Thackeray (2019)

Thackeray 2019: a biopic of one of Maharashtra's most debated public figures

Thackeray 2019 is a biographical drama about Bal Thackeray, the founder of the Shiv Sena party, a figure whose name still divides opinion in Mumbai and well beyond it. The film was made at the same time in Marathi and Hindi, which tells you something about its intended audience: it wants to speak to Maharashtra first, and to the rest of the Hindi-film market second.

We have not watched the film, so this page is an overview rather than a review. Its purpose is to help you decide whether the subject and the approach suit you before you press play.

A biopic of a political leader always carries a built-in question: is it a portrait or a tribute? Reference pages on the film note that it received mixed reviews, with the lead performance drawing most of the praise, and that it attracted controversy over how it portrayed South Indians. Treat that as a reminder to watch it as one telling of a contested life, not as a neutral history lesson.

Release date, languages and where to watch

The film reached cinemas in India on 25 January 2019, distributed by Viacom18 Motion Pictures. Its runtime is listed as 139 minutes on Wikipedia, though other databases give slightly different figures, so expect roughly two to two and a half hours depending on the version.

Because there are two language versions, check which one your platform lists before you start. Streaming availability changes by country and over time, and we could not confirm a current platform from the sources we reviewed, so we are not naming one here. Search the title on the major Indian streaming services or a rental storefront and look at the language tracks offered.

Cast and crew: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Amrita Rao and director Abhijit Panse

Nawazuddin Siddiqui plays Bal Thackeray and Amrita Rao plays his wife, Meena Thackeray. The director is Abhijit Panse. Music is credited to Rohan-Rohan and Sandeep Shirodkar for the songs and Amar Mohile for the score, with Sudeep Chatterjee as cinematographer.

Casting Siddiqui is the obvious talking point. He is an actor widely known for intense, character-driven work, and playing a man with a distinctive public voice and look is a demanding task. Whether it works is for each viewer to judge; critics quoted in reference sources singled out his performance as the strongest element, but we cannot add our own verdict.

What to expect and who it suits

Expect a conventional biopic structure: a public life shown through key moments, dramatised for the screen. If you like political history and enjoy seeing real events interpreted by actors, it is a natural watch. If you want a balanced, documentary-style examination, you may want to read independent history alongside it.

A useful way to approach it is to separate two questions: how well is the film made, and how fully does it represent the person and the period. You can enjoy the first without accepting the second.