One Man Believed In KGF And It Created History: Mahesh Manjrekar

Mumbai, September 15 - Filmmaker Mahesh Manjrekar spoke highly about Kannada's blockbuster film franchise KGF and called it the industry-saving film. The filmmaker graced a star-studded event, held at a five-star hotel in Mumbai on September 14, where some of the most prominent personalities of Marathi cinema were present.

Mahesh Manjrekar was speaking in the context of giving more importance to regional cinema and said that the Kannada industry is the prime example of it, which, the filmmaker believed, was changed because of one person.



"Some years back, the condition of the Kannada film industry was such that it seemed like it would shut down anytime. But there was one person who believed in making a film and spending a lot of money on it. That person (probably referring to producer Vijay Kiragandur) made a film named KGF and it created history.

"What makes me happy is that they didn't make both parts of KGF in Hindi. They shot the film in Kannada, dubbed it in Hindi aur fir audience ke sir ke upar feka!", he said, according to Bollywood Hungama.

"I envy these guys. I would have loved to do something like this. It is superb", the "Antim" director added. "We have to shout from the rooftops that Marathi cinema is (also) great. There's no dearth of talent when it comes to Marathi cinema. Then what is it that we are lacking? We also need people who believe in our vision. It's crucial that we make big-scale films, that too with conviction and confidence".



The filmmaker further said that investors should also believe in Marathi cinema and its filmmaker like Vijay Kiragandur believed in director Prashanth Neel's vision and Yash's confidence, called KGF. "Somebody has to believe in us and spend money, like the way KGF producers did. I mean, come on, KGF - Chapter 2 collected Rs. 1000 crores! Can you imagine?", he added.

"KGF" was released in 2018 and went on to become the highest-grossing Kannada film of all time before its sequel came in 2022 and shattered box office records at the Pan India level. Released in April 2022, "KGF: Chapter 2" grossed over 1200 crores worldwide, including approx. 1000 crores in India alone. In the Hindi version, "KGF 2" is the second highest-grossing film of all time with a net collection of approx. 435 crores.

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