By:
Shweta
Vepa,
IndiaFM
Wednesday,
July
26,
2006
Gone
are
the
days
when
only
those
who
failed
to
make
it
in
Bollywood
shifted
to
regional
cinema.
It
is
no
longer
'degrading'
to
be
a
part
of
regional
cinema
as
far
as
our
Bollywood
stars
are
concerned.
Regional
cinema,
and
specifically
Bhojpuri
cinema
is
big
today
and
everyone
wants
to
be
a
part
of
it.
The
market
is
huge
and
only
expanding
by
the
day.
Amitabh
Bachchan
made
big
news
when
he
agreed
to
be
a
part
of
Ganga,
a
Bhojpuri
film.
That's
not
all.
The
film
even
has
Hema
Malini
playing
his
wife.
The
film
is
being
directed
by
Deepak
Sawant,
Bachchan's
make-up
man.
Good
relations
take
one
a
long
way
in
the
film
industry.
And
it
was
probably
Bachchan's
long
association
with
Sawant
that
made
him
give
the
green
signal
for
the
project.
This
is
also
the
film
which
saw
Nagma
playing
a
significant
role.
Ajay
Devgan
did
a
movie
named
Dharti
Kahe
Pukar
Ke
along
with
Bhojpuri
superstar,
Manoj
Tiwari.
This
movie
also
starred
Rani
Mukherjee's
cousin,
Sharbani
Mukherjee.
For
Sharbani,
this
choice
came
after
a
spate
of
unsuccessful
Bollywood
films
like
Mitti,
Ansh,
Aanch,
etc.
Actor-director
Sachin
Pilgaonkar
who
off
lately
impressed
all
with
his
dancing
moves
in
Nach
Baliye,
too
had
featured
in
a
hugely
successful
Bhojpuri
film
Nadiya
Ke
Paar
way
back
in
1982.
The
Hindi
remake
of
this
film
went
out
to
be
a
blockbuster
hit
which
we
know
as
Hum
Aapke
Hain
Kaun.
Nagma
sure
seems
to
have
found
her
calling
in
Bhojpuri
cinema
after
experimenting
with
Hindi
and
South
Indian
films.
She
also
featured
in
a
film
named
Ab
To
Ban
Ja
Sajanwa
Hamaar,
along
with
Ravi
Kissen,
one
of
Bihar's
biggest
stars.
That's
not
the
only
Bollywood
connection
that
this
film
had.
It
was
produced
by
the
legendary
Dilip
Kumar
and
wife,
Saira
Banu.
With
such
stalwarts
turning
to
Bhojpuri
cinema,
it
must
have
surely
opened
doors
for
the
others.
The
original
disco
dancer
of
Bollywood,
Mithun
Chakraborthy,
too
tried
his
hand
in
this
cinema.
It
was
a
film
named
Coolie
which
also
starred
Meghna
Naidu,
apart
from
Mithun.
Not
too
many
know
that
Ravi
Kissen
himself
had
started
his
acting
career
in
Bollywood.
Roles
in
films
like
Army,
Kudrat
and
Udhar
Ki
Zindagi
didn't
exactly
get
him
anywhere
in
Bollywood.
However,
after
a
very
successful
stint
in
Bhojpuri
films,
he
was
once
again
seen
in
the
Bollywood
flick,
Phir
Hera
Pheri.
A
considerable
number
of
Bollywood
actors
have
shifted
loyalties
after
they
failed
to
make
it
big
in
the
Hindi
film
industry.
Bhagyashree
had
a
dream
debut
with
Sooraj
Barjatya's
Maine
Pyaar
Kiya.
While
her
co-star
Salman,
went
on
to
become
a
superstar,
her
career
left
a
lot
to
be
desired.
Maybe
that's
the
reason
why
she
recently
made
her
Bhojpuri
film
debut
with
a
film
called
Uthaile
Ghungta
Chand
Dekhle,
opposite
Ravi
Kissen.
Another
actress,
Priya
Gill,
started
off
in
Bollywood
with
ABCL's
Tere
Mere
Sapne.
At
that
time,
she
showed
a
lot
of
promise.
Unfortunately,
her
career
didn't
take
off.
The
last
Hindi
film
she
was
seen
in
was
J.P.Dutta's
LOC
Kargil.
She
has
now
decided
to
try
her
luck
in
regional
cinema
and
is
shooting
for
a
Bhojpuri
film
titled
Piya
Tohe
Se
Naina
Lage.
Says
Govinda's
nephew,
Vinay
Anand
who's
Bhojpuri
film
Kangana
Khanke
Piya
Ke
Angna
released
just
last
week,
"I
have
done
Hindi
films
like
Lo
Main
Aa
Gaya,
Angaar
-
The
Fire
and
Aamdani
Athani
Kharcha
Rupaiyya.
However,
I
was
going
through
a
phase
wherein
only
one
Hindi
film
of
mine
was
releasing
in
a
year
or
so.
One
should
go
where
the
business
is!
There
is
a
complete
craze
for
Bhojpuri
films
in
Bihar.
Even,
if
the
theatre
capacity
is
1000,
more
than
1500
people
will
turn
up
to
watch
the
film.
So
I
decided
to
try
my
hands
at
Bhojpuri
films.
And
why
only
Bhojpuri?
I
am
even
open
to
Tamil
films!"
We
all
remember
Rahul
Roy,
who
won
many
a
hearts
with
his
first
performance,
in
Aashiqui.
But
somehow,
he
never
managed
to
live
up
to
the
great
expectations
after
his
first
film.
He
was
smart
enough
to
explore
other
options
with
a
Bhojpuri
film
called
Gazab
Bhaeel
Rama.
Actor
Ayub
Khan
also
made
the
shift
with
Chhaila
Babu.
Others
who
went
the
Bhojpuri
way
include
celebrated
choreographer
Saroj
Khan,
who
directed
Dil
Deewana
Tohar
Hua
and
singer
Udit
Narayan
who
produced
Kab
Hoyibe
Gauna
Hamaar
and
Kab
Kahbaw
Tu
I
Love
You.
Regional
cinema
and
specifically
Bhojpuri
cinema
is
a
very
lucrative
option,
these
days.
For
Bollywood
stars,
it
is
all
about
exploring
a
new
territory.
The
money
is
good,
as
well.
Stars
are
put
up
on
a
pedestal
and
are
treated
as
demi-Gods.
Vinay
Anand
adds,
"Apart
from
the
big
banners,
a
lot
of
Hindi
films
face
problems
for
their
release.
Bollywood
films
need
an
all-India
release
which
sometimes
proves
to
be
a
tough
task.
It
becomes
difficult
to
find
distributors
all
over
the
country.
However,
in
case
of
Bhojpuri
films,
finding
distributors
is
easy.
It's
not
a
very
big
investment,
but
the
returns
are
guaranteed".
Having
worked
in
Hindi
as
well
as
Bhojpuri
films,
Anand
says
that
there
is
no
difference
as
such
in
the
styles
of
working.
"A
lot
of
talented
technicians
are
turning
to
this
cinema.
For
instance,
Thomax
Xavier
was
the
cinematographer
for
my
film,
Chacha
Bhatija.
An
average
Bhojpuri
film
requires
only
20
days
of
shooting
from
me.
And
that's
because
people
are
more
conscious
because
the
returns
are
guaranteed." And
if
you're
wondering
how
much
these
films
pay,
it's
the
same
market
price
you
would
get
in
a
Hindi
film.
Over
the
past
couple
of
years,
the
Bhojpuri
film
industry
has
grown
by
leaps
and
bounds.
People
are
realizing
the
importance
of
this
industry
today.
As
Jackie
Shroff
rightfully
said,
"When
Bhojpuri
films
run
in
Bihar,
no
one
even
looks
at
Bollywood!"
Need
we
say
more?