'Bhojpuri flicks like oxygen for Ludhiana cinema halls'

When Bhojpuri film Sasura Bada Paisewala hit the jackpot in May 2004, it not only revived the comatose regional genre but also helped it expand to new frontiers such as Punjab. And distributors say that Ludhiana, where a Sunday bomb explosion left six dead during the screening of a Bhojpuri film, now accounts for about 60% of the genre’s entire collection in the territory.

According to distributors, Bhojpuri films were earlier shown only in a couple of Ludhiana movie halls, Swarn and Nirmal. Now they are also screened in theatres like Arora Palace, Basant, Society, Shingar, Deepak and many others. The Naulakha theatre strategically shifted to Bhojpuri films earlier this year. ‘‘It has helped increase their footfalls. In Ludhiana, for some single screen cinema halls on the verge of closure, Bhojpuri films have acted like oxygen,’’ says film distributor Ajay Bhanot. Adds another distributor of the regional genre Jagjit Singh, ‘‘Punjab is now a regular and popular circuit for Bhojpuri films.’’

This year, actor Dineshlal Yadav’s film, ‘‘Nirahua Rickshawala’’, became the genre’s biggest grosser ever in Punjab overtaking superhits, ‘‘Sasura...’’ and ‘‘Panditji Batain Na Biyah Kab Hoi’’ (Tell me panditji, when shall I get married). Distributors estimate that the movie is likely to gross over Rs 30 lakh from the territory. Bhojpuri films are also regularly shown in other Punjab towns such as Jalandhar, Amritsar, Bhatinda and Mohali.

Distributors point out that Bihar and eastern UP’s migrant labour population is the primary audience for these films. Shingar, where the blast took place, is in the centre of the town’s famous hosiery industry where thousands of migrants work. Bhanot estimates that about 5% of the genre’s audience is also Punjabi. ‘‘Some of them are young Punjabis who watch these films for fun. Another section is the local Punjabi labour class who interact with the migrant population and develop a familiarity with the language,’’ he says.

Bhanot believes out that the audience in Punjab prefers a different kind of Bhojpuri movie. ‘‘Back in Bihar and east UP, the core Bhojpuri audience wants clean family socials. But the viewership here is largely made of young, single men who prefer spicier stuff,’’ he says.

The audience was watching ‘‘Janam Janam Ke Saath’’ when the blast took place. The film has four of the hottest stars of Bhojpuri films: Manoj Tiwari, Ravi Kissen, Naghma and Bhagyashree. Industry sources say the film has done business worth Rs 2 lakh in the first three days since its Friday release.

‘‘It is doing well,’’ says Delhi-based distributor Joginder Mahajan. Mahajan, who has been distributing Bhojpuri films in the capital for the past three years says, that the regional genre has grown significantly in NCR too. ‘‘Earlier they were only shown in the morning, now they get regular shows and in many more theatres,” he says.

The Delhi-based distributor also points out that some theatre owners are averse to screening Bhojpuri films because they feel it will negatively affect the image of the cinema hall. ‘‘That its audience doesn’t have the purchasing power to boost canteen sales also goes against them,’’ he says.