Best Award-Winning Marathi Short Films

by Supriya Webfare Writer

Short Films are gaining a lot of popularity in India. Short films like Chutney, Kriti, Ahalya, Tandav, etc. have gained a lot of views on YouTube. Not just Hindi and English short films, even Marathi short films have gained popularity among the audience and have even won National Awards.

Here are some of the best Marathi Short Films that you need to watch:

1 – Chaitra:
Chaitra is a short film based on the short story by G. A. Kulkarni. The story is set in the Hindu calendar’s month of Chaitra, during Haldi-kunku, a festival where married woman visit each other’s homes. The story is about a mother living with her 10 year old son and his father. They are happy living a simple life with respect and care for each other. The mother gets insulted during a Haldi-kunku gathering. It goes on to show the things that the mother does to ensure a right-upbringing for her child and that he still retain his values despite such bad experiences.
It is a very culture specific short film, set in the rural region. As it was a project for the graduation-thesis of Kranti Kanade, the director, when he was in FTII, it was made on a very low budget, and the actors charged no remuneration for the short film.

Director: Kranti Kanade.

2 – Mitraa:
Mitraa is a short film set in a period before India’s Independence. It is about a boy who is in love with a girl. However, he soon discovers that the girl is in love with another woman. It has a bold subject, highlighting same sex relationships. It is based on Vijay Tendulkar’s Mitrachi Goshta.
It is shot in black and white, and unlike many other short films, the audience were able to watch the film as it was a part of the four-film anthology titled ‘Bioscope’ which was released in the theatres.
Director: Ravi Jadhav.

3 – Aushadh:
Aushadh is a short film based on a real life incident of the director Amol Deshmukh from when he was a chemist back in 2003. It is the story of a pharmacist and his relationship with the customers. When his subordinate gives the wrong medicine to a customer by accidentally giving medicines for blood pressure instead of a pain killer, which could’ve led to bad consequences, the pharmacist goes on a journey to save the life which would’ve been harmed due to a mistake.
The short film was shot on a budget of around Rs. 1 lakh, in a village called Hanumantwadi near Phaltan in Maharashtra (around 100-120 km away from Pune).

Director: Amol Deshmukh.

4 – Pistulya:
Pistulya is a short film by the filmmaker Nagraj Manjule about a little boy, Pistulya who comes from a family belonging to the backward caste. He wants to get educated however, his family cannot afford the school uniform and the books. He is forced to beg for food along with her mother , who doesn’t care about his education. The community where he lives is involved in stealing and they forcefully train Pistulya into doing the same. The story is about how his determination to continue his education.

It is a 15 minute short film and was shot in just two days. Manjule is credited for the story, the concept, the script and the direction.
Director: Nagraj Manjule.
These are some of the best short films in the Marathi language, with a local cultural flavor.