Scholars from across the country discussed the role of Hindi cinema and its impact on society on Day One of a three-day seminar at Jamshedpur Co-operative College on Thursday.

C. Bhaskar Rao, a well-known city-based litterateur who graced the event as the special guest, said that the image of the state would undergo changes as lot of youngsters from Jharkhand were taking up film-making as a career.

"Cinema has the potential to change a lot of things. I think the image of Jharkhand in the country can also be changed through cinema. There are young students who are taking up film-making as a career. I believe things will change," said Rao at the seminar sponsored by the University Grants Commission (UGC), New Delhi.

Principal of Jamshedpur Co-operative College S.S. Razi inaugurated the seminar along with Usha Shukla, principal of The Graduate School College for Women.

Hindi professor of Allahabad University Mushtaq Ali said Hindi movies had motivated the young generation to a great extent.

"Hindi cinema represents Indian culture. Films like Lagaan, 3 Idiots have inspired youths with a positive message. Yes, there is a flip side, but overall it has played a very influential role on the society," he said.

Among those present at the seminar included Mukteshwar Nath Tiwary from Santiniketan, Sant Kumar Tripathy of Purvanchal University in Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh, and Aniruddh Kumar from Delhi University, who also spoke on the topic "Expressing the society and culture of India through Hindi cinema."

In the next two days, there will be sessions discussing cinema and women; cinema and time; cinema and media; and regional cinema considering Jharkhand as an important hub for the development of Santhali cinema.

"The discussions on the first day was interesting and we hope that there will be more in-depth discussions in the next two days," said Avinash Kumar, the convener of the seminar.