Moreover, she feels evolution in any field is essential. "You can’t keep playing the same dhol and harmonium forever. You have to grow while staying grounded. I, personally, like to stay rooted. My music carries nostalgia and cultural references. That’s the balance I strive for." More artists like Simran are ditching labels, thanks to platforms like YouTube and Spotify flattening the entry barrier and democratising the field. "If the song hits, it hits. The audience decides," says Choudhary. That’s Punjab’s music story, the film story is a bit different!

Punjabi Films = Same Genre, Storylines, and Actors

“Will Punjabi cinema have its breakthrough?” A user’s reply on this Reddit thread by the handle ‘r/punjabimusic’ aptly sums up the Punjab’s current movie scene in one line: “Unlikely, Punjabi cinema has the same genre, storylines, and actors.”

Numbers agree. Of the six top-grossing Punjabi films in 2024, four had Gippy Grewal, a famous singer-turned-actor. The highest-grossing flick, Jatt & Juliet 3, had music superstar Diljit Dosanjh. This reveals a pattern.

“The film industry is at a growing stage in Punjab, and the music industry is big. They feel they’re already doing music, what’s the harm in doing a film? Paanch gaane to hai hi, uske sath ek film bhi dal dete hai (A film already has five songs; why not adda movie to it?),” quips actor Jagjeet Sandhu, whose performance as Tahir in the recent Bollywood flick The Diplomat has been widely praised.

Sandhu, 34, says no Punjabi film released this year so far can be called a hit. “I think this [downfall] was necessary. In the past 15 years, mostly those who are singers became actors, but for the past some time, actors who only do cinema are emerging. After this bad phase, I think quantity will reduce, and quality films will be made.”

Last year, only one film, Jatt & Juliet 3, entered the Rs 100-crore club, while in 2023, Carry on Jatta 3 (Rs 101 crore) and Mastaney (Rs 74 crore) were among the big hits. The Punjabi film industry grossed Rs 203 crore in 2024, according to a report by Ormax Media, a research and consulting firm focussed on the Indian M&E industry. The year 2024 was particularly not a good year, as gross domestic revenue dipped 14% from 2023.

“Punjabi cinema is failing,” says Jasmine Singh, adding that despite a strong theatre and cultural heritage, the industry seems stuck in a cycle, with little room for experimental or meaningful cinema. She pinpoints four major reasons: lack of innovation and professionalism; shortage of good writers and over-reliance on a select few artists; the lack of big production houses; and exploitation.

“Scripts are often finalised after actors are cast, original ideas are scarce, and budgets are lopsided, with A-listed actors taking a major share. There’s no support for new writers or actors, singer-turned-actors dominate, and the same character artists are overused. Most producers are one-time investors, and exploitation is rampant, especially for female actors.”

Chandigarh-based film producer Rrupali Gupta’s two films—Mr & Mrs 420 Again (Part 3) and Farrata— will release on May 30 and August 29, respectively. She agrees that there’s been a dip in the film business in 2024, but it’s the same with other regional industries as well. “There are no proper single screens there. So, where will the revenue come from? That is a big revenue killer, to be honest. Even revenue from outside (Canada, the U.K., and Australia) is bigger than India.”

Adding to these woes are the lack of blockbuster films and the underperformance of smaller titles, which contributed to the decline, leading to a 20% YoY footfall drop in 2024.

Not Everyone Buys The Slump Narrative

There’s little doubt that the Punjabi film industry is lagging, but it’s not the end of the world. Many stakeholders are confident that, slowly but surely, the industry is experimenting beyond comedy, and these films are doing decent business as well. “We have broken that criticism. Our film Ardaas, which has three parts, broke the myth that we don’t do serious cinema. Movies like Mastaney, Akaal: The Unconquered, Guru Nanak Jahaz, which is currently running in theatres right now, have Hollywood-level VFX,” says Gurpreet Ghuggi, a veteran Punjabi actor, comedian, and politician. He believes that in the next five years, the Punjabi film industry will be among the top ones in the regional cinema chart.

Ghuggi attributes the falling revenue numbers to the similarity between the Punjabi and Hindi languages, which has fragmented the audience. “That has changed over the past four or five years. People now watch Punjabi movies (the top ones) first before going for a Hindi film. Moreover, just like southern movies, Punjabi films are also being dubbed, like my Guru Nanak Jahaz, which is coming in English and other languages on OTT. It certainly increases the business.”

Punjabi film director Karan R. Guliani, who directed Sarvann and Chandigarh Amritsar Chandigarh, highlights the rising cost of filmmaking as a growth barrier: “In the South, ticket prices are capped, so theatres thrive. How can an average Punjabi family earning Rs 25,000 afford Rs 400 tickets?”

OTT players are certainly filling the gap in a big way. 95% of content consumed on YouTube and 48% on OTT platforms is now in local languages, says the Ficci report. It’s win-win for industry as well as for these new-age companies. Chaupal OTT has emerged as a dominant player in the Punjab and Haryana region. “A national platform might make a story based in Punjab, but it’s not a Punjabi story. What we make are Punjabi stories,” says Chaupal co-founder Ujjwaal Mahajan, adding that piracy is one of the biggest threats to the industry’s growth.

Can the Bar be Raised?

That said, can the film industry in Punjab bounce back? “Newer actors must be given a chance in films, not just the same A-listers and their groups,” says Jasmine Singh. “Those serious about the art and movie business will thrive,” says Sandhu.

Singer Simran Choudhary also believes that Punjabi music is slowly but surely coming back to its roots. “The next phase is a return to roots. After a wave of experimentation, I see artists revisiting traditional stories, language, and emotions. Look at Diljit — despite his global appeal, he brings back the kurta-chadra and cultural pride.”

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