With more than two dozen releases in a single year, 2016 became the busiest year for Gujarati cinema. Some of the movies which made headlines this year were Wrong Side Raju, Je Pan Kahish E Sachuj Kahish, Passport, Polam Pol, Lavari, Tuu To Gayo, Hardik Abhi Nandan and more. Apart from record breaking number of releases, this year was really a trendsetter for Gujarati cinema. From foreign actors making debut to Bollywood banner joining hands, from remarkable acting to out of the box script, here are 10 things that happened in Gujarati cinema this year.
#01
Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane, Madhu Mantena and Vikas Bahl lead Bollywood production house Phantom Films joined hands with CineMan Productions and produced first Gujarati thriller Wrong Side Raju. The film directed by Mikhil Musale was one of the most talked Gujarati films of 2016.
#02
Bollywood singers Shreya Ghoshal, Arijit Singh, Armaan Malik and Sunidhi Chauhan made debut in Gujarati cinema with Maahi (Romance Complicated), Satrangi Re (Wrong Side Raju), Mangamtu (Daav Thai Gayo Yaar) and Aavi Re Hoon Aavi Re (Carry On Kesar) respectively.
#03
With 95% shooting at a single location and less than 5 actors, director Naitik Raval made a solid comeback with Je Pan Kahish E Sachuj Kahish. JPKESK was truly out of the box Gujarati movie with one of the best story-lines.
#04
Surat came out as emerging hub for Gujarati cinema. Apart from Ahmedabad, we saw Surat city in Gujarati films this year. Lavari directed by Rahu Thummar was entirely shot in Surat and some of the parts of JPKESK were shot in Surat. Invincible Productions and Gallops Talkies from Surat made their mark in the industry with JPKESK. Pratik Gandhi, Jayesh More, Gaurav Paswala, Sneha Devganiya and Hetal Puniwala, actors from Surat amazed the audience with their performances this year. And of course, legendary music composer Mehul Surti also hails from Surat. He gave music to two Gujarati films Passport and JPKESK this year.
#05
Foreign actors Kimberley Louisa McBeath and Anna Ador made their debut in Gujarati cinema with Wrong Side Raju and Passport respectively this year. Both of them nailed it.
#06
With powerful performances in Wrong Side Raju and Passport, Jayesh More came out as one of the best actors of the cinema.
#07
Singer Darshan Raval was signed as an actor and music composer for Dhvani Gautam’s upcoming film Patel vs Patrick for whopping 50 lacs! And that is the biggest number we have heard so far in Gujarati cinema.
#08
First big budget Gujarati film shot on a foreign land, Dhvani Gautam’s Romance Complicated was released this year.
#09
Actors Malhar Thakar, Tushar Sadhu and Jayesh More got two releases in a single year; ‘Thai Jashe’ and ‘Passport’, ‘Romeo and Radhika’ and ‘Tuu To Gayo’ and ‘Wrong Side Raju’ and ‘Passport’ respectively.
#10
And finally, demonetization ended the year on a bitter note with movies getting postponed. Carry On Kesar, Shubh Aarambh and Khati Meethi Setting slated their releases due to cash crunch.
Overall, 2016 was the most happening year for Gujarati cinema. And upcoming time is also going to be exciting. Stay tuned to BuddyBits for exclusive bits from Gujarati cinema and unexplored stories from around the world. Write down your views in comments.