Best Marathi Movies, TV Shows and Songs for Beginners

If you're trying to learn Marathi or connect back with your roots, some of the best practice you'll ever get involves a couch, some popcorn and the remote. Marathi cinema is where Indian cinema began - Dadasaheb Phalke, a Marathi filmmaker, made India's first full-length feature film in 1913 - and between the movies, the TV shows, the natak (plays) and the songs that play at every Ganpati pandal and family function, there's no shortage of Marathi to listen to.

Here's a beginner-friendly guide to what to watch and listen to, plus a few tips to make sure you're actually picking up Marathi while you're at it.

Why Marathi movies and shows help you learn faster

You hear real, everyday Marathi: Movies and shows use the Marathi people actually speak, not the stiff version in textbooks.
Your ear gets used to the rhythm: Spoken Marathi squeezes words together, like kartoy for "karto aahe". The more you listen, the easier it gets to hear where one word ends and the next begins.
Context does half the work: When you can see what's happening on screen, it's much easier to guess what a word or phrase means.
You pick up the culture too: Festivals, family dynamics, food and humour - it's all in there.
It doesn't feel like studying: Which means you'll actually keep doing it.

Popular Marathi movies everyone should see

These are the big ones - the movies every Marathi family has talked about, and several that took Marathi cinema far beyond Maharashtra. They're fantastic to watch, and they'll give you plenty to talk about with Marathi friends and family. A few of the historical epics use grand, dramatic dialogue, so watch those for the fun rather than for everyday phrases.

Sairat (2016): Nagraj Manjule's love story about two teenagers from different castes in a small Maharashtra town. It became one of the biggest Marathi hits ever, and its songs were everywhere.
Natsamrat (2016): Nana Patekar plays an ageing Shakespearean stage actor in this moving family drama, based on the classic play by Kusumagraj.
Court (2014): A quiet, sharp courtroom drama set in Mumbai, and India's official entry to the Oscars that year. Great for hearing the many languages of Mumbai side by side.
Harishchandrachi Factory (2009): A warm, funny film about how Dadasaheb Phalke made India's first feature film. The perfect place to start.
Natarang (2010): Atul Kulkarni plays a wrestler who joins a tamasha (folk theatre) troupe. Packed with music by Ajay-Atul.
Timepass (2014): A sweet teen romance between a boy from a chawl and a girl from a strict, well-off family. Lots of everyday, casual Marathi.
Duniyadari (2013): A nostalgic story of friendship and love in a Pune college in the 1970s.
Ved (2022): Riteish Deshmukh's romantic drama, starring him and Genelia Deshmukh, with songs that topped every playlist.
Baipan Bhari Deva (2023): Six estranged sisters reunite for a women's competition. Funny and emotional, and a huge hit with families.
Jhimma (2021): A group of women of all ages go on a trip to London together. Light, funny and full of everyday Marathi.

Classic Marathi movies generations grew up on

These are the films Marathi families never get tired of rewatching. If you come from a Marathi family, watch them with your parents and you'll get a running commentary on the best scenes, plus a few stories from their childhood thrown in. Some of the older ones use slightly more formal Marathi than you'd hear today, but they're a lovely way into the culture.

Shyamchi Aai (1953): Based on Sane Guruji's much-loved book about a boy and his mother, and the winner of India's very first National Film Award for Best Feature Film.
Pinjra (1972): V. Shantaram's classic about an upright school teacher who falls for a tamasha dancer, with songs that are still sung today.
Sinhasan (1979): Jabbar Patel's sharp political drama set in Maharashtra's corridors of power.
Dhumdhadaka (1985): A crazy, much-loved comedy from Mahesh Kothare.
Ashi Hi Banwa Banwi (1988): Four friends pretend to be women to rent a flat. The comedy every Marathi family can quote, line by line.
Navra Majha Navsacha (2004): A comedy about a road trip to Ganpatipule, packed with Marathi humour and a lovely taste of the Konkan.
Me Shivajiraje Bhosale Boltoy (2009): A Marathi man struggling in modern Mumbai gets a visit from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj himself. Funny, emotional and very Mumbai.

Marathi TV shows and web series with everyday conversation

Chala Hawa Yeu Dya: A long-running comedy show on Zee Marathi, full of sketches, spoofs and celebrity guests. The humour is very local, so it's a fun challenge once you know a bit.
Maharashtrachi Hasyajatra: A hugely popular sketch comedy show on Sony Marathi. Short, silly and great for picking up everyday expressions.
Agga Bai Sasubai: A light family drama on Zee Marathi about a widowed mother-in-law who falls in love again. Plenty of everyday family Marathi.
Pet Puraan (2021): A short, sweet web series on SonyLIV about a young Pune couple who decide to raise pets instead of having kids. Very relatable, and very Puneri.
YouTube: Channels like BhaDiPa (Bharatiya Digital Party) have short comedy sketches, interviews and web series in casual, young Marathi - perfect for ten-minute practice sessions.

Marathi songs to get stuck in your head

Songs are a great way to tune your ear and pick up words, and you'll hear many of these at weddings, Ganpati pandals and family functions. Just keep in mind that song lyrics can be more poetic than everyday speech.

"Zingaat" and "Yad Lagla": From Sairat (2016), by the composer duo Ajay-Atul
"Apsara Aali" and "Wajle Ki Bara": From Natarang (2010)
"Kombdi Palali": From Jatra (2006) - a dance floor favourite at every Marathi wedding
"Mala Ved Lagale": From Timepass (2014)
"Ved Lavlay": From Ved (2022)
The title song of Baipan Bhari Deva (2023): Expect your aunties to dance to this one
Abhangs: Devotional songs by saints like Tukaram and Dnyaneshwar, sung during the Wari and at home
Ganpati aartis: You'll hear "Sukhakarta Dukhaharta" in every home during Ganeshotsav, so learning to sing along is a lovely way to join in

Slower, melodic songs are the easiest to follow. The fast, high-energy dance numbers are great fun, but good luck catching every word the first time.

Get more Marathi out of every movie night

Marathi audio, English subtitles: Start here. You'll follow the story while your ear soaks up the language. Later on, try switching off the subtitles and see how much you understand through context.
Rewatch your favourite scenes: The second time, you'll catch words and phrases you missed the first time.
Keep a phrase list: Whenever you hear a line you understand, or one that keeps coming up, write it down and try using it.
Watch with family: If you're a diaspora learner with Marathi parents, pause and ask what something means. Your parents will probably love explaining it, and the inside jokes too.
Mix blockbusters with everyday films: Watch the big movies for fun, and the slice-of-life ones for learning.

Watch your favourite Hollywood movies in Marathi

Here's a handy trick: many streaming platforms now offer Marathi dubbed audio for popular Hollywood movies and shows. Pick one you've already seen in English and switch the audio to Marathi. Since you already know the story, you can focus completely on the words, and it's surprisingly fun to hear your favourite characters speaking Marathi.

Know the legends of Marathi cinema

A few names come up again and again in Marathi homes. Knowing them will make you sound like a true insider:

Ashok Saraf: The comedy legend of Marathi cinema, lovingly called "Ashok Mama" by his fans
Laxmikant Berde: Ashok Saraf's partner in countless comedies, known to everyone simply as "Lakshya"
Sachin Pilgaonkar: The actor-director behind Ashi Hi Banwa Banwi and Navra Majha Navsacha
Mahesh Kothare: The director of Dhumdhadaka, famous for his catchphrase "Damn it!"
Nana Patekar: One of India's most powerful actors, and the star of Natsamrat
Riteish Deshmukh: A Bollywood star who has become a big name in Marathi cinema too, and is affectionately called "Bhau" by many fans

Turn movie nights into real Marathi conversations

Watching Marathi movies and shows is one of the most fun ways to train your ear. But to go from understanding a few lines to actually holding a conversation, you need to know how sentences are put together.

If you want to progress from phrases and words to having real conversations in Marathi, a bit of structure makes a big difference. Start with Bhashafy's Complete Marathi Course for Beginners and see how far a little consistency can take you.

Bhashafy has over 20,000 satisfied learners across 100+ countries and millions of minutes of lessons taught. Bhashafy's courses are some of the most widely used, highly rated and bestselling courses for Indian languages across the world.

Thank you, or as we say in Marathi - Dhanyavaad!