Bhojpuri cinema
Encyclopedia
Bhojpuri films are film
s in the Bhojpuri language
, mainly watched by people from Bihar
, eastern Uttar Pradesh
in North India
and Terai
in southern Nepal
.
, Fiji
, Guyana
, Mauritius
, South Africa
, Suriname
, and Trinidad and Tobago
. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many colonizers faced labor shortages due to the abolition of slavery; thus, they imported many India
ns, many from Bhojpuri
-speaking regions. Today, some 200 million people in the West Indies, Oceania
, and South America
speak Bhojpuri as a native or second language and they also watch Bhojpuri films.
, who hailed from Bihar met actor Nasir Hussain
at a film awards function, and asked Nasir to make a movie in Bhojpuri, which eventually led to first Bhojpuri film's release in 1962. Bhojpuri cinema history begins in 1962 with the well-received film Ganga Maiyya Tohe Piyari Chadhaibo
("Mother Ganges, I will offer you a yellow sari"), which was directed by Kundan Kumar. Throughout the following decades, films were produced only in fits and starts. Films such as Bidesiya ("Foreigner", 1963, directed by S. N. Tripathi) and Ganga ("Ganges", 1965, directed by Kundan Kumar) were profitable and popular, but in general Bhojpuri films were not commonly produced in the 1960s and 1970s.
In the 1980s, enough Bhojpuri films were produced to tentatively make up an industry. Films such as Mai ("Mom", 1989, directed by Rajkumar Sharma) and Hamar Bhauji ("My Brother's Wife", 1983, directed by Kalpataru) continued to have at least sporadic success at the box office. Nadiya Ke Paar is a 1982 Hindi-Bhojpuri blockbuster directed by Govind Moonis and starring Sachin, Sadhana Singh, Inder Thakur, Mitali, Savita Bajaj, Sheela David, Leela Mishra and Soni Rathod.The film ran houseful for years in a movie theatre in Allahabad. However, this trend faded out by the end of the decade, and by 1990, the nascent industry seemed to be completely finished.
The industry took off again in 2001 with the "Silver Jubilee
" hit Saiyyan Hamar ("My Sweetheart", directed by Mohan Prasad), which shot the hero of that film, Ravi Kissan, to superstardom. This success was quickly followed by several other remarkably successful films, including Panditji Batai Na Biyah Kab Hoi ("Priest, tell me when I will marry", 2005, directed by Mohan Prasad) and Sasura Bada Paisa Wala ("My father-in-law, the rich guy", 2005). In a measure of the Bhojpuri film industry's rise, both of these did much better business in the states of Uttar Pradesh
and Bihar
than mainstream Bollywood hits at the time, and both films, made on extremely tight budgets, earned back more than ten times their production costs. Sasura Bada Paisa Wala also introduced Manoj Tiwari, formerly a well-loved folk singer, to the wider audiences of Bhojpuri cinema. In 2008, he and Ravi Kissan are still the leading actors of Bhojpuri films, and their fees increase with their fame. The extremely rapid success of their films has led to dramatic increases in Bhojpuri cinema's visibility, and the industry now supports an awards show and a trade magazine, Bhojpuri City, which chronicles the production and release of what are now over one hundred films per year. Many of the major stars of mainstream Bollywood
cinema, including Amitabh Bachchan
, have also recently worked in Bhojpuri films. Mithun Chakraborty
's Bhojpuri debut Bhole Shankar
, released in 2008, is considered as the biggest Bhojpuri hit of all time. Also in 2008, a 21-minute diploma film Bhojpuri film by Siddharth Sinha
, Udedh Bun
(Unravel) was selected for world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival
, later it won the National Film Award for Best Short fiction Film
.
In February 2011, a three-day film and cultural festival in Patna
marking 50 years of Bhojpuri cinema, opened Ganga Maiyya Tohe Piyari Chadhaibo the first Bhojpuri film..
Apart from these regular Bhojpuri singers, several famous Bollywood
singers such as Anuradha Paudwal
, Alka Yagnik
, and Udit Narayan
are also active in the Bhojpuri film industry.
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
s in the Bhojpuri language
Bhojpuri language
Bhojpuri is a language spoken in parts of north-central and eastern India. It is spoken in the western part of state of Bihar, the northwestern part of Jharkhand, and the Purvanchal region of Uttar Pradesh , as well as adjoining parts of the Nepal Terai. Bhojpuri is also spoken in Guyana,...
, mainly watched by people from Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
, eastern Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
in North India
North India
North India, known natively as Uttar Bhārat or Shumālī Hindustān , is a loosely defined region in the northern part of India. The exact meaning of the term varies by usage...
and Terai
Terai
The Terai is a belt of marshy grasslands, savannas, and forests located south of the outer foothills of the Himalaya, the Siwalik Hills, and north of the Indo-Gangetic Plain of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and their tributaries. The Terai belongs to the Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands ecoregion...
in southern Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
.
Overview
Bhojpuri cinema is also watched in many parts of the world, where Indian diaspora has settled, including BrazilBrazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
, Guyana
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
, Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, Suriname
Suriname
Suriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
, and Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many colonizers faced labor shortages due to the abolition of slavery; thus, they imported many India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
ns, many from Bhojpuri
Bhojpuri language
Bhojpuri is a language spoken in parts of north-central and eastern India. It is spoken in the western part of state of Bihar, the northwestern part of Jharkhand, and the Purvanchal region of Uttar Pradesh , as well as adjoining parts of the Nepal Terai. Bhojpuri is also spoken in Guyana,...
-speaking regions. Today, some 200 million people in the West Indies, Oceania
Oceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
, and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
speak Bhojpuri as a native or second language and they also watch Bhojpuri films.
History
In 1960s, when President of India, Rajendra PrasadRajendra Prasad
Dr. Rajendra Prasad was an Indian politician and educator. He was one of the architects of the Indian Republic, having drafted its first constitution and serving as the first president of independent India...
, who hailed from Bihar met actor Nasir Hussain
Nasir Hussain
Nasir Husain was an Indian film producer, director and screenwriter.-Early career:Husain first worked with A. R. Kardar when he joined Filmistan as a writer in 1948. The famous films he wrote for Filmistan include Anarkali , Munimjee , and Paying Guest...
at a film awards function, and asked Nasir to make a movie in Bhojpuri, which eventually led to first Bhojpuri film's release in 1962. Bhojpuri cinema history begins in 1962 with the well-received film Ganga Maiyya Tohe Piyari Chadhaibo
Ganga Maiyya Tohe Piyari Chadhaibo
Ganga Maiyya Tohe Piyari Chadhaibo is Bhojpuri film released in 1962 directed by Kundan Kumar was the first-ever Bhojpuri film. It had music by Chitragupta and songs sung by Lata Mangeshkar and Mohammad Rafi.-Development:...
("Mother Ganges, I will offer you a yellow sari"), which was directed by Kundan Kumar. Throughout the following decades, films were produced only in fits and starts. Films such as Bidesiya ("Foreigner", 1963, directed by S. N. Tripathi) and Ganga ("Ganges", 1965, directed by Kundan Kumar) were profitable and popular, but in general Bhojpuri films were not commonly produced in the 1960s and 1970s.
In the 1980s, enough Bhojpuri films were produced to tentatively make up an industry. Films such as Mai ("Mom", 1989, directed by Rajkumar Sharma) and Hamar Bhauji ("My Brother's Wife", 1983, directed by Kalpataru) continued to have at least sporadic success at the box office. Nadiya Ke Paar is a 1982 Hindi-Bhojpuri blockbuster directed by Govind Moonis and starring Sachin, Sadhana Singh, Inder Thakur, Mitali, Savita Bajaj, Sheela David, Leela Mishra and Soni Rathod.The film ran houseful for years in a movie theatre in Allahabad. However, this trend faded out by the end of the decade, and by 1990, the nascent industry seemed to be completely finished.
The industry took off again in 2001 with the "Silver Jubilee
Silver Jubilee
A Silver Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 25th anniversary. The anniversary celebrations can be of a wedding anniversary, ruling anniversary or anything that has completed a 25 year mark...
" hit Saiyyan Hamar ("My Sweetheart", directed by Mohan Prasad), which shot the hero of that film, Ravi Kissan, to superstardom. This success was quickly followed by several other remarkably successful films, including Panditji Batai Na Biyah Kab Hoi ("Priest, tell me when I will marry", 2005, directed by Mohan Prasad) and Sasura Bada Paisa Wala ("My father-in-law, the rich guy", 2005). In a measure of the Bhojpuri film industry's rise, both of these did much better business in the states of Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
and Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
than mainstream Bollywood hits at the time, and both films, made on extremely tight budgets, earned back more than ten times their production costs. Sasura Bada Paisa Wala also introduced Manoj Tiwari, formerly a well-loved folk singer, to the wider audiences of Bhojpuri cinema. In 2008, he and Ravi Kissan are still the leading actors of Bhojpuri films, and their fees increase with their fame. The extremely rapid success of their films has led to dramatic increases in Bhojpuri cinema's visibility, and the industry now supports an awards show and a trade magazine, Bhojpuri City, which chronicles the production and release of what are now over one hundred films per year. Many of the major stars of mainstream Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
cinema, including Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan is an Indian film actor. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s as the "angry young man" of Hindi cinema, and has since appeared in over 180 Indian films in a career spanning more than four decades...
, have also recently worked in Bhojpuri films. Mithun Chakraborty
Mithun Chakraborty
Mithun Chakraborty is an Indian film actor, social activist, and entrepreneur, who has won three National Film Awards. He made his acting debut with the arthouse drama Mrigaya , for which he won his first National Film Award for Best Actor....
's Bhojpuri debut Bhole Shankar
Bhole Shankar (film)
Bhole Shankar is a Bhojpuri film, released in 2008. Bhole Shankar, labelled as the "Biggest Bhojpuri Film", is a family drama with music by music director Dhananjay Mishra and lyricist Bipin Bahar. The film starred Bhojpuri actor Manoj Tiwari and Hindi actor Mithun Chakraborty...
, released in 2008, is considered as the biggest Bhojpuri hit of all time. Also in 2008, a 21-minute diploma film Bhojpuri film by Siddharth Sinha
Siddharth Sinha
Siddharth Sinha, , is an Indian film maker, whose Bhojpuri short film, Udedh Bun , won Silver Bear at 58th Berlin International Film Festival 2008, the first ever such award in the history of Bhojpuri cinema and 2008 National Film Award for Best Short fiction Film.-Early life and...
, Udedh Bun
Udedh Bun
Udedh Bun is award winning short Bhojpuri film released in 2008 directed by Siddharth Sinha. The 21-minute diploma film by Siddharth Sinha, an Film and Television Institute of India , Pune graduate, was selected for world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival, , where it won the...
(Unravel) was selected for world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival
Berlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978...
, later it won the National Film Award for Best Short fiction Film
National Film Award for Best Short Fiction Film
The National Film Award - Best Short Fiction Film winners:...
.
In February 2011, a three-day film and cultural festival in Patna
Patna
Paṭnā , is the capital of the Indian state of Bihar and the second largest city in Eastern India . Patna is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world...
marking 50 years of Bhojpuri cinema, opened Ganga Maiyya Tohe Piyari Chadhaibo the first Bhojpuri film..
Actresses
- Padma KhannaPadma KhannaPadma Khanna is an Indian actress, dancer and director. She appeared mainly in Hindi and Bhojpuri films in the 1970 and 80s....
- NagmaNagmaNandita Morarji better known as Nagma . At her peak in the 1990s, The Hindu stated that she "dominated Telugu and Tamil cinema" with her movies Killer, Gharana Mogudu, Kadhalan, Baashha and many others...
- Prema NarayanPrema NarayanPrema Narayan is a Bollywood actress-dancer. She was the Miss India first runner-up in 1971 and represented India at Miss World 1971.-Career:Prema Narayan was an English teacher in a convent school. She also did modeling for part time....
- Jayshree T.Jayshree T.Born in Marathi family, Jayshree T is a Bollywood Actress/Dancer, who is still active in the bollywood movies and some Marathi movies.-Career:...
- RambhaRambha (actress)Vijaya Lakshmi , best known by her stage name Rambha, is an Indian film actress. She has acted in over 100 South Indian films and also in Bollywood films. She had done several successful films in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi, Kannada, Bengali and Bhojpuri films. She paired up with popular heroes...
- Aruna IraniAruna IraniAruna Irani is an Indian actress. An accomplished actress and dancer of her time, Aruna Irani has acted in about 300 movies, with many memorable acting performances to her credit...
- Shweta TiwariShweta TiwariShweta Tiwari is an Indian film and television actress. She gained popularity for her role of Prerna in Balaji Telefilms's television serial Kasautii Zindagii Kay that used to be aired on an Indian television channel STAR Plus...
Singers
- Manoj Tiwari "Mridul"
- PoornimaSushma ShresthaSushma Shrestha also known as Poornima, is a noted Nepali singer who has sung many Nepali, Hindi and Marathi songs in the Nepali and Indian music industry. Sushma started her career as a child singer in the Ramesh Sippy directed, 1971 film Andaz...
Apart from these regular Bhojpuri singers, several famous Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
singers such as Anuradha Paudwal
Anuradha Paudwal
Anuradha Paudwal is a popular playback singer in Bollywood in India.She has sung songs in Hindi, Marathi and Nepali.- Biography :She studied at Xavier's College in Mumbai. She was married to the late Arun Paudwal, who worked with music director S. D. Burman as his assistant...
, Alka Yagnik
Alka Yagnik
Alka Yagnik is an Indian singer who is ranked among the best Hindi playback singers of all time. She is a seven-time winner of the Filmfare Best Female Playback Award as well as a two-time recipient of the prestigious National Film Awards...
, and Udit Narayan
Udit Narayan
-Career:King of melody, Udit Narayan Jha was born on 1 December, 1955 in a village called Bhardaha in the Saptari district , Nepal. His father was Hare Krishna Jha and his mother was Bhuwaneshwari Devi.Narayan studied at P.B...
are also active in the Bhojpuri film industry.
Famous films
- Ganga Maiyya Tohe Piyari ChadhaiboGanga Maiyya Tohe Piyari ChadhaiboGanga Maiyya Tohe Piyari Chadhaibo is Bhojpuri film released in 1962 directed by Kundan Kumar was the first-ever Bhojpuri film. It had music by Chitragupta and songs sung by Lata Mangeshkar and Mohammad Rafi.-Development:...
(1962) - Laagi Nahi Chhute RamLaagi Nahi Chhute RamLaagi Nahi Chhute Ram is Bhojpuri film released in 1963 directed by Kundan Kumar....
(1963) - Ganga (1965)
- BidesiyaBidesiyaBidesiya is Bhojpuri film released in 1963 directed by S.N. Tripathi produced by Bachubhai Shah.- Cast :* Kumari Naaz..as.. Parvati* Sujit Kumar..as.. Bidesi Thakur* Jeevan..as.. Chhote Thakur* Sheelkumar* Padma Khanna..as.. Chhoti Malkin...
(1963) - BhoujiBhoujiBhouji is Bhojpuri film released in 1965 and directed by Kundan Kumar. Bhouji is bhojpuri which means elder brother's wife....
(1965) - Loha SinghLoha SinghLoha Singh is Bhojpuri film released in 1966 directed by Kundan Kumar....
(1966) - Dher Chalaki JinkaraDher Chalaki JinkaraDher Chalaki Jinkara is Bhojpuri film released in 1971 directed by Datta Keshav....
(1971) - Daku Rani GangaDaku Rani GangaDaku Rani Ganga is Bhojpuri film released in 1976 directed by Datta Keshav....
(1976/II) - Amar SuhaginAmar SuhaginAmar Suhagin is Bhojpuri film released in 1978 directed by Babubhai Mistri....
(1978) - Balam PardesiaBalam PardesiaBalam Pardesia is Bhojpuri film released in 1979 directed by Nazir HussainThe actors were Rakesh pandey and Padama khanna.The songs of the Film is superhit even in non Bhojpuri area too....
(1979) - Chanwa Ke Take ChakorChanwa Ke Take ChakorChanwa Ke Take Chakor is Bhojpuri film released in 1981 directed by Nazir Hussain....
(1981) - Saiyan Magan Pahelwani MeinSaiyan Magan Pahelwani MeinSaiyan Magan Pahelwani Mein is Bhojpuri film released in 1981 directed by Radhakant....
(1981) - Saiyan Tore KaranSaiyan Tore KaranSaiyan Tore Karan is a Bhojpuri film released in 1981 directed by Radhakant. Bhojpuri is a language of north-central and eastern India....
(1981) - Hamar BhaujiHamar BhaujiHamar Bhauji is Bhojpuri film released in 1983 directed by Kalpataru....
(1983) - Chukti Bhar SenurChukti Bhar SenurChukti Bhar Senur is Bhojpuri film released in 1983 directed by Nasir Hussain....
(1983) - Dulha Ganga Paar KeDulha Ganga Paar KeDulha Ganga Paar Ke is a musical Bhojpuri film released in 1986 and directed by Rajkumar Sharma. The songs were composed by Laxman Shahabadi.-Music:...
(1986) - Roos Gailen Saiyen HamaarRoos Gailen Saiyen HamaarRoos Gailen Saiyen Hamaar is Bhojpuri film released in 1988 directed by Nazir Hussain....
(1988) - GangaGanga (2006 film)Ganga is Bhojpuri film released in 2006 directed by Abhishek Chhadha.- Cast :* Amitabh Bachchan ...as... Thakur Vijay Singh* Hema Malini ...as... Thakurain Savitri V. Singh* Nagma ...as... Ganga* Ravi Kishan ...as... Shankar...
(2006) - Dharam VeerDharam VeerDharam Veer can refer to:*Dharam Veer *Dharam Veer...
(2008) - BidaaiBidaaiThis page is about the Indian Bollywood film. You may be looking for the popular Indian drama Sapna Babul Ka...Bidaai , also commonly referred to as simply Bidaai ....
(2008) - Balam Hapuria(2011)
See also
- Cinema of BiharCinema of BiharBihar has a robust cinema industry for the Hindi & Bhojpuri language. There ware also a small Maithili, Angika and Magadhi film industry.- History :...
- Patna Film FestivalPatna Film FestivalPatna Film Festival is an international film festival. Participant countries includes Iran, Canada, China, Japan, Sweden, Germany, Russia, USA and India ."Patna Film Festival" started in 2006...
- List of Bhojpuri films
- Magahi language films
- Maithili language films
External links
- BhojpuriyaCinema.com, a Bhojpuri cinema portal