Mediating Bhojpuriya: Migration, circulation, and Bhojpuri cinema

Abstract

Although often described as a rural dialect of Modern Standard Hindi, in the last five years Bhojpuri has emerged as the language for a new cinema industry, complete with superstars, superhits, and media speculation about the particular ‘rural values’ that have catapulted the industry into success. But despite Bhojpuri's reputation as a ‘rustic’ way of speaking, Bhojpuri cinema critically inhabits both urban and rural spaces. While Bhojpuri speakers generally consider Bihar and Uttar Pradesh their homeland, millions have migrated into urban centers seeking work, and the films' modes of production, narrative themes, and distribution have followed them from Bihar to Mumbai. Understanding these films solely in terms of ‘rural values’ thus dismisses the interplay between city and countryside that gives meaning to ‘ruralness’ in the first place. This article traces the movement of capital, people, and films along the Bhojpuri cultural circuit, illuminating how rural and urban identities, technologies, and audiences constitute one another.