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UP and rising: Small towns of the state shine on screen!
What’s up with the towns in Uttar Pradesh that are becoming the titles for films and series? Towns from the country’s most populous state have featured in songs like Jhumka gira re Bareilly ke bazaar mein
What’s up with the towns in Uttar Pradesh that are becoming the titles for films and series? Towns from the country’s most populous state have featured in songs like Jhumka gira re Bareilly ke bazaar mein... (Mera Saaya, 1966), Khaike paan Baranasa wala... (Don, 1978) and Yeh Lucknow ki sarzameen... (Chaudhvin Ka Chand, 1960). In the past five years, however, there have been several films, web-series, and short films based on Uttar Pradesh’s cities.
Rising of cities
Destinations like Varanasi and Sangam city (Prayagraj) have been picked up as titles earlier too, but since 2015 there have been numerous projects and movies like Aligarh, Bareilly Ki Barfi and Lucknow Central came up. Besides, after the OTT series Mirzapur, the town has become a phenomenon.
“There is a fascination with the Hindi heartland and we know that major viewings (numbers) come from this belt. People have reacted to the success of certain projects. But it’s not just about business! It’s the stories, incidents, rustic locations, history and so many factors that are driving people towards these locations. Also, writers from these locations are telling intriguing stories which audiences love— many of the factors that have combined with the trend,” tells Gurmeet Singh, director Mirzapur.
Business format
According to casting director Vivek Yadav, who has worked on some big projects in the state, “When a project is named after a city, not just those living in that place but also those living in other places are encouraged to take part. Therefore, this generates viewership numbers, which is ultimately what every maker wants.” Then, if a project is made well and people relate to it then it’s icing on the cake.”
Ishqzaade actor Anil Rastogi, who has been part of films Raebareli, Sitapur... and the upcoming Bikroo Kanpur Gangster (based on slain gangster Vikas Dubey) says, “All of these projects are political dramas and somewhere gang war and rivalry are involved in it. Most of them are fictional stories inspired by real-life incidents that people can relate to. Also, when the movies are released in local theatres it attracts the audience and then its transition to OTT becomes easier.”
Real connect
Gangs of Wasseypur writer and actor Zeishan Quadri, who directed Meeruthiya Gangster, seems to have a fascination with real stories. “See I am from Wasseypur and wrote the film based on real stories which became a huge success. Meeruthiya... too was a very quirky yet rooted story and is very successful on the web. I am writing dark humour and revenge drama set in Western UP with multiple interesting characters,” he tells.
Duo Ashutosh Chaturvedi and Pankaj Mavchi who wrote and directed the short film Pilibhit with actors Raj Arjun, Joyoshree Arora and Vicky Ahuja tell that they titled filmed so, as its soul was from the city. “The idea of Pilibhit originated from news reports about the tiger-man conflict, covered by Indian media on July 4, 2017. There are instances of man-eating tigers taking away people from these villages and the family of the deceased gets compensated by the government. But in some cases, people either sacrifice their old parents or even sometimes elderly parents voluntarily sacrifice.” The film did very well on the international film circuit.
In the Bhojpuri film circuit, many other cities from UP have found places in its title. Now, going with the trend in films and OTT, it seems many more towns are set to get their names in projects.
Projects:
Bikroo Kanpur Gangster (Upcoming)
Mirzapur (2018, 2021, 2023)
Prayag (2022)
Sitapur: The city of Gangster (2022)
Raebareli (2022)
Benaras (2022)
Mahakumbh: Prayagraj 2021
Pilibhit (2021)
Kanpuriye (2019)
Bareilly Ki Barfi (2017)
Lucknow Central (2017)
Meeruthiya Gangster (2015)
Aligarh (2015)
