MNS warns against releasing Dhoni biopic in Marathi

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has opposed the dubbing of a film on the life of Indian cricket star Mahendra Singh Dhoni into Marathi.

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has opposed the dubbing of a film on the life of Indian cricket star Mahendra Singh Dhoni into Marathi.

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The MNS says that dubbing Hindi films into Marathi will finish off Marathi cinema, which has been doing quite well in recent times.

Ameya Khopkar, president, MNS Cine Workers Association, said the MNS will not allow the dubbed version of the film to be released in theatres. “No producer will make Marathi films as it will become lucrative to make a Hindi film and dub it into Marathi,” said Khopar. “We will deal with them in our style if they go ahead with the release,” he said.

Khopkar said it will become a trend to dub films and release them. “Let them make a Marathi film instead of dubbing,” he added.

Contrary to MNS claims, several Marathi films have been doing well. Sairat, a recent movie based on honour killing, broke all box-office records in the Marathi industry by earning close to Rs100 crore. It received responses from the non-Marathi audience as well. It is now being remade in other languages.

The film, MS Dhoni: The Untold Story, is a film on Dhoni, one of Indian cricket’s most successful captains. The film in which actor Sushant Singh Rajput plays the lead character was planned to be released on August 30. The filmmakers plan to release it in different languages.

The MNS led by its chief Raj Thackeray is infamous for using violence to force the authorities to toe its line. The party is trying to revive its sons-of-the-soil agenda ahead of the civic polls to be held in Mumbai, Thane, Nashik and some other cities early next year.