Marathi cinema refers to films produced in the Marathi language

Marathi language

Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...

 in the state of Maharashtra

Maharashtra

Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...

, India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. It is the oldest and pioneer film industry in India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. The first film in India was a silent film called Raja Harishchandra

Raja Harishchandra

Raja Harishchandra , is a 1913 silent Indian film directed and produced by Dadasaheb Phalke, and is the first full-length Indian feature film...

 (1913), which was made in Marathi by a legendary marathi, Dadasaheb Phalke

Dadasaheb Phalke

Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, popularly known as Dadasaheb Phalke was an Indian producer-director-screenwriter, known as the father of Indian cinema...

 and a Marathi crew who were performing Marathi & Sanskrit Sangeet natikas (musicals) and plays in marathi at that period. The first Marathi talkie film, Ayodhyecha Raja

Ayodhyecha Raja

Ayodhyecha Raja was the first Marathi talkie released in 1932, directed by Shantaram Rajaram Vankudre...

 (produced by Prabhat Films) was released in 1932, just one year after "Alam Ara

Alam Ara

Alam Ara is a 1931 film directed by Ardeshir Irani. It was the first Indian sound film.Irani recognized the importance that sound would have on the cinema, and raced to complete Alam Ara before several contemporary sound films. Alam Ara debuted at the Majestic Cinema in Mumbai on March 14, 1931...

" the first Hindi talkie film.