Ganga Maiyya Tohe Piyari Chadhaibo

Directed by Kundan Kumar
Produced by Bishwanath Prasad Shahabadi
Screenplay by Nazir Hussain
Story by Nazir Hussain
Starring Kumkum
Ashim Kumar
Nazir Hussain
Tiwari
Music by Chitragupta
Shailendra
Cinematography R. K. Pandit
Edited by Kamalakar
Release dates
  • 22 February 1963 (1963-02-22) (Patna)
Running time
 120 min.
Country India
Language Bhojpuri

Ganga Maiyya Tohe Piyari Chadhaibo is a Bhojpuri film released in 1963 directed by Kundan Kumar. It was the first-ever Bhojpuri film, and starred Kumkum, Ashim Kumar and Nazir Hussain. It had music by Chitragupta, lyrics by Shailendra and songs sung by Lata Mangeshkar and Mohammad Rafi.

Ganga Maiyya Tohe Piyari Chadhaibo was released on 22 February 1963 at Veena Cinema, Patna. The film was directed by Kundan Kumar and produced by Bishwanath Prasad Shahabadi on behest of the first president of India, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, with initial budget of Rs.150,000 eventually ending up at approximately 500,000. It was shown to Desh Ratna Dr. Rajendra Prasad at a special screening organized at Sadaqat Ashram, Patna before its release.[1][2]

The theme is based on widow remarriage.

Cast

Soundtrack

Ganga Maiyya Tohe Piyari Chadhaibo has music by Chitragupta, with lyrics by Shailendra.[3]

Production

Development

At an award function in Mumbai in the late 1950s, character actor Nazir Hussain met then president Dr. Rajendra Prasad, who also belonged to Bihar. During their conversation Prasad asked Hussain, "Why don't you make films in Bhojpuri?" The conversation inspired Hussain. He had already written the screenplay of the Ganga Maiyya Tohe Piyari Chadhaibo, meaning "Ganges Mother I will offer you the auspicious yellow sari" (if my wishes come true) and had first given it to Bimal Roy, with whom he had worked in Devdas (1955).[4][5]

In a chance enounter, Hussain met Bishwanath Prasad Shahabad, a businessman from Arrah in Bihar, at a film studio in Bombay. Shahbad, owned cinema halls in Dhanbad and Giridih. When Hussain narrated the story to Shahbad, he immediately agreed to finance the film at ₹1.5 lakh (US$2,200), though eventually it cost ₹5 lakh (US$7,400). Kundan Kumar, who hailed from Varanasi, and had made the film Bade Ghar Ki Bahu (1960) with Geeta Bali and Abhi Bhattacharya was chosen.[4]

Filming

The muhurat shot was shot at Shaheed Smarak (Martyr's Memorial) in Patna on 16 February 1961. The shooting formally started the next day. The film was mostly shot in Bihta, a small town 35 km west of Patna and pilgrimage town of Varanasi. It has sequences shot at Gol Ghar in Patna and Arrah railway station.[4]

Release and reception

At the First Bhojpuri Film Awards for Bhojpuri and Magadhi films, organized by the Bhojpuri Film Samaroh Samiti and held on 27 April 1965, at Ananda Bazar Patrika Bhawan, Calcutta, Ganga Maiyya Tohe Piyari Chadhaibo won numerous awards, including Best Film, Best Actress (Kum Kum), Best Supporting Actor (Nazir Hussain), Best Lyrics (Shailendra), Best Story (Nazir Hussain) and Best Playback Singer - Male (Mohammed Rafi - "Sonwa Ke Pinjre mein").[4]

Legacy

In 2011, it was shown during 99th Bihar Divas (Bihar Day) celebrations.[6][7]

References

  1. ↑ "First Bhojpuri Film To Be Screened During Bihar Divas". NDTV/Indo-Asian News Service. 17 March 2011. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  2. ↑ Kapoor, Jaskiran (23 December 2009). "Such a long journey". The Indian Express. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  3. ↑ "Ganga Maiya Tohe Piyari Chadhaibo Songs". gaana.com. Retrieved 2014-02-06.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Avijit Ghosh (22 May 2010). Cinema Bhojpuri. Penguin Books Limited. pp. 46–. ISBN 978-81-8475-256-4.
  5. ↑ K. Moti Gokulsing; Adjunct Fellow East-West Center Hawaii Scholar in Residence Wimal Dissanayake; Wimal Dissanayake (17 April 2013). Routledge Handbook of Indian Cinemas. Routledge. pp. 155–. ISBN 978-1-136-77284-9.
  6. ↑ "Strong at 50, Bhojpuri cinema celebrates". Indian Express. 14 February 2011.
  7. ↑ "First Bhojpuri Film To Be Screened During Bihar Divas". NDTV Movies. 17 March 2011.
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