Press Clips
From 1973 to 1987, Arun Bhatt gave the industry a totally different outlook by creating films that matched production values of Hindi Cinema. He took the risk of making films with urban backgrounds such as Mota Gharni Vahu, Lohini Sagaai, Paarki Thaapan etc. and proved that films without rural themes could not only be successful but become Jubilees. Arun Bhatt’s “Pooja na Phool” made in the early 80s won him an award for the Best Film from the Government of Gujarat and was also telecast on Doordarshan in the Sunday slot for Regional award winning films.
– Excerpt from World Heritage Encyclopedia
For many years after that, the Gujarati film industry was more or less static, rooted in storylines geared towards rural audiences. Between the 60s and 80s, producers and directors like Arun Bhatt and Ketan Mehta, among others, heralded what some people call “the golden age of Gujarati cinema”.
Abhishek Jain, the director of modern day Gujarati films such as Kevi Rite Jaish and Bey Yaar says, “Every regional film industry has its cycle. Marathi films are doing great now, but they weren’t a couple of decades ago. If social media had existed back in the 70s and 80s, Gujarati films would have made a lasting mark on the film industry.”
– Excerpts from The Better India’ blog titled ‘85 Years After the First Gujarati Talkie, Gujarati Cinema and Theatre Are Seeing a Resurgence’ by THE PEOPLE PLACE PROJECT dated APRIL 5, 2017
The Gujarati flame flickered on the national horizon for a while. Veteran actress Rita Bhaduri recalls, “I worked on Gujarati films during its golden age when there were good directors and actors in the Gujarati industry like Kanti Madia and Arun Bhatt in the 80s.”
– Excerpt from Indian Express, Westward ho!
Priyanko Sarkar Sep 07 2012
