Actress Amruta Khanvilkar stressed the necessity of investing in the marketing of a Marathi film to go worldwide, as her newest Marathi film 'Chandramukhi' not only did well at the Indian box-office but also garnered attention in the foreign market.
The film's plot is based on a book written by author Vishwas Patil and takes place in the 1980s. Khanvilkar played a Lavni dancer who falls in love with a politician in the film. Lavni is a Maharashtrian traditional dance genre.
According to a report by Glamsham.com, Khanvilkar told in an interview, “I think one of the exciting parts for me now is the response we have received not only for the content and the cinematic experience of the film but the visibility we gained through multiple promotional activities. I think our Marathi cinema has always been very strong with content but made with a limited budget and not highly marketed. With the success of ‘Chandramukhi’, I think we should understand that along with content, we should invest in promotional activity. Apart from India, the film has been distributed in Dubai and other areas of the UAE, and according to Khanvilkar, the filmmakers are planning special screenings in London, Singapore, and Michigan to introduce the film to the local Indian population.”
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Khanvilkar is one of the most popular Marathi actresses who has also acted in Bollywood films such as 'Raazi' and 'Malang', as well as reality series such as 'Nach Baliye 7', 'Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa', and 'Khatron Ke Khiladi 10'. She describes how cultivating a fan base from all demographics has given her film a pan-India appeal.
"There were a lot of ‘firsts’ with Chandramukhi’, be it a special magazine cover, media coverage, Spicejet airline hosting a special activity for our film. There was a 35-inch huge cutout poster of our film at the Royal Opera House, Mumbai for the first time for a Marathi film! It is not that I am bragging but trying to say that if the content of the film is good, with investment in promotion and release, we can win people’s hearts” Khanvilkar said.
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"Of course as an actress, I am always grabbing opportunities to be part of big projects in different regional cinema and TV as well. My visibility on a national platform gives the pan-India appeal to a Marathi film. No doubt, my popularity has increased because of working in Hindi cinema. Since cinema is a tool to show our culture, it also appeals to the international community living abroad," Khanvilkar remarked.
"Gearing up for the shooting of my next Hindi language web series, a Hotstar original and then I have another film lined up. I am not supposed to make any official announcement so I cannot give further details on them," Khanvilkar replied when asked about her next step post the success of ‘Chandramukhi’.
'Chandramukhi,' directed by filmmaker Prasad Oak and produced by Akshay Bardapurkar, was released on April 29 and also stars actors Adinath Kothare, Mrunmayi Deshpande, Prajakta Mali, Samir Chowghule, and Mohan Agashe.
