That a typical urban moviegoer will want to watch a movie like this,' said Shah. 'Movies with typically rural themes are released in single screen cinemas. Mushrooming of multiplexes and decline of single screen cinemas has changed the way in which people watch movies. It was a success, both with rural audience and urban audience,' said Harsukh Patel.ĭistributor Vandan Shah feels that movies do not do well because they are urban or rural - it is the cinematic experience that pulls the audience.

Even most recent movies are not able to reach this milestone even if tickets are sold at Rs 150-200. 'The film had a Box Office collection or Rs 22 crore in days when tickets were sold for Rs 10 or Rs 15. In fact, his late uncle Govindbhai Patel made the movie 'Desh Re Joya Reĭada Pardesh Joya' way back in 1998 when making a Gujarati movie was nothing but a risk.

'But after a good start, content dd not match up later,' said Harsukh Patel, who has also been instrumental in making Vikram Thakor a star in Gujarati movies. The first Gujarati movie 'Narsinh Mehta' (made in 1932) had solid content. Right from ' Better Half', released in 2008, to movies like Kevi Rite Jaish, Bey Yaar, Chhello Divas, Gujjubhai The Great, Wrong Side Raju, Thai Jashe, Karsandas Pay and Use, Chal Man Jeetva Jaiye, Love Ni Bhavai, Reva, Gujjubhai – Most Wanted, Sharato Lagu, Chal Jivi Laiye, and the latest release Saheb, all are based on different topics. It feels great to see that Gujarati movies are doing good,' said Patel.įilms are being made with different storylines. 'As a Gujarati, I am committed to show Gujarati movies. Rakesh Patel, director of Wide Angle multiplex, said that it once happened that he had to reduce screens of Thugs of Hindustan to show Sharato Laagu, as the former was not generating business as the latter was. Actor Malhar Thakar said that stories need to be written with the Gujarati audience in mind. Sharing his experience, film distributor and Managing Director of Rupan Entertainment, Vandan Shah, said that any film which has good comic content will appeal to moviegoers across the spectrum. With an entirely new cast, the picture was a hit,' said Vaishal Shah, producer of movies like ' Chhello Diwas', ' Karsandas Pay And Use' and ' Shu Thayu'. So much so that if the content is strong, the film draws viewers in huge numbers. 'Viewers understand the content, whether it is a regional movie, a Bollywood movie or a Hollywood movie. The scripts need to be innovative and appeal to the younger generation and of course, marketing and other outreach exercises need to be carried out to make a hit. It is still a start when seen in the light of how they fare since the 1980s.Īctors, producers, directors, distributors, and other stakeholders in Gujarati cinema are unanimous about one thing and that is that content drives good Gujarati cinema. As of the 60-odd movies that were released in past two years each, only a handful have succeeded at the box office. While many Gujarati filmmakers are laughing all the way to the bank, stakeholders say there is a long way before anyone can claim that a new era has begun in the industry. The trend, that began with Abhishek Jain directed ' Kevi Rite Jaish' in 2012, continued with super hits like ' Be Yaar' (2014), Chhello Divas (2015), Gujjubhai The Great (2015), Wrong Side Raju (2016), Thai Jashe (2016), Karsandas Pay and Use (2017), Chal Man Jeetva Jaiye (2017), Love Ni Bhavai (2017), Gujjubhai – Most Wanted (2018), Sharato Lagu (2018), and finally Chal Jivi Laiye (2019). But, in 2012, the winds changed direction. While the film was acclaimed critically, it failed to gain commercial success. The urban audience was not drawn in though.īetter Half, produced by Ashish Kakkad and released in 2008, was the first proper attempt at drawing in an urban audience. With a dedicated and a loyal following, his films ran houseful in all smaller centres. The same time also saw the emergence of Vikram Thakor as a superstar. The rise in popularity of Hindi movies, the monotonous content in Gujarati movies and a rise in Television programmes were some of the reasons for the downturn.įor the last twenty years, Gujarati movies, more or less, used rural background settings. Once a thriving industry, Gujarati films started witnessing a steep decline from the mid-1980s, which continued for the next two decades or so. Of late, Gujarati movies are doing good at the box office,' admitted Rakesh Patel, director of Wide Angle multiplex in Ahmedabad. 'It has been three weeks in succession that Chal Jivi Laiye is running houseful in multiplexes. They seem to be have been given a new lease of life, both in Gujarat and Mumbai, as can be seen by the collections at the box office. Gujarati movies have been bitten by the 7-year itch but in quite the contrary direction.

Chal jivi laiye movie index