Jharkhand Cinema

Rhyming with Hollywood and Bollywood, the Jharkhand Film Industry is known as ''Jhollywood'' or ''Chotanagpur Film Industry''. The scenic beauty of green forests, shining rivers and waterfalls make  Jharkhand an ideal location  for  shooting  films.

Although the budget for producing a film is invariably small and equipments used in film making are not so advanced, this does not mar the enthusiasm of the artists, producers and directors.Sometimes, the actors, actresses and crew members have to take care of multiple chores during the making of the film.

Today, more documentaries, short films and music albums are being churned out as cost of making these is less comparatively.  However, films are made  in different languages. The audience gets to watch Santhali films, Ho films, Uraon films, Khortha films and Nagpuri films etc. Santhali and Nagpuri films are very popular among the people.The certification for these films comes from Bihar and Jharkhand Motion Picture Association.

The films are basically romantic in nature but also deal with issues like deforestation, corruption in society and migration of labour from villages to towns in search of greener pastures. Working in films is an alternate source of income for artists and other people involved in the making of the film, who otherwise pursue some other profession.  A proper Policy will soon be formulated by the Government of Jharkhand  for the Film Industry. A Film Academy and a state-of-art outdoor film studio in Ranchi has been proposed by the Government. It will generate income for Jharkhand  State and provide employment opportunities for the youth. Proper promotion of regional movies too would be done henceforth. Security would be provided to those shooting movies in the State.

Film Festivals are held to felicitate experienced artists and provide a platform for other talented artists. Recently, IPRD (The Information and Public Relations Department) along with DFF(Directorate of Film Festivals) held ''100 Years of Indian Cinema''. In this Film Festival, about 30 Classics were screened. ''Karma'', ''Baha-The wild flower''(directed by Director Shriprakash), Pya tose naina lage'', ''Shadi kara de'' are few regional  films enjoyed and appreciated by the audience.

The good news is that Jharkhand Film Industry is calling for artistic experimentation - be it making films in any local language, introducing new talented artists or tapping the beauty of ideal picturesque locations. True, opportunity lies in untreaded paths.