Riteish wants Govt to loosen purse strings

It’s no secret that our tinsel town stars move in strange ways. The grapevine makes one believe that film stars are at the mercy of political heavyweights. And who else would know that better than actor-producer Riteish Deshmukh (son of late Vilasrao Deshmukh, ex-chief minister of Maharashtra).

After an electrifying performance at IFFI’s opening ceremony, the star-couple (Riteish and Genelia) won many a hearts, but it was Riteish, who stole the show for highlighting the plight of regional cinema.

Not someone who minces words, Riteish has requested Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur to provide some incentives, monetary aid to regional cinema, particularly Marathi cinema. “I think we have to give due credit and promotion to our regional films. Regional cinema has made immense contribution to the Indian film industry.”

The charming actor says that regional cinema has some great content. “But we need little help from the government in the form of incentives or a branding strategy for commercial exploitation of our fantastic regional content,” he opines.

Riteish, who has taken up the cause of promoting regional cinema feels that regional films (Marathi films) are like a younger brother to Hindi cinema. “When Hindi and Marathi cinema appears on the same stage, obviously Marathi cinema gets the place of a younger brother. The pandemic has given a big blow to regional cinema. We require incentives from the Central government to boost and revive the regional cinema industry,” he says, before disappearing backstage in the razzle dazzle of the entertainment world.