Meitei cinema (), also known as Maniwood, is the segment of

Indian cinema The cinema of India, consisting of motion pictures made by the Indian film industry, has had a large effect on world cinema since the second half of the 20th century. Indian cinema is made up of various film industries, each focused on p ...

dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the

Meitei language Meitei (; ) also known as Manipuri ), is a Tibeto-Burman language of northeast India. It is the official language and the lingua franca of Manipur and an additional official language in four districts of Assam. It is one of the scheduled ...

(officially called

Manipuri language Meitei (; ) also known as Manipuri ), is a Tibeto-Burman language of northeast India. It is the official language and the lingua franca of Manipur and an additional official language in four districts of Assam. It is one of the scheduled ...

), widely spoken in the state of

Manipur Manipur () is a state in northeastern India with Imphal as its capital. It borders the Indian states of Assam to the west, Mizoram to the south, and Nagaland to the north and shares the international border with Myanmar, specifically t ...

. The popular term Maniwood, is a

portmanteau In linguistics, a blend—also known as a blend word, lexical blend, or portmanteau—is a word formed by combining the meanings, and parts of the sounds, of two or more words together.

of "Manipuri" (official name of Meitei) and "

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

". Since its inception, Meitei cinema has played a significant role in the

Meitei linguistic purism movement The Meitei linguistic purity movement is a political and social language reform movement that aims to purge the Meitei language of foreign elements (such as loanwords from Hindi, Sanskrit, and English) and promote a supposedly purer form of ...

, often emphasizing proper Meitei language in place of pidgin dialects. The origins of Meitei cinema date back to , released in 1972 as the first full-length Meitei-language film and the first film made in Manipur. The film won the President's Medal at the

20th National Film Awards The 20th National Film Awards, presented by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India to felicitate the best of Indian Cinema released in the year 1972. With this year, new award category is introduced for the feature films made in Meit ...

, establishing a milestone in Manipuri cinema. Another landmark came with in 1981, which brought international recognition by winning the Golden Montgolfiere at the 1982 Festival des 3 Continents in

Nantes Nantes (, ; ; or ; ) is a city in the Loire-Atlantique department of France on the Loire, from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. The city is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, sixth largest in France, with a pop ...

, elevating Indian cinema on the global stage. In 1990, gained further acclaim, being screened in the

Un Certain Regard (; 'A Certain Glance') is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's official selection. It is run at the Debussy, parallel to the competition for the . This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob. The section presents 20 films with unusua ...

section at the

1991 Cannes Film Festival The 44th Cannes Film Festival was held from 9 to 20 May 1991. French-Polish filmmaker Roman Polanski served as jury president for the main competition. American filmmakers Joel Coen and Ethan Coen won the Palme d'Or, the festival's top prize, ...

. This film was re-recognized in

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as a "World Classic," marking its significance as the only Indian film selected for the event that year. Additionally, became the first animation film in the Meitei language and in Manipuri cinema in 2009. Reflecting local culture, since 2012, Maniwood has observed a dress code guideline: “If you wear jeans thrice on screen, you have to wear Manipuri dresses four times.” This practice reflects the Maniwood culture’s dedication to representing the Manipuri lifestyle and traditional attire. According to acclaimed director

Aribam Syam Sharma Aribam Syam Sharma is an Indian filmmaker and composer from Manipur. He debuted in the first Manipuri film '' Matamgi Manipur'' as an actor. In 1974, he directed his first movie '' Lamja Parshuram''. It became the first Manipuri film to run for ...

, Meitei cinema authentically portrays the way of life and thinking of the Manipuri people. Today, ''Ishanou'', ''Oneness'', and '' Eikhoigi Yum'' are among the top-rated Manipuri films on

IMDb IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...

as of 2023, showcasing the enduring appeal of Meitei cinema among audiences.

History

Era of celluloid classic feature films (1972-1989)

Cast and crew

Actors

Oken Amakcham Oken Amakcham is an Indian film director, music director and actor who works in Manipuri films. He started his career in theatre and performing arts. He is a recipient of the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Manipuri for the movie ...

* Gokul Athokpam * Gurumayum Bonny *

Shougrakpam Hemanta Shougrakpam Hemanta (born 1969) is an Indian comedian, actor, writer and director, who has worked in various Shumang Kumhei plays and Manipuri films. He is well known for his role of ''Oja Tolhan'' in ''Eegi Mahao'' and his portrayal of the tit ...

* Kaiku Rajkumar * Priyakanta Laishram *

Makhonmani Mongsaba Makhonmani Mongsaba (born 1 March 1959) is an Indian author, actor, producer and director from Imphal, Manipur. He got his doctorate degree in Manipuri from Manipur University. In 2013, he won the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award for his book ...

Lairenjam Olen Lairenjam Olen is an Indian actor who predominantly appears in Manipuri films Manipuri may refer to: * something of, from, or related to: ** the modern-day Indian state of Manipur ** the historical Manipur (princely state) * Manipuri cuisine * ...

Hamom Sadananda Hamom Sadananda is an Indian actor and singer who appears in Manipuri films. He is a resident of Sega Road, Thouda Bhabok Leikai, Imphal, Manipur. He has acted in more than 100 Manipuri films. Besides acting and singing in films, he also perfor ...

Bijou Thaangjam Bijou Thaangjam (born Thangjam Biju Singh) is an Indian actor, lyricist, art director, chef and entrepreneur. He is of Meitei descent originally from Imphal, Manipur. He was one of the contestants on the reality cooking competition MasterChef ...

* Chinglen Thiyam * Bonium Thokchom * Kangabam Tomba

Actresses

* Maya Choudhury * Leishangthem Tonthoingambi * Abenao Elangbam *

Bala Hijam Surja Bala Hijam (9 Jun 1991, Imphal) better known as Bala Hijam ( Meitei pronunciation: /ba-lā hī-jam/) is an Indian actress, who predominantly appears in Manipuri films. She is known for her roles in ''Boong'', '' Neelakasham Pachakadal ...

* Lin Laishram * Soma Laishram *

Manda Leima Manda Leima is an actress who appears in Manipuri films. ''Angangba Kurao Mapal'', '' Lallasi Pal'', ''Kaboklei'', ''Inga Nonglakta'', ''Nangna Mama Oibiyu'' and '' Lanphamda Ibeni'' are some of her notable films. She served as Jury at 16th M ...

* Sushmita Mangsatabam * Biju Ningombam * Kshetrimayum Rashi *

Yengkhom Roma Yengkhom Roma (born 23 September 1945) is an Indian actress who predominantly appeared in Manipuri films. She is a resident of Imphal, Manipur, where she was born in 1945 to Yengkhom Birendra and Yengkhom Ongbi Mani. Besides acting, she has also ...

* Kamala Saikhom *

Huirem Seema Huirem Ningol Laimayum Ongbi Seema (8 November 1970 – 17 September 2011) was an Indian actress from Imphal, Manipur. She had appeared in more than 100 Manipuri films. As a producer, she had four Manipuri digital films to her credit. She was b ...

* Tara

Directors

* Homen D' Wai * Oinam Gautam Singh *

Romi Meitei Romi Meitei is an Indian film director, screenwriter and lyricist who works in Manipuri films. He is a recipient of several awards at film festivals organized in India and abroad, including a National Film Awards, National Film Award. ''Angan ...

* Haobam Paban Kumar *

* Bobby Wahengbam * Priyakanta Laishram

Awards

National Film Awards

Bilingualism

Many

films have been made with other languages simultaneously.

Meitei and English

Meitei and Japanese

Meitei and Portuguese

Meitei and Tamil

Meitei and Tangkhul

Notable films

References

External links

{{World cinema Meitei language Indian film industries Cinema of Manipur Cinema by language of India