, which is now taking shape.

The first edition of this festival will be held in Mumbai as a three-day event. It will feature Marathi films that have limited audience reach, allowing cinephiles to experience unique and diverse storytelling. Each screening will include live interactions with the film’s team, along with panel discussions and expert interviews based on international standards. The official dates and guidelines for the festival will be announced soon. The festival’s execution will be overseen by the Maharashtra Film, Theatre, and Cultural Development Corporation.

Nominees for the 60th State Marathi Film Awards

For the final round of the 2022 Maharashtra State Marathi Film Awards, the following ten films have been shortlisted:
Ananya, Pondicherry, Sunny, Dharmaveer Mukkam Post Thane, 4 Blind Men, Samayara, Gaabh, Hya Goshtila Navach Nahi, Global Adgaon, and Har Har Mahadev.

Best Child Artist Awards:

• Srinivas Pokale (Chhumantar)
• Arnav Deshpande (Aamhi Butterfly)

Technical Awards:

• Best Art Direction: Mahesh Kundalkar (Unaad)
• Best Cinematography: Abhijit Chaudhary (4 Blind Men), Omkar Barve (Hya Goshtila Navach Nahi)
• Best Editing: Yash Surve (Kaata Kirrr)
• Best Sound Recording: Suhas Rane (Hya Goshtila Navach Nahi)
• Best Sound Design: Lochan Pratap Kanwinde (Har Har Mahadev)
• Best Costume Design: Ujwala Singh (Taath Kana)
• Best Makeup: Sumit Jadhav (Taath Kana)

A total of 50 entries were received for films censored between January 1 to December 31, 2022. The jury members who evaluated these films include Mugdha Godbole, Vivek Lagu, Babasaheb Saudagar, Vijay Bhope, Shrirang Ars, Raja Fadtare, Sharad Sawant, Medha Ghadge, Chaitrali Dongre, Vinod Ghanatra, Prakash Jadhav, Sharvari Pille, Jafar Sultan, Devdatt Raut, and Vidyasagar Adhyapak.

Key Nominees for Major Categories:

Best Story:

1. Anil Kumar Salve (Global Adgaon)
2. Purval Dhotre (4 Blind Men)
3. Sumit Tambe (Samayara)

Best Screenplay:

1. Irawati Karnik (Sunny)
2. Purval Dhotre – Abhishek Merurkar (4 Blind Men)
3. Tejas Modak – Sachin Kundalkar (Pondicherry)

Best Dialogues:

1. Pravin Tarde (Dharmaveer Mukkam Post Thane)
2. Makarand Mane (Soyrik)
3. Sachin Mullewar (Territory)

Best Music:

1. Hitesh Modak (Har Har Mahadev)
2. Nihar Shembekar (Samayara)
3. Vijay Gawande (Songya)

Best Playback Singer (Male):

1. Manish Rajgire (Dharmaveer Mukkam Post Thane – “Bhetla Vitthal Majha”)
2. Padmanabh Gaikwad (Gulhar – “Ka Re Jeev Jhala”)
3. Ajay Gogawale (Chandramukhi – “Ghe Tuzyat Sawalit”)

Best Playback Singer (Female):

1. Juilee Joglekar (Samayara – “Sundar Te Dhyan”)
2. Arya Ambekar (Chandramukhi – “Bai G Kas Karamat Nahi”)
3. Amita Ghugari (Soyrik – “Tula Kay Sangu Kaina”)

Best Actor:

1. Prasad Oak (Dharmaveer Mukkam Post Thane)
2. Vaibhav Tatwawadi (Pondicherry)
3. Lalit Prabhakar (Sunny)

Best Actress:

1. Sai Tamhankar (Pondicherry)
2. Amruta Khanvilkar (Chandramukhi)
3. Sonalee Kulkarni (Tamasha Live)

Best Debut Actor:

1. Ankur Rathi (Samayara)
2. Ronak Landge (Global Adgaon)
3. Jaydeep Kodolikar (Hya Goshtila Navach Nahi)

Best Debut Actress:

1. Hruta Durgule (Ananya)
2. Sayali Bandkar (Gaabh)
3. Mansi Bhawalkar (Soyrik)

Best Debut Film:

1. Aatur
2. Gulhar
3. Hya Goshtila Navach Nahi

Best Debut Director:

1. 4 Blind Men
2. Gaabh
3. Ananya

The awards ceremony will celebrate excellence in Marathi cinema while the newly introduced Marathi Film Festival will further strengthen the industry by bringing international recognition to regional cinema.