The Breath
Shwaas (The Breath) is a Marathi film, released in 2004. It was India's official entry to the 2004 Oscars and was ranked 6th in the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film category. Its storyline is based on a real-life incident in Pune. With a low-budget of the Indian rupee of 65 lakhs (6.5 million), Shwaas won the National Award for best film in 2004, nearly 50 years since a Marathi film (Shyamchi Aai) last earned this title. Directed by debutant Sandeep Sawant, it was shot in 33 days at Sindhudurg, Konkan, Pune and at KEM Hospital in Pune. Shwaas was acknowledged as a "significant turn for Marathi cinema" which had been going through a low patch. After its success, it was released in Hindi, Bengali and Tamil languages.
Vishwanath Nayak, one of the eight producers, a chartered accountant for Arun Nalawade, a Marathi stage actor, suggested him to make a film. Later, Arun came across a story by writer Madhavi Gharpure, published in the Diwali edition of a magazine and thought that it would make a wonderful film storyline.
The distribution plan for Shwaas was in place before production began. In the initial stages, it was taken to as many villages as the team could manage; marriage halls, school auditoriums and makeshift venues were all used for screening. All this despite the fact that Shwaas has no songs, heroes, heroines or recognizable stars of the Marathi film industry.
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