Cinema in India plays a very crucial role with its effects on-screen as well as off the screen. Ever since India gained its independence, it has gone through both, tumultuous changes and great developments in all fields. From an agro based economy to a Capitalist Economic framework, the country has imbibed all colours and shades. The responsibility of showcasing these colours has been taken up by the Cinema world. No sooner had Dadasaheb Phalke released his first film “RAJA HARISHCHANDRA” in 1913 that within the span of next five years the regional Cinema started taking its upward growth.
In the regional film directory it was a “Bengali feature film ‘Nal Damyanti’ in 1917” produced by J.F. Madan that benchmarked the birth of India Regional Cinema. By the year 1919 Southern India started its regional film production with the film “Keechaka Vadham”. “Ayodhecha Raja” was the first Marathi film which was directed by V. Shantaram in 1932. This film was made in double version. ‘Ayodhya ka Raja’ in Hindi and ‘Ayodhecha Raja’ in Marathi was the first ever Indian talkie produced by Prabhat Film Company in 1932. Hence 1930s can be well marked as the year for a fully established regional cinema production.
In today’s time the demand for both regional and other screenings have seen a very strong receptivity among audience. Nowadays out of the total, approximately twenty percent of the screenings in bigger cities are for regional films. This strongly reflects the growth of the medium, choice of viewers and tastes of film viewing.
On one hand it provides an element of nuance with new story ideas and screenplays, on the other hand it serves a compelling challenge and competitor for the Bollywood Cinema which frequently faces the dearth of new story ideas.
Shruti Pandey
DME, Media School