Usha Kakade has taken it upon herself to initiate a film production company and she had invited Karan Johar for the inauguration. This man who is an aged movie maker made people laugh but his talk was not without significance in relation to Marathi movies. “I want to congratulate Usha ji on starting Usha Kakade Productions. If the logo reveal can be this dramatic, then it’s fair to say yeh toh sirf trailer tha. Bahut saari filmein abhi baaki hai.” He also added, “Usha ji is a friend and she has contributed so much through her philanthropic work.”
The official language of the session suddenly changed into Marathi as Karan Johar stood up; justifying the title Vicky he said that it could prove lucky for us because “Vicky Kaushal is a big star”; he talked about some peculiar box-office trends in Marathi cinema like, “Telugu and Tamil cinema get a lot of love but…”
KJo reiterated that, “Marathi films are my all-time favorite ones. I am privilege enough sitting here today on this stage as we launch our power packed production house. On top of that I saw fantastic talent out there (looks at actors of the film Vicky who were earlier on stage) – they are taking selfies now with one another. Very lovely!”
When asked about their first movie under Usha Kakade Productions, Karan said: “Vicky is a very lucky title. Donor bhi ban chukka hai! Moreover, Vicky Kaushal is a big star hence Usha ji has chosen a lucky title. I hope the film turns out to be super duper hit otherwise then blame will come on me for its flop show. And I’ll be very happy if I can get some profit from the film’s earnings!” Quoting KJo again, “Usha ji. You must promise me that whenever you have such a grand event, please do invite me.”
Finally, the host prompted Karan Johar to say something in Marathi. At this point KJo said, “It’s unfortunate that my Marathi is not good. I am very proud of the state and city I live in. I am also proud of the deep-rooted culture and heritage attached to not just any Marathi movie but those from the Marathi history as a whole.” The listeners appreciated it when he confessed to them saying, “As a child. I used to watch television serial called ‘Aamchi Maati Aamchi Manasa’.” Eventually Karan had to speak in Marathi with help from the anchor.
“What will Marathi cinema do to expand its reach and box office collections like south industries?” The host asked. Karan replied, “We were fortunate enough to be give an opportunity to recreate Sairat (2016). Which for me is the pinnacle of Marathi cinema. I still remember the day I watched that movie; for 10-15 minutes after it ended, I was dumbstruck. What a performance! My head bows down before such talent!”
He went on, “Whatever Marathi cinema is doing is fantastic and we should be proud of it. Kabhi kabhi comparisons mein hum hamari value kam kar dete hai. We should say that it’s the best film industry in the world. We just need to believe it and that’s how we shall make it.”
He continued, “Marathi cinema has rich beautiful talent – actors or actresses as well as directors or producers or music composers or technicians among others. And talking about talent Manish Malhotra is here!”. The fashion designer was another chief guest at the event who came late. In his closing remarks Karan concluded by saying,. “Telugu and Tamil cinema gets a lot of love but hum apne aap mein bhi bahut khush hai aur accha kaam kar rahe hai.”
Others present at the occasion were Tanishaa Mukerji, Gauahar Khan and several more.
