Will the lights go out on Sindhi cinema?

"There's no point setting up hardware if the software for it doesn't exist."

That's Anil Chanchlani's summation of why theatres barely, if ever, screen Sindhi films. A heavyset man with a thinning puff of hair framing his forehead, Chanchlani, the owner-manager of Ulhasnagar's Ashok-Anil Multiplex, sits tall in his cabin as a garlanded portrait of his late mother and two posters of the 2005 animated flick Hanuman look on. "Sapna Cinema and BIG Cinemas here do show Sindhi movies, but only once a day," he adds.

Chanchlani has plenty to share about fringe cinema of the Sindhi variety, and justifiably so: for Ashok-Anil Multiplex is the only theatre in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region that devotes multiple shows for Sindhi films.

What started out as two theatres – Ashok Cinema and Anil Cinema – has come a long way since its origins in the 1970s. Established by movie exhibitor Assandas Chanchlani and named after his sons, the two cinema halls were prime Ulhasnagar landmarks from the outset.

The turning point, however, came when Ashok-Anil – which started out exhibiting Hindi films – screened Madan Jumani's 1984 romantic comedy Hal Ta Bhaji Haloon (HTBH) – Sindhi for 'Let Us Run Away'. Not only did this film run to packed houses, but it also became one of the top grossers in the history of Sindhi filmdom. HTBH, for which Lata Mangeshkar also sang her first Sindhi song, generated business of approximately Rs 7 lakhs at the time (a princely sum then) – almost all of it in Ulhasnagar (or Sindhunagar, as some call it) alone.

"It ran for 18-19 weeks," Chanchlani remembers. "Hindi films now barely run for more than two weeks."

A forgotten history

HTBH was a breakthrough film in more ways than one. Not only was it the first Sindhi film in Cinemascope, but it was also the first 'big' release after Abana (1958), a Partition-themed film which had a then-unknown Sadhana playing the second female lead to Sheila Ramani.

"HTBH was a masterpiece," says its writer-director Madan Jumani, getting straight to the point. His passion for Sindhi history and culture is surpassed only by his love of talking about them.

Statuettes of Jhulelal, Sai Baba, and the smell of incense dominate Jumani's home in Kandivali. Awards and trophies clutter the wall unit in his living room. "More than 400 there," he says, pointing to the souvenirs of his past. The centre table doubles as a storage unit for newspaper clippings bundled up in several plastic bags.

Having moved to Bombay after the Partition, Jumani dabbled as a spot boy for Mehboob Khan's 1949 blockbuster Andaz before joining the Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA). He was an active member of Prithvi theatre and the Sindhi drama circuit before he set his sights on filmmaking.

"Which is the first Sindhi film?" he asks abruptly, with a knowing half-smile.

"In India? That would be… Abana?"

"Wrong!" he guffaws, shaking his head. "The first Sindhi film ever made was Ekta, in 1942. And do you know who made it?" It's a grin this time.

"Not really..."

"Homi Wadia. I hope you know who he is."

Thankfully, most of us do. For those who don't: Wadia was amongst the earliest and most prolific Hindi director-producers, whose Wadia Movietone produced classics such as Hunterwali (1935) and Hatim Tai (1956).

Ekta, continues Jumani, was a success in Sindh province. Its length was considered 'too short' at the time, so a second film – Galat Fehmi, also in Sindhi – was released with it. This was a double bill by Wadia Movietone.

The other prolific Sindhi movies of yore were Umar Marvi and Sassi Punnu, Pakistani Sindhi films released in 1956 and 1958, respectively. Both were based on folk tales penned by the vaunted Sindhi Sufi poet, Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai.

"There's tremendous wealth in Sindhi literature. But people these days know nothing about it," says the septuagenarian Jumani, with a rueful shake of the head.

Kamal Nathani, who directed the 2007 film Pyar Kare Dis: Feel The Power of Love, agrees. "Many among the present generation don't even speak the language, leave alone read or write in it. Naturally, the audience for these movies is severely limited."

The odds are stacked

A small audience notwithstanding, questions are raised over the quality of content in Sindhi films. Finished products look tacky, and being on the fringes means you make do with the little you have. This extends to the acting talent too. Unlike its more famous regional cousins like Punjabi and Bhojpuri, Sindhi cinema has no top rung actor, leave alone a star. Movie budgets are a drop in the ocean vis-a-vis Hindi ones, because the returns are almost never promising.

Take Pyar Kare Dis. Made on a relatively 'plum' budget of Rs 40 lakhs, it failed to recover costs. This, in spite the fact that it is still widely-liked and had Preeti Jhangiani ("a big name," says Nathani) in a guest role.

Ask Anil Chanchlani why Sindhi films are so few and far between, and he traces the rot from the mid-eighties, when a slew of 'cheap comedies were made after HTBH. "Most were remakes of Dada Kondke films," he says. Save for HTBH and Ammi Ya Mummy (1986), Chanchlani doesn't think there were any good movies till the noughties. Even then, he adds, things weren't so bleak. "That was the time Bollywood was churning out bad films, so there was still some hope for Sindhi cinema." As better Hindi movies came on the horizon, their Sindhi counterparts went on the back foot.

But Sindhi films aren't dead just yet, thanks in most part to Sound of Music, the audio-video store nestled in the lane off Ashok-Anil Multiplex. For over 35 years, its owner Lachhman 'Lali' Tejumal Gambhani has been collecting VCDs and DVDs of Sindhi songs and films. "If Lali doesn't have a copy, no one does," laughs Madan Jumani.

"Yes, I have the largest Sindhi film collection in all of Maharashtra," Lali confirms, beaming with pride. He also runs Ulhasnagar's USA Cablenet, dedicated to airing Sindhi sangeet and movies, functions like Jhulelal Mela, and new movie trailers. Of late, he's diversified into acting too, with bit roles in Kayo Timepass (2012), Faatho Aah Bhagwaan (2013), and Nayi Shuruat (2014).

Lali has a soft corner for Abana and Umar Marvi, the two pillars of Sindhi cinema. The former was directed by Deepak Asha, who also made 11 Hindi and seven Punjabi films, including the Nimmi-starrer Jalte Deep (1949) and Ghamand with Raj Kumar (1955).

"Ashaji was a master of all trades: he wrote, acted, directed and even edited, but never got the recognition he deserved," says Gopal Raghani, owner of Raghani Studios in Goregaon and director of films like Zindagi Hik Natak and Halyo Aa Putt Actor Thiyan. Although melancholic about Sindhi cinema's foray into obscurity, he feels it's pointless to make a Sindhi film today. Producers are hard to come by, and those who do have the muscle have crossed over to Bollywood. There's no equivalent of a Kumar or Ramesh Taurani here – someone with the know-how to finance or even promote a Sindhi film.

And Raghani's son Kamal intends cementing his place as a director – just not in Sindhi filmdom. "No Sindhi films," he insists. In a crowd of aging filmmakers and those who are keen to maintain ties with Sindhi cinema in some way or the other, Kamal stands out with what he calls a 'practical outlook'. "Short (Sindhi) films with better production could work, especially if they are released online," he says. "I have seen many Sindhi films, and most of them are unwatchable."

Desperate times, desperate measures

One of the industry's few 'blockbusters', Faatho Aah Bhagwaan (FAB), was released in 2013. Screened only in Ulhasnagar, the movie was a success despite stiff competition from Ayan Mukerji's Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. What's more, Anil Chanchlani says, it "ran on its own merit".

"FAB ran for 10 weeks and had 90 per cent occupancy in the first three weeks. It generated business of Rs 15-20 lakhs in Ulhasnagar alone. If the film was marketed well, it would've easily earned over Rs 1 crore," he feels.

But FAB's director Pareshh Jhamnani says that his film failed to recover costs. And when asked why a Sindhi movie "running on its own merit" is a big deal, he cites the desperate lengths many go to to have their films watched as the reason: "They approach sponsors or corporators for bulk bookings to give the impression that their films are 'houseful'. Because no one wants to pay for a ticket. These people (sponsors and corporators) send buses to get viewers to theatres and distribute freebies and snacks to them in return to watch the film."

Omprakash Rohida, the director of last year's Nayi Shuruat, concurs. Rohida went out of his way to make a film about thalassemia as 'accessible' as he could. There was comedy, drama and even an item song thrown in for good measure, because, he says, "if you make a film like a documentary, no one will see it".

Despite this, Nayi Shuruat, which was made on a modest budget of Rs 18 lakhs and enjoyed a 12-week run, failed to recover costs. "I paid for the premiere from my own pocket, so whatever returns I could have got went there only," laughs Rohida. Of the approximately 6,00,000 Sindhis in Ulhasnagar, only 25,000 saw his film. "People have become so habituated to getting free passes that they have no inclination to watch even quality Sindhi movies," he feels.

Madan Jumani is even more pessimistic. "Who will pay multiplex prices for Sindhi movies when you can watch something better on TV? TV pe aaj kal itna kuch hai (There's so much on TV these days)," he asks.

This is a world devoid of quality and original content, marketing whizzes and studios to catapult films into recognition. And the absence of a state means Sindhi films can't benefit from government subsidies. It's no wonder then that many have moved on to better prospects. Jumani, for one, is helming his first Hindi feature film Kako Kalumal, based on his own Sindhi drama about the fear of death.

Kamal Nathani is also exploring avenues in Bollywood. That his 2006 Hindi film With Luv… Tumhaara tanked doesn't deter him. His Radio Shishpal, set to roll in September this year, will be toplined by Vir Das. Nathani is also writing and producing the Marathi film, Premachi Mahadasha.

Regardless of the outlook, Ulhasnagar's Ashok-Anil Multiplex and Sound of Music will continue carrying the torch for Sindhi cinema. Anil Chanchlani says he will make sure the 'good' ones get at least two shows a day. And Lali will amass more titles to his ever-expanding Sindhi film and song collection, selling VCDs and DVDs to those who wish to stay in touch with their roots or are curious to see what Sindhi cinema is all about.