Despite mixed reviews, the film Chhaava broke box office records, earning more than Rs 800 crore. And, at just six films old, director Laxman Utekar had a mega-hit on his hands. But before being in charge of hundreds of crores, he’d work for Rs 2 on Ganesh Chaturthi; before driving a fancy car, he would wash them. Utekar had very humble beginnings, and he discussed his rags-to-riches story in a new interview.
Born in a small village in the Raigad district of Maharashtra, Utekar relocated to Mumbai as a kid with his uncle. He shared on the Mama’s Couch podcast how he did everything under the sun in order to earn money in the city. Utekar said, “I came into the industry by chance, and I had no backing. I was maybe 4 when my uncle brought me to Mumbai. I started selling boiled eggs outside a bar when I was 6 years old, and later I opened a vadapao stand in Shivaji Park, but that got seized by BMC.” He added that during the Ganapati festival, many rich people did not want to get out of their cars and immerse the idol in the water themselves. Utekar and his friend provided them with the useful service of carrying their idols and immersing them on their behalf to earn money. They would split the Rs 5 they’d charge for this service; Utekar said that he’d chase down cars of rich people and offer to immerse their idols.
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He then shared how his first exposure to the industry came to be when he responded to a job listing in the newspaper, which led to him being hired as a sweeper at a film studio. “I started working as a sweeper for them, and I didn’t really understand what work they were doing. I would clean the floors and the washrooms, after which I would get tea for the people working in the sound and editing studio. I looked at their work and realised that whatever work they were doing was very interesting, and I wouldn’t leave for several days sometimes; I was never bored.” He added, “Since that day, I have never left the industry or looked back.” He said that he washed cars with absolute sincerity; in fact, he was so diligent at cleaning toilets that he got a compliment from his boss. Utekar said that he also sold popcorn, newspapers, and did other odd-jobs to get by.
Utekar said that he heard that Sahara was setting up a studio in the city, and so, he went to the site every day and stood at the gate. He did this for three months before someone stopped their car and asked why he’d been hanging around. “I was waiting for someone to get of their car and ask me this question,” he said. When he asked the man if he could start working the next day, the man replied, “Can you start today?”
Utekar began his career as an assistant to cinematographer Binod Pradhan; he shot several movies such as 102 Not Out (2018), Hindi Medium (2017), and Dear Zindagi (2016). His directorial debut came with the Marathi film Taapal (2014), and he has since then helmed movies such as Luka Chippi (2019), Mimi (2021), and Zara Hatke Zara Bachke (2023).
