India is a country where there are over 120 languages and 19,000 dialects. With the largest film industry in the world, the country has a genre of cinema for everyone regardless of the language they speak.
Among the various regional film industries, the Bhojpuri film industry has often been associated with vulgarity over the years.
One of the prominent Bhojpuri stars who made his way to Bollywood is Ravi Kishan. He expressed his thoughts about how the recent actors in the Bhojpuri film industry are spoiling its reputation.
The Bhojpuri film industry has given birth to a lot of films that talk about social challenges like Balma Biharwala which addresses women’s empowerment, Ganga Devi which talks about corruption and Sasura Bada Paisawala which sheds light on the dowry system.
While the industry did have its fair share of vulgar cinema, it is unfortunately defined by it.
It has been stereotyped into the bracket of vulgarity and this has only been strengthened by the bigger OTT platforms’ neglect in creating more impactful content from that industry. Zee5 is the only big OTT platform that streams Bhojpuri films.
The problem has two sides. Major OTT platforms don’t showcase enough meaningful Bhojpuri films, so audiences aren’t aware of them. At the same time, the industry isn’t doing enough to improve its image.
Just because there are stereotypes attached to the name of the industry, doesn’t mean it can’t break them. While smashing the stereotype will be tough, consistent efforts can help the Bhojpuri film industry find its place in India’s entertainment landscape. With time, Bhojpuri cinema could earn the same respect as other regional industries.
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