A biography for Mahesh Manjrekarhasn’t been written yet.
“People feel I only make films on underworld, but that's not true.”
“I don't get hassled when I am doing a role that looks idiotic to me.”
“Public posturing notwithstanding, when trash becomes a hit no filmmaker worth his salt takes it seriously.”
“I love to experiment, I don't have a fear of failure.”
“I believe that being fit is more important than being successful.”
“Priyanka Chopra has produced a Marathi film. Even John Abraham announced he wants to make a Marathi film. Suddenly everyone wants to jump on the bandwagon. Shah Rukh, Rohit Shetty also want to do a Marathi film. There is an awareness. But I hope they don't come and spoil the market by making their kind of cinema.”
“Personally, I might be all for parallel or experimental cinema, but when I'm making a film, I don't mind adding a commercial tadka.”
“I have been doing Marathi theatre for the past 15 years. The people there are very hardworking, talented and committed. But the state of Marathi cinema is going from bad to worse.”
“I don't party after working like others.”
“When my daughter went to school, her last name was mine. The school insisted that her father's name be added to hers, not her mother's. The fact that the mother kept her in her womb for nine months is forgotten. Women don't have an identity. She has her father's name today and will have her husband's tomorrow.”
“Sometimes people pretend to be someone else and act in a different way, everyone carries an invisible mask.”
“Social media is important but it doesn't deserve the importance it is being given.”
“I thought that I should do Marathi cinema as I knew that there I would be able to explore different subjects. But I also need the money and acting is my bread and butter. So I started doing Bollywood films merely for money.”
“I was far away from Marathi literature, theatre, arts, everything. I was a late entrant to it.”
“There were reports that my elder daughter Ashwami was in 'Dabangg 3,' but she is a chef, and never wanted to be an actor.”
“The industry is in an alarming condition. And we only have ourselves to blame. If one thriller runs, we all run to make thrillers. What about the dozen thrillers that flopped before that? More than the herd mentality it is the ostrich mentality.”
“I act because I get money. Half the time I quote an exorbitant amount because I don't want to act. And sometimes it works.”
“I did quite a lot of television episodes with B.P. Singh. He used to stay near me and we would travel together. He had a car and while going back home we would discuss about the stories, the dialogues, etc. Whatever he taught me was more than enough to start a film.”
“As for the method of making films, I would say that there are no rules as such. The only thing important is that you should have the confidence to do it and have a good story.”
“I am not a bad actor but a smart actor and I have exhausted my smartness now.”