Some
time
ago,
we
had
mentioned
that
veteran
actress
Sharmila
Tagore
is
all
set
to
make
her
debut
in
Marathi
films.
Not
much
was
known
about
the
film
then,
except
for
the
fact
that
it
was
to
be
directed
by
noted
actor-director
Amol
Palekar.
Now
the
cat's
out
of
the
bag.
Sharmila's
first
Marathi
film
will
be
Samaantar.
The
film
has
been
written
and
co-directed
by
Sandhya
Gokhale
along
with
veteran
actor-director
Amol
Palekar.
With
this
film,
Big
Pictures
(a
Reliance
Anil
Dhirubhai
Ambani
Group
company)
makes
its
entry
into
the
Marathi
film
industry.
Also,
Amol
Palekar
himself
will
be
making
his
acting
comeback
after
nearly
two
decades.
Apart
from
the
duo,
the
film
also
stars
Makarand
Deshpande,
Sameer
Dharmadhikari,
Kishor
Kadam,
Aishwarya
Narkar
and
Radhika
Apte
in
prominent
roles.
The
film
has
been
shot
in
Pune
and
Kolkata.
Commenting
on
his
film
Samaantar
being
acquired
by
Big
Pictures,
Amol
Palekar
said,
"I
feel
fortunate
with
Big
Pictures
acquiring
Samaantar,
the
film
will
be
promoted
and
released
in
a
deserving
manner."
The
actor
is
also
excited
about
making
his
acting
comeback
after
22
years.
"After
Vidhu
Vinod
Chopra's
Khamosh
in
1996,
I
stopped
acting
because
it
did
not
interest
me.
I
found
Keshav's
role
in
Samaantar
exciting.
Directing
a
film
and
also
acting
in
it
is
strenuous.
But
Sandhya,
my
co-director,
made
it
easier."
As
for
Sharmila,
this
would
be
her
first
tryst
with
Marathi
cinema.
"I
was
quite
apprehensive
about
speaking
Marathi
dialogues,
but
Amol
relaxed
me
all
through.
I
enjoyed
performing
every
scene",
said
the
veteran
actress.
Sandhya
Gokhale
added
further,
"
Samaantar
reveals
lost
traces
of
two
persons'
impeccable
love.
Sharmilaji
has
played
a
potter's
role
while
Amolji's
character
is
of
an
industrialist,
a
slice
of
whose
frozen
past
gets
scratched
accidentally.
Their
performances
are
brilliant."
Commenting
on
Big
Pictures
entry
into
Marathi
films,
Rajesh
Sawhney,
President,
Reliance
Big
Entertainment
said,
"Cinema
speaks
a
global
language;
a
good
film
holds
no
language
barrier.
We
are
producing
regional
films
in
several
languages.
Considering
the
contribution
of
Marathi
cinema,
its
exceptional
performers
and
the
audience
response,
we
felt
compelled
to
be
a
part
of
the
Marathi
film
industry.
We
are
proud
to
bring
to
audiences
Samaantar,
directed
by
legendary
Amol
Palekar,
coupled
with
exceptional
performances,
great
music
and
a
heart
wrenching
story."
With
such
big
names
getting
together,
even
Marathi
cinema
seems
to
be
coming
of
age.