Ajay Devgn and Saif Ali Khan starrer Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior, which is coming on 10 January 2020, will simultaneously release in Marathi language, according to a report in Mumbai Mirror.
Admitting that the idea came from Devgn, the film’s director Om Raut said, “I had pitched it as a Hindi film because the idea was to go global. But Mr Devgn felt the need to come out with a Marathi version as well to ensure that it reaches the interiors of the state.” He further added that getting the film ready in the local language was not easy and extra effort went into it. “Capturing the dialect and cultural nuances was important and we have ensured that the beauty of the language is not lost,” he told the news daily.
Ajay, who is playing the titular character of Tanhaji, believes that releasing the film in two versions will also increase its audience. “It’s my privilege to be able to share the story of this brave warrior in his mother tongue as well as in Hindi. I want Maharashtra to take part in his journey as much as the rest of India.”
Devgn’s wife Kajol, who is playing Tanhaji’s wife Savitribai Malusare in the film, is happy about the idea. The actor, who is Maharashtrian on her mother Tanuja’s side, said, “Having grown up around my great grandmother (Ratanbai Shilotri) and grandmother (Shobhna Samarth), it was almost like reliving a part of my own history. It felt like I had dressed up in my mother’s clothes and played her in a grown-up way.”
Produced by Bhushan Kumar, Ajay Devgn and Krishan Kumar, Tanhaji also features well-known names from the Marathi film industry, including Sharad Kelkar as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Devdatta Nage as Suryaji Malusare and Shashank Shende as Shelar Mama.