Digital platform best to reach a wide audience: Madhuri Dixit

Mumbai: Actor Madhuri Dixit, who turned producer with Marathi film "15 August" with husband Dr Sriram Nene, says they decided to release the film on the digital platform to attract a larger audience.

Set in a Mumbai chawl, the film follows the course of a series of zany mishaps that occur on a single day as its residents prepare for the Independence Day flag-hoisting ceremony. 

The film will start streaming on Netflix from March 29. Madhuri made her Marathi film debut with "Bucket List" last year.

"First we thought let's make the movie then we will see. We could have gone to theatres but Marathi films don't get that many theatres and they are competing with other Marathi and Hindi films. 

"With Netflix, it goes to 190 countries so you get wider audience. I remember 'Bucket List' was released in America and when my mother-in-law wanted to see it they had to sit in front row and see it because the release is very small. It gets released in two to three cities so we thought releasing it digitally would be a great platform for his film," Madhuri told PTI. 

The actor said producing the film was not difficult for her as it took her back to her roots as a Maharashtrian.

"We heard many scripts but we kept going to this story. It took me back to my roots, I am a Maharashtrian and I have had relatives living in chawl and I have lived there. I felt I know every member of this chawl that we created for this film," Madhuri said. 

Asked how Dr Nene came to be a part of the film, Madhuri said he always had a creative gene. 

"The creative gene was always in him. I think he didn't get the opportunity to actually exercise it."

Dr Nene said he felt it was a "cool way" to release the film on a streaming platform.

"This will give us bigger canvas to showcase in India. We just thought it's a cool way to put it out. The content will dictate the absorbtion," he said.