The obituary of Punjabi films had long been written and sealed for posterity. But two years back, actor-singer Harbhajan Maan with his
Jee Aaya Nu
reopened history and thus started the renaissance in Punjabi cinema.
Since then, there has been no looking back for Pollywood (Punjabi film industry). At present nearly 16 Punjabi films are in different stages of production and four would be ready for release in next two months, all featuring big names like Jimmy Shergill, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Nagma and Gurdaas Maan.
"It all started with Harbhajan Maan's Jee AayaNu in 2003. It showed the way for revival of Punjabi cinema and inspired directors to once again make Punjabi films," says Rabindra Narayan, President, ETC Punjabi Channel.
As success stories breed clones, Narayan says, Yaran NaalBaharan featuring Jimmy Shergill and Juhi Chawla had a grand opening and ran full shows.
Punjabi films like Jee Aaya Nu and Asa Nu Maan WatanaDa (starring singer-turned actor Harbhajan Maan) proved to be crowd pullers in the UK. Gurdaas Mann and Juhi Chawla starrer Des Hoyaa Pardes too was a hit.
"The themes of Punjabi films today are very diverse in contrast to the village life they portrayed earlier, the settings are cosmopolitan, many even do shootings in Vancouver or London and what more mainstream Bollywood actors are no more hesitating to act in Punjabi films," says Narayan.
{{/usCountry}}"The themes of Punjabi films today are very diverse in contrast to the village life they portrayed earlier, the settings are cosmopolitan, many even do shootings in Vancouver or London and what more mainstream Bollywood actors are no more hesitating to act in Punjabi films," says Narayan.
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