Bardu, meaning tornado, is an aptly named recent film in Santhali. For, it is the only film in Santhali to be shot in digital format, heralding a storm in this tribal movie-making industry that still uses reel.

As films shot on reel can't be played on digital-friendly urban singleplexes or multiplexes, screenings of Santhali movies are limited to villages.

But, following Bardu, film-makers keen to modernise the industry are looking at a future where urban audiences can pick a Santhali film for a weekend watch as easily as an English or a Hindi one.

Dashrath Hansda, actor, director, producer in the Santhali film industry, along with Ramesh Hansda, president of All India Santhali Film Association (AISFA), spoke about the anticipated changes in the tribal film industry at the Rajendra Vidyalaya auditorium in Sakchi.

The event was certainly not run-of-the-mill. Artistes from various outfits had pooled in money for Dashrath Hansda, whose house was gutted in a fire mishap about a fortnight ago.

State food and civil supplies minister Saryu Roy handed Hansda over Rs 50,000 collected for "a new beginning" at the event replete with cultural programmes, tribal dances and songs.

"It is a new start for me and the Santhali film industry. We have requested producers and directors to shoot Santhali films in the digital format. So far, we use celluloid and then convert it into CDs for the urban market. In rural areas of Jharkhand, we run our shows in 30 cinema halls. But, we need to standardise and modernise our format to penetrate urban markets," said Dashrath Hansda.

"The government has failed to do anything in the past 14 years so we have to initiate steps all by ourselves to market our cinema in urban Jharkhand, Odisha and Bengal where we know there are viewers for Santhali cinema. Let's start a new digital chapter. Theatre owners can rake good profits from screenings too," said AISFA president Ramesh Hansda.

Right now, a Santhali feature film costs around Rs 2 lakh to Rs 2.5 lakh to shoot on reel.

But, if Santhali films are shot on digital camera, film-makers say they can manage the "small hike in costs", which involve hiring a digital camera on a per-day rate of around Rs 1,000.

Film-makers have a wide range of digital cameras to choose from these days.

While the Red Epic, Alexa and Sony S65s are high-end ones favoured by the big shots, there are also the Go Pro, Phantom and Canon series to choose from, which are more pocket-friendly.

Currently, Santhali film tickets are sold at Rs 20 or Rs 30 each. But, if screened in urban areas, that can also increase, helping the industry earn more money.

Artistes and their association are in talks with singleplex owners in Jamshedpur and Ranchi so that at least two shows of Santhali cinema can be screened.

"You never know someday you can watch a Santhali cinema with Hindi subtitles at a posh multiplex," added Dashrath Hansda.