Bucket List, Madhuri Dixit's Marathi debut, to be distributed by Karan Johar; third regional film by Dharma after Baahubali franchise

Producer Karan Johar’s embrace of regional cinema has reached a new milestone, with Johar coming on board Madhuri Dixit’s Marathi debut film Bucket List. Impressed by the teaser of Bucket List, Karan jumped on board the project and will be presenting the entertainer, along with Madhuri and AA Films.

Karan Johar’s successful foray into regional cinema had begun with the massively profitable Telugu-Tamil fantasy-drama  Baahubali: The Beginning  (2015),  directed by SS Rajamouli . Dharma Productions continued its association in the sequel Baahubali 2: The Conclusion, and is also producing the Hindi language remake of the Marathi hit Sairat, titled Dhadak, which will launch Shahid Kapoor’s brother Ishaan and Sridevi’s daughter Jaanhvi Kapoor this year. Confirming the news of backing Bucket List, Johar told DNA, “I’ve been a staunch believer in regional cinema and since Baahubali, I am confident that good cinema with a great platform breaks the barrier of language. Moreover, the opportunity to launch the superstar actor Madhuri Dixit-Nene in her mother tongue is going to be my absolute pleasure. Together, with the team of Bucket List and AA Films, we hope that this heartwarming film gets all the love it deserves,” said Johar, as reported by DNA. “Marathi cinema is evolving beautifully and it makes me proud to see such incredible stories come alive on screen. I have received many scripts over the years since I was always open to acting in Marathi films. However, no script excited me as much as this one. The moment I heard the story, I knew that I wanted to be a part of it,” Madhuri had told Bombay Times in an earlier interview. Johar and Madhuri are also working together in Abhishek Varman’s next where Madhuri has replaced Sridevi in a film bankrolled by Dharma Productions.  Bucket List is slated to release on 25 May (which is incidentally Johar’s 46th birthday) and will see Madhuri play Madhura Sane, a housewife with unfulfilled dreams who wants to complete everything on her ‘bucket list’.