Do you love watching Marathi films? And you are looking for some of the best Marathi movies to stream that are meaningful?
Well, I could help you with that.
I have been living in Pune for three years now, and I do like the Marathi culture, tradition, and cuisine. But most importantly, I love Marathi movies. Although I don’t understand the language entirely being an outsider, I understand the theme and character story.
Even a year or two ago, there wasn’t a great demand for regional movies neither do people have any acknowledgment for the regional movies as such.
We all know that Bollywood dominates the film industry in our country. Irrespective of regions or states and languages, everyone loves Bollywood.
But, now, the entertainment industry has become more extensive. With the arrival of video streaming, regional contents are getting more exposure now.
In fact, some movies are so meaningful and telling us real stories that it is hard not to love those movies.
Here, I have compiled a list of best Marathi movies to stream. These are the best because they have the core thing and that is ‘good story.’
So, if you are like me who loves movies with a good story and acting but not item songs or extravagance, then please follow the movies below.
Sairat (2016) – One of the best Marathi movies to stream
I am sure you must have heard or even watch ‘Sairat’ which unexpectedly is a Marathi superhit movie not only in Maharashtra but throughout India.
A simple and very common story of a young boy and girl who are in love where the boy belongs from a poor and low caste family, whereas the girl’s family is wealthy. Misfortunes took a turn and ruined their happily married life.
So, why Sairat is the best Marathi movies to stream then?
Bollywood doesn’t deal much with caste-based stories. Unlike this film, it has a touch of innocence, love, yet no monologue on caste but it still manages to show us a prevalent social issue that is still deeply rooted in certain parts of India.
You can still watch this spectacular film on Netflix if you haven’t yet.
Natsamrat (2016)
The next best Marathi movies to stream is ‘Natsamrat,’ which features the talented Nana Patekar in the lead role.
The film is a melodramatic, highly emotional, rich drama tale, which tells the story of aging parents who are left behind by their son and daughter-in-law.
Story-wise if you say, there is nothing extraordinary, but it is the acting that makes the film so important to watch. It is more a theatre drama than a film, I would say.
The film showcases the acting prowess of Nana Patekar, his presence and dialogues are so powerful and compelling. ‘Natsamrat’ had the biggest opening weekend in Marathi cinema ever in 2016.
The film has excellent writing, direction, and cinematography along with superb execution in terms of acting.
I highly recommend you to watch this film on Netflix.
Fireband (2019)
‘Fireband’ is another Marathi movie that I would like you to stream. This is a Netflix feature produced by Priyanka Chopra. The film is a tale of complex female lawyer played by the National Award-winning filmmaker Aruna Raje.
The theme of the movie explores the truth of the existence of women in society. Radical psychological and emotional consequences of a sexual assault survivor in the society.
It is an outstanding Marathi movie which has tried to create a significant mark in the film industry.
‘Fireband’ is about awareness that as a viewer, you need to understand the depth of the situation and its characters. It connects with real-life situations and actions.
Consider watching a good movie than some random meaningless movies of some big banner production. It won’t go in vain.
Killa (2014)
Director Avinash Arun’s debut film ‘Killa’ is a wonderful, poetic and melancholic film which tells the story of an 11-year-old boy Chinmay. His mother gets transferred to one place to another due to her job, which makes him changing the school every time.
The film captures Chinmay’s childhood, displacement, and the meaning of friendship. The movie sets in the rural parts of the Konkan region, presenting the picturesque landscape and beauty of the state.
Mostly the movie is observational, which brings forward so much of emotions and depth in the story with detail scenes. Details like school life, bonding, racing with friends, running when it rains and so on. All these we have done too in our golden days of school life.
The portrayal of Chinmay and his equation with his mother, school, friends, and the place is everything that ‘Killa’ is all about.
Netflix is such an excellent platform that allows such newbie filmmakers to showcase their work to the audience.
Mulshi Pattern (2018)
Mulshi Pattern is a film tha sheds light on the story of how economic liberalization in 1991 changed the dynamics of Pune by putting the farmer’s life at stake.
This is a crime thriller movie featuring Mahesh Manjrekar, Mohan Joshi, Om Bhutkar in the lead. A family who becomes the victim of corporate greed and is forced to leave behind their land, which, as a result, left the family penniless.
As a consequence of this act, their son becomes a gangster to avenge the misfortunes of his family.
Mulshi Pattern is a highly gripping and compelling story with brilliant acting.
If you love watching crime thriller, you can try watching this film on Zee5. It won’t disappoint you.
Naal (2018)
I watched ‘Naal’ a few days back on Zee5. The movie is about Chaitanya, an 8-year-old naughty boy who lives in a village in Maharashtra with his parents (Devika Daftardar and Nagraj Manjule). He is a loving, happy kid who enjoys his village life.
But a secret turns him down. Chaitanya and his innocent world is beautiful and makes you fall in love with. The location where it is shot represents the beauty and simplicity of village life.
The entire movie is heart-warming, which shows the psychological journey of a boy who understands nothing about how the world goes. He has his own innocent notion about how things work.
The story also explores many aspects of motherhood. This is a must-watch movie. Doesn’t matter if you have difficulty in understanding the language because Zee5 has subtitles which will help you.
A simple heartening story which is beautiful.
Valu (2008)
‘Valu’ is yet another one of the best Marathi movies to stream right now. The movie ‘Valu’ is a story of a wild bull named Durkya in a village that was very popular among the villagers once.
As he grows up, he becomes a free soul, he does whatever he wants, which annoys the villagers. Durkya is not anymore can be tamed by anyone which the villagers can’t accept and wants to capture him now.
The wild bull and the villagers represent an inner meaning. The wild bull symbolizes a free spirit individual and the villagers as a society. A society can never easily accept a free thinker or a free soul. It always wants to bind her/him with some rules.
The story has several metaphorical meanings culturally and socially.
The movie is a comedy genre of Marathi film, but too much satire and symbolism are there to understand.
This is of course not a plain comedy film like Golmaal of Bollywood. But an enjoyable one. You can stream Valu on Netflix.
1000 Rupee Note (2014)
Shrihari Sathe’s ‘1000 Rupee note’, is an elemental tale of an elderly woman Budhi (played by Usha Naik), who is living in a remote village in Maharashtra.
After the demise of her only son, who couldn’t repay his debts, Budhi is living a solitary life. To support herself, she cleans the home of a wealthy family, which provides her with little food.
There is always a smile on her face despite her adversities of life. Sudama is her best friend in the village, with whom she joins a rally for a politician where they get a free meal.
On this very day, her life changes to the worst. When the politician heard about the death of her son, he gave her a ‘1000 rupee note.’
This indeed made her happy, but unhappiness soon follows her way when she went to the city to get her eyeglasses repaired and buy a new frame for her dead son’s photograph. But the shopkeepers don’t have change for a 1000 rupee note.
Eventually, there was some confusion which leads to police arresting them and ends up spending the night in jail.
So, even though a 1000 rupee note gave her a little respite when it lands into her hand but ultimately it wasn’t of any use.
You can stream the movie on Netflix.
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Fandry (2013)
‘Fandry’ is Nagraj Manjule’s brilliant feature debut film which is about a boy from an ‘untouchable’ caste (which still exists in our society). The protagonist Jabya and his family come from the tribe which people consider as ‘untouchables.’ They had to do all the demeaning tasks, which are dirty and unclean.
‘Fandry’ is a beautiful film that portrays the caste system that still exists in our country and how people of high caste humiliate and mistreat the ‘untouchables’ for centuries in the villages of our country.
The film also explores different emotions of the character Jabya, for example, his crush on a girl whom he knows is almost impossible to get because of his status in the society. His anger for the embarrassment he gets always.
‘Fandry’ is one of the most notable and finest Marathi movies that you must stream on Netflix. You will get to know why this movie is one of the best and how sophisticated the storytelling is and how it captures meaning in each scene.
Court (2014)
A film like ‘Court’ can’t and shouldn’t be missed. The film ridicules the Indian judiciary system. It’s corruption, inefficiency, and illiteracy, which makes the court environment depressing and lousy.
It is a moving art of work that will make you think about how much the country needs to change its judiciary system.
It is a fantastic film that has earned respect for its brilliance in cinematography.
I want you to watch this film on Netflix and tell me if you like it or not.
Vihir (2009)
Umesh Kulkarni’s ‘Vihir’ explains the philosophical portrayal of life and death. The character Sameer’s pursuit for meaning and understanding of life and death. Two best friends Sameer and Nachiket and their emotions are being captured beautifully in ‘Vihir.’
Both the young actors gave believable and naturalistic performances. A wonderful character-oriented Marathi film that you would love to watch online Zee5.
Cycle
Marathi film ‘Cycle’ is streaming on Netflix and is a pleasure to watch. It tells a simple story of an astrologer, Keshav, who has deep moral values and is respected by everyone in the village.
He has his most prized possession ‘cycle’ that got stolen by two thieves. While wandering around the village and nearby villages, they got to know how good a person Keshav is and how dear this cycle is to him.
It is a family film that is realistic yet feels like a fairy tale as there is no villain or action.
The Disciple
I feel ‘The Disciple’ is one of the best regional movies in India. It tells the journey of a vocalist Sharad who has dedicated his life to music, but frustration creeps in. He questions his excellence and where he stands as compared to others.
The movie exhibits the world of classical music where vocalists dedicate their life to attain perfection, but not everyone can satisfy their aspiration.
Ventilator
Marathi movie ‘Ventilator’ is a Priyanka Chopra production film that tells the story of Kamerkar family where one beloved member of the family suffers a stroke and is put on a ventilator. While waiting for him to recover, the family turned into dysfunctional.
If you are looking for a movie to watch with your family, Ventilator is one of them.
Darbaan
‘Darbaan’ is a heart-warming and an emotional film that explores the several layers of human relationship and emotions. It tells the story of a caretaker who loves the child of his master dearly.
But one incident has changed his life forever. His guilt and desperation pushed him to do something that was heartbreaking. The story has a beautiful flow that takes an unexpected turn in the first half and ends it on a different level.
Harishchandrachi Factory (2009)
Harishchandrachi Factory is a delightful movie on Dadasaheb Phalke’s journey of life and his contribution to the cinema world.
There are two sections in the narrative, where the first section pretty much focuses on Phalke’s fascination towards the cinema world and the second half focuses on the making of the first film Raja Harishchandra. The film has noir cinematography, capturing the era of the 90s.
In the narrative, there are several layers of good moments in the film about Dadasaheb Phalke. Because the film captures an era, so the design, makeup, costume everything seems quite flawless.
It is a film about a person who has a great contribution to filmmaking.
So, it would be my recommendation that ‘Harishchandrachi Factory’ is one of the best Marathi movies to watch on Netflix.
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Bonus (2020)
I watched this simple yet amazing Marathi film ‘Bonus’ on Amazon Prime Videos.
The movie tells a tale of two contrasting worlds rich and poor. Aditya who belongs from an affluent family in Nasik goes to live in a fisherman’s colony in Mumbai to prove his point to his grandfather that his employees don’t need bonus.
He comes across people who are happy in what minimal things and need. He understands the value of money and hard work.
The story shows the protagonist’s transformation in dealing with the reality of an ordinary person.
I really liked the way two different worlds and their differences have been shown in a storytelling pattern. ‘Bonus’ is worth watching film.
Ringan
I watched the Marathi movie ‘Ringan’ on Netflix a few days ago. Ringan is one of the best Marathi films of the decade.
It is a noteworthy movie that tells the story of a farmer Arjun (Shashank Shende), who is debt-ridden and thinks of suiciding because he is hopeless of repaying the money.
His seven-year-old son Abhimanyu (Sahil Joshi) is innocent and looking for his dead mother at God’s house.
The movie is a reminder of the harsh condition of thousands of farmers and how each year they suicide because of losing their land and debt. Poverty and deprivation leave them with no hope of living.
Ringan is not a commercial film to entertain rather an art film that has imagery and metaphors to depict reality.
A film every film-lovers should watch.
Half Ticket
Marathi film ‘Half ticket’ is the remake of Tamil film ‘Kaka Muttai’ that tells a satisfying story of two brothers who live in the slum. They collect coal lying around the railway tracks, and other scrap material to earn money.
When a new pizza café opens across the street, the boys develop a desire and cravings for pizza. But they can’t afford a pizza so the two brothers plan to earn more money.
Can they buy pizza? Can the poverty-stricken brothers fulfill their desires?
A beautiful story that can is relatable.
I watched the film this weekend on Amazon Prime Videos. I recommend you to watch this best Marathi movie.
Conclusion
Above are some of the best Marathi films that I could suggest you watch if you enjoy regional films.
There are many more I am sure, but these are absolutely the best movies that are available on video streaming.