Director’s Cut: Here's why Sairat fame Nagraj Manjule feels working on a Hindi film is not rocket science

Filmmaker Nagraj Manjule’s Marathi films Fandry and Sairat are still loved by the audience. His Bollywood directorial debut, Jhund, is ready for release. Viewers are also enjoying his film Vaikunth in the recently released anthology Unpaused: Naya Safar. Opening up about Unpaused: Naya Safar, he shares, “It was a good experience to work on an anthology. It’s different from making my films. So far, I have been making films according to my wishes. Whatever came to my mind, I made that. But in the case of this anthology, the story is being continued. There were some brackets, and I had to work within them, but it was nice.”

His Bollywood directorial venture Jhund stars Amitabh Bachchan, and he is very upbeat about the film despite the delay in its release due to the pandemic. “Jhund has been made. We were about to release it, but due to Covid-19 restrictions, its release has been put on hold. The film will release, but we want the world to be in a better shape first. We want to release it in theatres,” he says.

Nagraj will also collaborate with producer Siddharth Roy Kapur for a series titled Matka King. It is inspired by the life of Ratan Khatri, who is considered the founding father of gambling in India. The series will explore the world of betting. “We are working on it. Actors are yet to be finalised,” he says.

With all these Hindi projects, it seems like he is enjoying being in the industry. But for him, it’s never about the language of his work. “I can make Marathi, Hindi or English films with the same confidence. Language doesn’t make it difficult. The difficulties of making a film are everywhere. If the scale is bigger, then the problems get bigger,” Nagraj states.

For him, there is only one subtle difference between working in the Marathi and Hindi film industries. “Marathi is informal. People know me. My growth happened with Marathi films, so that’s very comfortable. But working on a Hindi film is not rocket science,” he asserts.

His 2016 film Sairat was remade as Dhadak (2018) in Hindi. When asked if regional filmmakers should get their hit films remade in Hindi before their Bollywood debut, he says, “If people like your film and some producer thinks that it should be remade in Hindi, then only the remake will happen. Also, it’s not like you need to clear one exam to move on to another level. You can directly make a Hindi film too. There are so many directors who have a Marathi background and have made Hindi films. I don’t think making a Hindi film is like an upgrade. It’s not like if you are making a film in a certain language, then you are less than others.”

But he admits that when it comes to eyeballs and footfalls, Hindi films are watched more. “Many Indians understand Hindi and watch Hindi films. But it’s not about the language of your film. The important thing is to make a good film irrespective of the language. So whether a film is dubbed, remade or made in any language, if the story is good, then people will like it. It’s not just me, but the content is important for everyone,” he notes.

He might have many Hindi projects lined up, but he hasn’t forgotten his Marathi roots. He is also doing a film in Marathi titled Ghar Banduk Biryani, which he has co-written, produced and acted in.