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Is Punjab the only state in north India? Nope. Do all Indians speak fluent Punjabi? Well, thanks to Raj and his ilk, we've come to learn what 'praah', 'soniye' and 'makhna' mean. What is with Bollywood's obsession with the state, considering that so many of its actors don't even come from there?
"The Indian family shown in movies is generally a north Indian one. What has changed in the last few years is that this family has become specifically Punjabi Hindu (not Sikh)," says Nandini Ramnath, film correspondent, Time Out magazine.
Trade analyst Vinod Mirani feels that Punjabi is quite close to Hindi. "Also, other states don't have as much of a creative contribution to the industry as much as Punjab does. The Gujarati influence extends to the money and the ownership of studios," he explains. Mirani adds that it is an ongoing trend that will change. "Back in the 1970s and '80s, Bambaiyya Hindi was huge. Now more than Punjabi, Hinglish is the rage."
Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali (director, Jab We Met and Love Aaj Kal), says it isn't a conscious decision. "When I thought up Geet (Kareena Kapoor in Jab We Met), I wanted her to be a Rajasthani. I had envisioned the whole travel sequence in which Aditya (Shahid Kapoor) takes her home to Rajasthan. But the exuberance of her character and the madness of her family lent itself to Punjab," he explains.
And the punjabi weddings. How many times have we seen the exact same shit happen over and over again? From Hum Apke Hain Kaun to the latest Veere ki wedding and Sonu Titu Sweety saga, these weddings have been the backbone of bollywood, no movie can stand a chance at the box office without it.
Kumkum Bhagya
Anupamaa
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