90 years of Punjabi cinema

Cinema, the miracle of the 20th century, actually began its tryst with India on July 7, 1896, with the screening of six short movies by the Lumiere Brothers at Watson Hotel, Bombay. It would take another four decades for the first Punjabi language feature film to be made — ‘Ishk-i-Punjab’ alias ‘Mirza Sahiban’ (1935). Produced under the banner of Hindmata Cinetone, Bombay, it was released at Niranjan Talkies in Lahore on March 29, 1935. The film was directed by GR Sethi and the star cast included famous Punjabi singers Bhai Chhela, Bhai Desa and Miss Khurshid. The film did not have a great run, for, the sound and picture quality wasn’t too good, but a start it was.

Punjabi cinema, which flourished in pre-Partition Lahore, has traversed a remarkable journey starting from its early adaptations of folk tales to its contemporary exploration of global themes. The distinct phases of its evolution have ornated the cultural landscape of Punjab. Despite numerous challenges, Punjabi cinema has continued to thrive, driven by passionate filmmakers, talented artistes, technicians and a dedicated audience base. Punjabi cinema now ranks amongst the top 10 regional cinemas of India.

In 1924, GK Mehta, a Railways officer from Lahore, started production of ‘Daughters of Today’, which took four long years to hit the screen in 1928. RL Shorey’s ‘Radhey Shyam’, the first talkie made in Punjab, was released on September 2, 1932. A week later, AR Kardar’s ‘Heer Ranjha’ was released. The production activities in Lahore accelerated with the establishment of studios like Punjab Art Studios, Elephanta Movietone and Ravi Talkies.

The industry was abuzz with activity. That decade saw the release of KD Mehra’s blockbuster ‘Shiela’ alias ‘Pind Di Kudi’ (1936). It was premiered at Corinthian Cinema, Calcutta, with Punjab premier Sikandar Hayat Khan as the chief guest. Baby Noorjehan was introduced as a child artiste and she rendered the hit melody ‘Langh Aaja Pattan Jhanaa Da’. It became a huge success, upbeating the demand for Punjabi movies. Then, a series of box-office bonanzas like ‘Heer Sayal’, ‘Gul Bakavli’, ‘Sassi Punnu’, ‘Sohni Mahiwal’, ‘Dulla Bhatti’ and ‘Yamla Jatt’ hit the silver screen. These films predominantly focused on the themes of love, honour and sacrifice and were rooted in Punjabi folklore and literature.

‘Mangti’ (1942) by RL Shorey’s son Roop K Shorey celebrated its platinum jubilee (75-week run) and this record is still unbroken. Through their entrepreneurial initiatives and creative endeavours, the trinity of ‘Mehra-Shorey-Pancholi’ laid a strong foundation for the growth of Punjabi cinema. The latter, Dalsukh Pancholi, owned Pancholi Art Pictures, the largest studio in Lahore, and was a pioneer in Indian cinema in many ways.

Partition had a catastrophic impact on the Punjabi film industry. The migration of studio owners, directors, technicians and artistes turned Lahore into a ghost filmcity. Independent India’s first Punjabi movie, ‘Chaman’, which was first released in Pakistan in 1948, became a colossal hit. The displaced filmmakers/artistes played a pivotal role in rebuilding the industry by making romantic comedies like ‘Lachhi’, ‘Chhai’, ‘Madari’, ‘Posti’, ‘Jugni’, ‘Koday Shah’, ‘Vanjara’, etc.

The 1950-60s, dominated by the Bhakhri brothers, are often regarded as the golden era of Punjabi cinema. ‘Bhangra’ (1959) set a new trend of bhangra songs in Punjabi films. ‘Chaudhary Karnail Singh’, ‘Jagga’, ‘Satluj De Kande’ and ‘Sassi Punnu’ introduced new narratives and styles to Punjabi cinema. ‘Nanak Naam Jahaaz Hai’ (1969) set the stage for subsequent religious movies like ‘Nanak Dukhiya Sab Sansar’ and ‘Dukh Bhanjan Tera Naam’.

Religious movies continued to reinforce cultural pride and spiritual values, while comedies gained popularity for their wit, humour and quirky characters. ‘Kankan De Ohle’, ‘Teri Meri Ik Jindri’, ‘Daaj’, ‘Jindri Yaar Di’, ‘Sarpanch’ and ‘Putt Jattan De’ held sway over young hearts. Veerendra reigned supreme in Punjabi cinema until his unfortunate assassination during the shooting of ‘Jatt Te Zameen’ (1988).

In the next decade, ‘Udeekan’, ‘Mughlani Begum’, ‘Chann Pardesi’ and ‘Marhi Da Deeva’ epitomised the emergence of parallel cinema in Pollywood. These featured actors such as Raj Babbar, Deepti Naval, Parikshit Sahni, Amrish Puri, Om Puri and Kulbhushan Kharbanda.

In the 1980s, glorification of the Jat culture in movies like ‘Jatt Jeona Morh’, ‘Jatt Soormay’, ‘Anakh Jattan Di’, ‘Jatt Da Gandasa’ and ‘Jatt Punjab Da’, etc, dominated, with rustic violence, vendetta and vulgarity. In this era of blood-thirsty heroes, Yograj Singh and Guggu Gill emerged as the biggest stars. This storm of violence was contained by a fresh breeze of meaningful movies like ‘Shaheed-e-Mohabbat Boota Singh’ and ‘Mahaul Theek Hai’ (both 1999 releases) bringing the audiences back to cinema halls.

Punjabi film industry’s renaissance celebrity Manmohan Singh ushered in a fresh wave of romanticism and melodrama with hits like ‘Jee Aaya Nu’ (2002) and ‘Asa Nu Maan Watna Da’ (2004). These films showcased a Punjab with opulent farmhouses and modern luxury, promoting Punjabi cultural heritage while appealing to contemporary sensibilities, thereby expanding the audience base beyond traditional demographics.

In 2012, ‘Jatt & Juliet’, directed by Anurag Singh, marked an inflection point in the annals of Punjabi films. Its sequels also achieved unprecedented box-office success, establishing a trend of sequels and franchise films. Punjabi films entered the league of Tamil and Telugu cinema with the launch of ‘Jatt & Juliet 2’ on Blu-Ray. The triumphant release of ‘Carry on Jatta 3’ in 30 countries, including in Spain with Spanish subtitles, illustrates the global allure of Punjabi cinema.

Challenging the Jat Sikh domination, Punjabi indie filmmakers have gained international critical acclaim with their neo-realistic productions. Punjabi cinema reinvented itself with gravity and solemnity imbibed in unconventional movies like ‘Anhey Ghorhey Da Daan’ and ‘Chauthi Koot’ directed by Gurvinder Singh; the former won the Black Pearl trophy at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival.

‘Chaudhary Karnail Singh’ (1962) was the first Punjabi movie to be honoured at the national level, followed by ‘Jagga’, ‘Satluj De Kande’, ‘Nanak Naam Jahaz Hai’, ‘Chann Pardesi’, ‘Marhi Da Deeva’, ‘Shaheed-e-Mohabbat Boota Singh’ and ‘Harjeeta’. ‘Chamm’, directed by Rajeev Kumar, had a screening at Cannes and ‘Meel Patthar’ (2020), directed by Ivan Ayr, at international film festivals in Venice, China and South Korea. The 3D animation period-drama ‘Chaar Sahibzaade’, with VFX and CGI, was a pioneering concept.

The venturing of big production houses like Humble Motion Pictures, White Hill Studios, Rhythm Boyz Entertainment, Ohri Productions and Vehli Janta into this very boisterous industry substantiates that investment is pouring in and returns are breaking records. The flourishing Punjabi music industry has propelled it to a new zenith. The gritty realism of hit OTT films/shows has also given a fillip to Punjabi cinema.

Chandigarh, Mohali, Amritsar, Patiala and Nabha have come up as shooting hubs with state-of-the-art technology, exotic locales and techno-savvy professionals. Establishment of the Censor Board and IMPAA offices in Chandigarh will provide the much-needed supportive environment. The Punjab government must incentivise the industry by formulating a progressive film policy, be it developing a film city or establishing an apex institute and constituting state film awards.

Punjabi cinema, with pan-India releases, has spread its wings beyond the traditional overseas territories, and newer frontiers like Australia, Singapore, Belgium, France, Italy, Malaysia and the Netherlands have emerged on its radar. It continues to carve a niche for itself, contributing to the rich tapestry of Indian and global cinema.

Arts