On her 43rd birthday, we revisit Ventilator, the heartfelt Marathi debut that marked Priyanka Chopra’s powerful entry into film production.
The ‘Desi Girl’ of Bollywood, Priyanka Chopra, turns 43 today. Over the years, she has wowed audiences with powerful performances, sometimes carrying an entire film on her shoulders, and at other times, leaving a lasting impression with just a single scene. Loved both as an actor and as a person, Priyanka has also made her mark as a producer. On her birthday, let’s revisit her debut Marathi production, ‘Ventilator’, a National Award-winning film that speaks volumes of her creative vision behind the camera.
Priyanka Chopra launched her production house, Purple Pebble Pictures, with the vision of supporting small-budget films and nurturing fresh talent, especially in regional Indian cinema. Her debut Marathi production, the 2016 comedy-drama ‘Ventilator’, turned out to be a box office hit. She continued championing regional stories through films like ‘Pahuna: The Little Visitors’ and ‘Paani’, the latter earning the National Film Award for Best Film on Environment Conservation/Preservation at the 66th National Film Awards. Most recently, in 2025, she came on board as executive producer for the short film ‘Anuja’.
‘Ventilator’ is a Marathi comedy-drama film written and directed by Rajesh Mapuskar. Featuring an ensemble cast of over 100 actors, including Ashutosh Gowariker, Jitendra Joshi, Sulbha Arya, and Sukanya Kulkarni, the film revolves around the Kamerkar family, whose eldest and most cherished member slips into a coma just days before Ganesh Chaturthi, prompting a chaotic and emotional family gathering.
Inspired by a personal experience when a relative was put on a ventilator, Mapuskar was struck by how his family responded to the crisis with moments of unexpected humour. He began writing the script based on that experience. Although many producers were initially hesitant about backing a Marathi-language film, Priyanka Chopra eventually came on board to produce it under her banner, Purple Pebble Pictures.
Released in 2016, ‘Ventilator’ received widespread critical acclaim for its screenplay, direction, performances, music, and its sensitive yet humorous portrayal of a tense family situation. Made on a modest budget of ₹35 million, the film turned into a box office success, earning ₹250 million, and by October 2017, ranked as the 10th highest-grossing Marathi film of all time.
The film won three honors at the 64th National Film Awards: Best Director (Rajesh Mapuskar), Best Editing, and Best Sound Mixing. At the 2017 Filmfare Marathi Awards, it received 16 nominations—including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor (Jitendra Joshi), Best Supporting Actor (Ashutosh Gowariker), and Best Supporting Actress (Sukanya Kulkarni).
