Ranchi, Oct. 26: They are emulating Bollywood by opting for mega budget ventures. The first, commercial Bhojpuri film — Piya Tose Naina Lage — costing Rs 1.35 crore, will be screened at the Meenakshi cinema hall tomorrow.
None of the earlier Bhojpuri films even touched the Rs 50 lakh mark. With the presence of deputy CM Sudhir Mahto as a special guest, film stars Akhilesh Pandey and Bollywood actor Priya Gill are looking for a grand premiere.
Made under the banner of Triveni Films International, the project is produced and directed by Rishi Prakash Mishra and Bal Krishna Singh, respectively.
Slated for a simultaneous release in Patna and parts of Uttar Pradesh like Lucknow, Gorakhpur and Varanasi, Ranchi would be the only city in Jharkhand where the film will be shown.
The film is a family saga depicting village life. The plot revolves around love, sacrifice and fulfiling social obligations.
Actor Akhilesh Pandey, who has also acted in Hollywood film — Gulf said: “Though this is my first film in this language, it is quite different from mainstream Bhojpuri cinema. The film has been made in tune with the present cosmopolitan culture,” added Pandey. Jeetendra Wadher —popularly known as, Jeetu — is playing a negative character here.
While addressing the newspersons today, creative director Ajay Malkani said, they have made a clean film with no vulgarity.
“There are pockets in Dhanbad, Bokaro, Garhwa and Ranchi where the language is spoken widely. So, it should definitely appeal to the masses,” Malkani said.
The climax of the film was shot at Mumbai while the rest of the locations included Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Gorakhpur and Nainital.
Shot in 42 days, a scene relevant to the Chhat festival has also been incorporated in the script.
“We took four days to shoot the Chhat puja scene as people would queue up on the banks of the river delaying the process. Besides, the Chhat song is also worth listening to,” Malkani added.
B.N. Tiwary, president of the Bhojpuri Samaj, Jharkhand, said, this was the first Bhojpuri film to be approved by the censor board without any cuts.
“A convention of the Bhojpuri Samaj will be held on Gopal Maidan in Jamshedpur on December 10 where the actors will be felicitated,” added Tiwary.
