The Global Launch of Abhijat Marathi OTT at the Bharat Pavilion took place at the Cannes Film Festival 2026 . The launch marks a significant cultural milestone for Marathi cinema and storytelling as Abhijat Marathi takes its vision of regional language entertainment, devotion, lifestyle, infotainment, and AI-led storytelling to an international audience from one of the world’s most prestigious cinematic platforms.
The launch event was followed by a high-profile networking dinner bringing together dignitaries, film personalities, creators, cultural representatives, and international delegates.
At the Global Launch of Abhijat Marathi OTT dignitaries like Ashok Saraf, Nivedita Saraf, Prajakta Mali, Ankita Walawalkar, Jayanti Waghdhare and Kedar Joshi, Founder of Abhijat Marathi OTT were present .
The official representation of Abhijat Marathi at the Cannes Film Festival 2026 Red Carpet will be headed by Ashok Saraf along with the distinguished delegation representing Marathi cinema, culture, and digital storytelling globally.
The distinguished guests and personalities will also participate in a special panel discussion focused on the growing global relevance of Marathi and regional content, the cultural influence of regional storytelling, and evolving opportunities for Indian regional cinema and digital entertainment on international platforms.
Abhijat Marathi is not just a Marathi OTT platform — it is envisioned as a complete Marathi entertainment and cultural ecosystem bringing together cinema, devotion, lifestyle, infotainment, and next-generation storytelling under one platform.
The vision for Abhijat Marathi was deeply inspired by the historic moment in 2024 when the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi granted Marathi the prestigious status of a Classical Language. This recognition became a cultural turning point for millions of Marathi-speaking people across the world and ignited a renewed movement towards preserving, celebrating, and globalising Marathi language and storytelling traditions.
The initiative also acknowledges the consistent follow-up and committed efforts of former Chief Minister of Maharashtra Eknath Shinde, whose leadership played an important role in strengthening the movement for Marathi language recognition and cultural prominence.
The current Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis has further carried this vision forward with renewed energy and global ambition, encouraging Maharashtra’s cultural and creative industries to expand their international footprint.
A major pillar behind this movement has been the innovative and progressive ecosystem created by Marathi Language Minister Uday Samant, whose efforts have actively encouraged the expansion of Marathi language, literature, cinema, digital storytelling, and cultural representation not only across India but globally as well.
The representation of Abhijat Marathi at Cannes Film Festival 2026 stands as one of the important international milestones of this larger cultural vision.Marathi is one of India’s oldest and richest languages, carrying a deep legacy of literature, theatre, spirituality, music, cinema, and folk traditions. With Marathi now recognised as a Classical Language, Abhijat Marathi believes this is the ideal moment to showcase Marathi creativity and cultural identity on prestigious international platforms like Cannes.
