Ganesh Yadav : “The Future of Marathi Cinema is Dark”

In this interview at the mahurat of the film ‘Gang’, Ganesh Yadav talks to JYOTHI VENKATESH about how he has evolved in his career as an actor and straddled theater, TV, films, as well as web series.

What is your role in the Marathi film Gang? Is it in any way different from the kind of roles that you have essayed in the past?
I play a super cop with all negative shades in Gang. It is the remake of a Kannada hit with Sunil Anand from the South as the producer-actor.

You seem to be typecast as the typical corrupt cop in a vast majority of your films, whether in Marathi or for that matter Hindi. Any reason for this?
I want to play a wide variety of roles in film after film, but unfortunately the film industry wants to cash in on my image as a bad cop by casting me in typecast roles. Once you are typecast by the producer, you just cannot say no to any similar offer, because acting alone earns me my bread and butter. I am waiting for the right opportunity to show my prowess as an actor.

What do you think of the Marathi film scenario today?
In Marathi, thankfully a variety of subjects are being made into films and also there are a lot of good scripts as the content has always been the hero, but I am very sad to say that the future of Marathi cinema is very dark.

Why do you predict a dark future for Marathi films?
The tragedy that Marathi cinema faces today is that there is no audience at all and there is absolutely no solution in sight, as no one can say why the audience is not coming to see even the best of Marathi films any more. This, in spite of the fact that Marathi cinema is on par with Iranian or Brazilian films which are known for their good content the world over and content is the only king in Marathi cinema today. The budget is the biggest constraint as far as Marathi cinema is concerned.

Do you think Marathi cinema is affected by the presence of big budgeted and star studded Hindi films in a big way?
You have the hit the nail right on its head. Today why should any Maharashtian go out of his way to see a Marathi film with say Bharat Jadhav or for that matter Makrand Anaspure in it, when he can get to see a Salman Khan or an Akshay Kumar at the same price? The admission prices at cinema houses have become so exorbitant these days unlike in the past, that a Maharashtrian cannot afford to spend money on buying tickets for three Marathi films a week and as many as three Marathi films are being released every week in addition to star studded as well big budgeted Bollywood films.

Go on.
Unfortunately the Maharashtrian is not like a guy in say Tamil Nadu who will see only Tamil films, because a Maharashtrian is well versed in both Hindi and Marathi and also there is no glamour attached to Marathi cinema, unlike say Tamil or Telugu films. There is no recovery at all from Marathi films for producers in spite of the film ‘Sairat’ having grossed nearly a 100 cr.

It was Sudhir Mishra who gave you a break with his film ‘Iss Raat Ki Subah Nahin’. Can you tell us how Sudhir Mishra spotted you and cast you in his film?
Sudhir Mishra happened to see me in the Hindi play ‘Bambai Ke Kawwe’ and cast me in his film Iss ‘Raat Ki Subah Nahin’.

How would you describe yourself as an actor?
I would say that I am a very hard working and talented actor who has been working for the last 25 years. I still feel that many more filmmakers should come forward to tap my latent talent.

By your own admission, it is almost 25 years since you made your debut as an actor in Hindi films. How happy are you with the way your career has progressed till date?
I should say that I am not happy, but at the same time I am also not at all cribbing though I have acted in over 100 films in both Hindi as well as in Marathi in a career span of 25 years. I am glad that I have made it on my own without having a Godfather.

Which according to you are your best films till date?
‘Shool’, ‘Vaastav’, ‘Company’, ‘Mee Sivajiraje Bhosle Boltoy’ and ‘Bardaasht’.

Which are the dream directors in your wish list?
Though I have worked with several directors including E. Niwas and Sudhir Mishra, it is only Ramgopal Varma who brought out the best in me from time to time, because he has always been busy making films while E Niwas and Sudhir Mishra have not been very active. I also cherish the memory of having worked with Govind Nihalani, who directed me in ‘Ti Ani Itar’ (Marathi) and Sanjay Leela Bhansali (Bajirao Mastani). I want to work with filmmakers like Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rajkumar Hirani and Farhan Akhtar.

Is it true that you are acting in a web series for the first time?
Yes. I am acting in a web series called ‘Smoke’, produced by Eros and directed by Ayush Khurana and Amit Guha as the gang leader of the Goan mafia. Ayush use to work as Mahesh Bhatt’s assistant. The series consists of 12 episodes, each with a duration of 40 minutes. It is about the Goan mafia indulging in narcotics. It also has Kalki Koechlin, Gulshan Deviah, Prakash Belawade, the late Tom Alter and Mandira Bedi. It is being shot in Goa. I do not think acting in a web series is like a come down, because working in a web series is equally fun.

Are you acting in any other Marathi film other than Gang?
Yes. I am also acting in a film called ‘Bedhadak’ directed by Santosh Manjrekar where I play the role of a college principal whose son is interested in taking up boxing as a sport, but the father insists that his son should concentrate only on education, as boxing has no future.

You are also acting in the Hindi film ‘Swabhimaan’?
Yes. I am playing a positive role in the forthcoming Hindi film‘Swabhimaan’. The film is about whether reservation is a must or not in our society today. It is about caste politics and the struggle of a father against the system. It will be shot in Gujarat. Besides the web series Smoke, I am also committed to yet another web series about which right now I am sorry I will not be able to divulge more details.