Sindhi cinema explained

Sindhi cinema
Screens:	57 (2023)
Distributors:	Various local distributors

Sindhi cinema refers to the Sindhi language film industry in Sindh, Pakistan and among the Sindhi diaspora specially in India.^[1]

History

The first Sindhi film was Ekta produced by Raes Karim Bux Nizamani in 1940 while it was directed by Homi Wadia;^{[2] [3]} while the first Sindhi film produced in Pakistan was Umar Marvi in 1956 directed by Shaikh Hassan.^[4] The first blockbuster Sindhi film released was Abana in 1958 in India.^[5] Sindhi cinema used to see three to four releases a year until the 1990s. The last Sindhi film of note in Pakistan was Himmat in 1997.

Issues

Satish Anand said that the condition of the theatres is bad, funding is difficult and people prefer mainstream cinema. Many producers have tried to revive the industry but eventually it fell apart. An alternate model of releasing films only on television and home video was attempted, but that too didn't work because of rampant piracy.^{[6] [7]}

Films

See main article: List of Sindhi-language films. Some notable Sindhi films include:

• Ekta (1942)
• Umar Marvi (1956)
• Abana (1958)
• Perdesi (1960)
• Sherah Feroz (1968)
• Chanduki (1969)
• Ghoonghat Lah Kunwar (1970)
• Mehboob Mitha (1971)
• Pyar Kare Dis (2007)
• Tuhinje Pyaar Mein (2019)

Actors

• Bhagwanti Navani
• Bhudo Advani
• Chakori^[8]
• Danish Nawaz
• Fahad Mustafa
• Hari Shivdasani
• Jiten Lalwani
• Menaka Lalwani
• Mushtaq Malano, his stage name was Mushtaq Changazi and he played the leading role in more than 60 Sindhi films^{[9] [10]}
• Preeti Jhangiani
• Sadhana Shivdasani
• Salahuddin Tunio
• Sanam Baloch
• Sheila Ramani
• Uroosa Siddiqui

See also

• Cinema of Pakistan
• Cinema of India
• Sindhis in India

Notes and References

1. Web site: Book launched to preserve half a century of Sindhi films . 29 August 2015.
2. Web site: Book launched to preserve half a century of Sindhi films . Salman . Peerzada . 29 August 2015 . DAWN.COM . en . 11 January 2020.
3. News: First Sindhi feature film in the works since cinema revival . 10 December 2017 .
4. Levesque . Julien . Bui . Camille . 5 January 2015 . Umar Marvi and the Representation of Sindh: Cinema and Modernity in the Margins . BioScope: South Asian Screen Studies . 5 . 2 . 119–128 . 10.1177/0974927614547990 . 147363789.
5. News: All about Abana Sindhi Movie . 15 August 1958 . SindhiWiki.org.
6. Web site: Transitions: Mushtaq Changezi, the Dilip Kumar of Sindhi cinema, dies at 70 . March 2012.
7. Web site: Sindhishaan - Sindhi Film Industry.
8. Web site: Career highlights of film star Chakori . Newspaper . the . 3 November 2010 . DAWN.COM . en . 11 January 2020.
9. News: Transitions: Mushtaq Changezi, the Dilip Kumar of Sindhi cinema, dies at 70 . March 2012 .
10. Web site: Mushtaq Changezi passes away . Newspaper . the . 3 March 2012 . DAWN.COM . en . 11 January 2020.