Patna, Feb. 9: The booming Bhojpuri film industry, which prompted the senior Bachchan to sign a film in the language spoken in Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh, got a piece of advice from Nitish Kumar today.

“Stop portraying women in an indecent light,” the chief minister told Bhojpuri filmmakers at the inauguration of the second Patna Film Festival organised by the state information and public relations department.

Of late, several Bhojpuri filmmakers have resorted to portraying women in a manner that appears questionable to many. Most of the films carry suggestive titles and their posters show women in skimpy clothes.

Bhojpuri films have a sizeable market not only in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh but also in places like Delhi and Mumbai where a large number of migrants from these states live.

“Films have a positive role to play in shaping public opinion. It is a powerful medium but decency should not be sacrificed. I have come to know that new-generation Bhojpuri productions often overstep the limits. This should immediately stop,” Nitish said.

The seven-day film festival has an impressive bouquet of productions from several languages.

The world cinema category will feature films like Seven Samurai, Bicycle Thief, A Short Film About Love and Wild Strawberries. Recent Indian films such as Black Friday, Pinjar, Dor and Traffic Signal have also been lined up. The list of 31 films also includes five in Bhojpuri and one in Maithili.

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan was recently seen in a Bhojpuri film, Ganga, which also featured Hema Malini and Nagma.