Chhollywood refers to the film industry of

Chhattisgarh Chhattisgarh (, ) is a landlocked state in Central India. It is the ninth largest state by area, and with a population of roughly 30 million, the seventeenth most populous. It borders seven states – Uttar Pradesh to the north, Madhya Prad ...

state, central India, or to films created in the

Chhattisgarhi language Chhattisgarhi ( / ) is an Indo-Aryan language, spoken by approximately 16 million people from Chhattisgarh & other states. It is mostly spoken in the Indian states of Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh & Maharashtra. It is closely related to ...

. It was established in 1965 with the release of the first Chhattisgarhi-language film, ''

Kahi Debe Sandesh Kahi Debe Sandesh () is a 1965 Chhattisgarhi film written, directed and produced by Manu Nayak. It was released in 1965 and became the first film in the Chhattisgarhi language. It dealt with contemporary social issues such as untouchability an ...

''.

History

'' (transl. Convey The Message) was released in 1965. Directed and produced by Manu Nayak, it was a story of intercaste love; its release caused controversy, with Brahmins calling for a ban. The next Chhattisgarhi film to be released was ''Ghar Dwar'' in 1971, produced by

Vijay Kumar Pandey Vijay Kumar Pandey is professional media personality of Nepali television. He hosts popular program called ''Dishanirdesh''. Pandey's career begun with the Nepal Television Nepal Television ( ne, नेपाल टेलिभिजन), sh ...

. However, both performed poorly at the box office. On October 27, 2000, ''

Mor Chhainha Bhuinya Mor or MOR may refer to: Names and titles * Mór (given name), a list of people named Mór or Mor * Mor (surname), a list of people named Mor or Mór * Mor (honorific), or Mar, in Syriac Radio and television * Middle of the road (music) genre * ...

'' was released, the first Chhattisgarhi film since ''Ghar Dwar''. The film was a major success, grossing ₹20,000,000, recouping its budget of ₹2,000,000 - ₹3,000,000. Interest in the genre would further increase in 2005 when ''

Bhakla ''Bhakla'' is an Indian Chhattisgarhi film, released on 5 May 2006. This film is notable because Lata Mangeshkar Lata Mangeshkar () (born as Hema Mangeshkar; 28 September 1929 – 06 February 2022) was an Indian playback singer and occasion ...

'' was released, featuring a song composed by Kalyan Sen and sung by

Lata Mangeshkar Lata Mangeshkar () (born as Hema Mangeshkar; 28 September 1929 – 06 February 2022) was an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer. She is widely considered to have been the greatest and most influential singers in India. Her con ...

. Later, the film ''Bar''. Satish Jain, having watched the film produced ''Mayaa'', Films such as ''Mahun Deewana Tahun Deewani'' (Swapnil Film Productions) ''Tura Rikshawala'', and ''Laila Tip Top Chhaila Angutha Chhap'' were released soon after.
Bhulan the Maze
' opened to international praise and won several awards. It become first Chhattisgarhi movie to win a

National Film Awards The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorat ...

, winning in category of Best Film in Chhattisgarhi at

67th National Film Awards The 67th National Film Awards were announced at a press meet on 22 March 2021 to honour the best Indian films certified in India between 1 January and 31 December 2019. The awards ceremony, at which the Directorate of Film Festivals presents i ...

. Today Chhattisgarhi films often play in theatres outside of

, especially in cities like

Nagpur Nagpur (pronunciation: aːɡpuːɾ is the third largest city and the winter capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the 13th largest city in India by population and according to an Oxford's Economics report, Nagpur is projected to ...

References

{{Reflist Cinema of India by state or union territory Culture of Chhattisgarh