OFFTRACK: RAIPUR, CHHATTISGARH

The city girl comes visiting and falls in love with the uneducated but noble village lad. There is another village belle already secretly in love with the eligible bachelor. Okay, so the hero does not lead a cricket team, but what else is different? The setting for one, and then the dialect. The release of More Chaiyan Bhuinyan was timed to coincide with the birth of Chhattisgarh last year. It was prudent thinking-the producers reaped the material benefits of the emotional high. And what's good can only become better, or at least that was the rustic wisdom behind a plethora of wannabe auteurs-from construction contractors and bidi makers to small-time politicians-plunging into filmmaking. Enter the Chhattisgarhi film industry.

While regional films thrived in Gujarat and the southern states-even Bhojpuri films have made quite a name for themselves-only two films were made in the Chhattisgarhi dialect since Independence. The movement for a separate state spurred local entrepreneurs into channelling emotions into money-spinning ventures and nothing appeared to give quicker returns than films. In the past year, eight movies have been released, 10 more are on the floor. The success of Santosh Jain's More Chaiyan Bhuinyan also attracted the attention of politicians, including Chief Minister Ajit Jogi, and a bit of state patronage helped the fledgling industry on its way. "A Chhattisgarhi film requires an investment of Rs 20-50 lakh and earns over Rs 1 crore," points out producer Mohan Sundarani.

Home-bred talents like director Prem Chandrakar, whose Maya De De Maya Le Le topped the popularity charts, Priti Dumre, Mona Thakur, Sheetal Sharma and Mohan Sundarani have found a medium for the fulfilment of their artistic desires. "There are 90 theatres in the 16 districts of the state. If five prints of a movie are released and run for an average of two weeks in all districts, profits are assured," says producer Ajit Jain.

The films have not created local stars yet. The cast of these films mostly comprises those who, having lost out in the race for Bollywood glitz, have made a name in Malayalee, Gujarati and Bhojpuri films. The producers have, of late, become bolder and are bringing in well-known names like Arun Govil, Sudha Chandran, Varsha Usgaonkar and Guddi Maruti. While penny pinching on the cast, the filmmakers are lavish with regard to the songs and music, patronising upper- bracket performers like Kumar Sanu, Anuradha Paudwal and Udit Narayan.

Since the films are made for a predominantly Chhattisgarhi audience, local colours are preferred. The natural beauty of Bastar, old palaces and British guesthouses, villages like Gariyaband and even the main market of Raipur have become celluloid locales. The themes conform to Chhattisgarhi tastes. So soft, romantic family dramas and mythologicals dominate. Years ago, Jai Santoshi Maa had done thundering business all over Chhattisgarh, running for almost two years in some towns. That lesson has not been lost.

With so many crews on assignments, there is no dearth of free entertainment for the people, who throng villages and marketplaces to watch the shooting. The teams, however, are not professional, and often leave many fuming. "I had to spend a lot of money on repairs after a unit finished shooting," says Yogeshwar Raj Singh of the erstwhile Kawardha state, at whose palace a film was shot.

Despite the surge of interest in Chhattisgarhi films, the prognosis is not all rosy. The recent flood of movies has already diminished their curiosity value and the generally mediocre prints and production values are also hurting popularity. "There is a limit to how many people can make money from Chhattisgarhi movies," says one producer.

Someone needs to spend bigger sums to make movies technically on a par with Bollywood. Also a real regional star-someone of the stature of Chiranjeevi, Rajnikant or even Silk Smitha-will have to emerge to inject life into hackneyed storylines. The films have to find audiences outside the state too, perhaps in Madhya Pradesh and neighbouring areas like Nagpur. Only if the current enthusiasm is sustained can Chhattisgarhi films hope to carve a niche like the one enjoyed by Marathi cinema.