Mumbai: One Marathi film joins the post-Diwali queue today. Aadi Anant, starring Ashok Saraf and Sankarshan Karhade, opens across the state on Thursday, November 12.
Mahesh Limaye has directed and co-produced the film, with Kumar Mangat Pathak, Abhishek Pathak, Murlidhar Chhatwani, Sameer Hampi and Aniket Marathe.
The story sits on the relationship between a grandson and his grandfather. Aditya wants to be an actor, carries the weight of responsibility, and has to square his dreams with what his family needs.
Alongside Saraf and Karhade, the cast includes Sakhi Gokhale, Vaidehi Parshurami, Yogesh Sirsat, Kavita Lad, Aarav Ahir, Shrirang Godbole and Guru Thakur. The film runs 2 hours 2 minutes.
Saraf and Karhade have been paired on screen before, and that chemistry is being billed as the film's main draw. For Saraf, one of Marathi cinema's most bankable names, the role is another grandfather after a run of similar parts.
The release lands in a difficult window. Ramayana has dominated Marathi screens through Diwali, and a Hindi spectacle of that size takes the prime shows. Aadi Anant's test is whether family audiences in Pune, Kolhapur and Nashik pick it over the dubbed big-tent option.
The calendar ahead is crowded too. Kedar Shinde's Gana Dhav Re, with Bharat Jadhav and Pranali Ghogare, releases on November 27 and its trailer is already out.
On the theatre side, the post-holiday week is filling up: Asen Me... Nasen Me plays in Mumbai today, and Punha Nakki Bhetu runs at Thane's Ram Ganesh Gadkari Rangayatan.
The film opens the same day across the state, with first-day shows scheduled in Pune, Kolhapur and Nashik alongside Mumbai.