Twist in the punjab plot

For those in Punjab8217;s film industry who resented Bollywood8217;s stereotyping of the sarson da saag, makki di roti, beeji bauji te sohni wautti and balle balle factor, the frames were changing fast.

8220;Economically, our films are doing better business than Hindi films, especially overseas. There are simultaneous releases and fast recoveries,8221; says director Manmohan Singh, who8217;s now working on his next project, Mitti Waaja Maar Di. 8220;That every other star wants to be a part of a Punjabi film and that my next film is being financed by Adlabs goes to show the impact.8221;

While the star trek has begun with Juhi Chawla, Nagma, Jimmy Sheirgill, Anupam Kher, Sushant Singh and Aryan Vaid in the lead, bigwigs like Yashraj and BAG Films have entered the Punjabi market with films like Yaaran Naal Baharaan and Mannat.

8220;There is no denial that the industry had slipped into a coma. But you have to understand the reasons too8230;the distributors weren8217;t ready to buy, the market was not tapped, then our overall image was reduced to a laughing stock in films,8221; says Singh. 8220;It was then that I decided to go back to my roots.8221; The beginning, he says, is with popular cinema and then, onto experiments.

Speaking of which, Chitraarth who worked on Chann Pardesi, came back with Raj Babbar8217;s Shaheed Udham Singh. Working on a mega 200-episode TV series on Maharaja Ranjit Singh these days, the acclaimed director feels that terrorism wreaked havoc in Punjab. 8220;Due to which, there was a mass exodus of talent to Mumbai. Punjab, its people and its industry, and its cinema, went through turbulent times. No one was ready to invest in the region, resulting in production of C-grade films. But now, people realise the importance of peace8230;we have outgrown B-grade Pakistani films,8221; he points out.

Actor Deep Dhillon believes those days are over. 8220;Punjab suffered due to internal turmoil and lack of government interest. If today, we are doing good business, it8217;s because we8217;ve made the effort to distribute independently and cash in on the overseas market. There was a time when we made films in a budget as low as Rs 10 lakh and stayed at gurdwaras and dharamshalas. Now, we command a price and respect.8221;

Besides, 8220;to excel, you have to make something that8217;s not available in Hindi commercial cinema8221;, says actor-director Mangal Dhillon. 8220;The hero-heroine love revenge drama and same ticket prices will not make audiences move. The Punjab government has not been kind with subsidies.8221;

And if the Khans are ruling Mumbai, the Manns are the kings of Punjabi cinema. Both Gurdas Maan and Harbhajan Mann still command huge audiences, 8220;being close to our roots, culture and tradition8221;. But Manoj Punj, the man who catapulted Gurdas Maan to fame with Shaheed-e-Mohabbat8230;, is no more. At 36, he had just begun his agenda for the industry.

Raj Babbar has seen the good, the bad and the blank years. 8220;The journey of Punjabi cinema is a long one. It has come a long way, but it hasn8217;t come of age for it still misses vibrancy, a variety of subject8230; compromises are made to suit the NRI market. We have the talent and the intellect, but lack government support. Even today, I have to run from pillar to post for funding, for tax exemptions,8221; he says, on his fight with DD for the serial on Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

8220;With Waris Shah8230;, the doors opened. We made it globally, but nationally, Bollywood still metes out step-motherly treatment,8221; rues producer Manjeet Maan. For her, a hit commands response and acknowledgment. 8220;And Waris Shah8230; is yet to get that. I am still awaiting the response to my letter for a Screen award. When 80 per cent of the country8217;s industry is ruled by Punjabis, why should we be left out?8221;