As his third production Mauli is on the threshold of release, Riteish Deshmukh says he is actively trying to promote the growth of Marathi cinema. The actor-producer doesn't mince words as he admits that regional fares suffer from the audience's innate bias towards Hindi cinema.

"Even in Maharashtra, Marathi film is the audience's second option. When a Marathi film is releasing alongside a Hindi counterpart, the latter will be the audience's first choice. The situation is different in the South where viewers give preference to regional films. Hindi films collect marginal amounts there."