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Lata Jha

Akshay Kumar to play the lead in Marathi film on Chhatrapati Shivaji

Mahesh Manjrekar is directing the film named Vedat Marathe Veer Daudle Saat.

The film will be the latest addition to the slate of nationalist offerings Bollywood has lined up for the coming months—from war dramas to period sagas and mythological tales. Vicky Kaushal will play Field Marshal Sam Maneckshaw who was the Chief of the Army Staff during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 in Sam Bahadur; Ronnie Screwvala is producing two war films—Pippa on Brigadier Balram Singh Mehta who fought in the 1971 war and Tejas starring Kangana Ranaut. Kartik Aaryan will play an air force pilot in a film titled Captain India, as will Hrithik Roshan in Fighter.

Films on patriotism have done well in theatres earlier. Producers are also enthused by the response films like Gunjan Saxena- The Kargil Girl and Shershaah have seen on video streaming services lately. Trade experts say the patriotic film genre is here to stay, not just because people love stories of inspiring figures but given that cinema has always reflected the mood of the nation, one that driven by the current government, is definitely wearing its patriotism on its sleeve. These films have a good track record, especially with stars like Akshay Kumar. People want value for money, plus there is that feeling of community draw and an adrenaline rush that national pride brings. There are different genres of patriotic movies coming up, from biopics to sports films to commercial entertainers.

A senior studio executive, who requested anonymity, admitted it makes business sense to invest in these films because of their ability to take people’s minds off everyday troubles and as they work well for the masses.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lata Jha

Lata Jha covers media and entertainment for Mint. She focuses on the film, television, video and audio streaming businesses. She is a graduate of the Columbia School of Journalism. She can be found at the movies, when not writing about them.
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