Punjabi cinema, often known as Pollywood or Punjwood (Panj-wood), is indeed a Punjabi language movie industry located in Amritsar and Mohali in the Indian state of Punjab.
Punjabi cinema began in 1928 with the release of Daughters of Today, the first feature film produced in the province. In 1932, the first sound picture, Heer Ranjha, was released utilising sound-on-disc technology. Since then, Punjabi cinema has produced a slew of films, several of which have gained international acclaim. Many performers and filmmakers began their careers in Punjabi films, and many of them have gone on to achieve international acclaim. Others have found more financial success in larger film production businesses.
Lahore, the provincial capital of British Punjab, began filming in the 1920s. Daughters of Today, the first silent movie, was premiered in Lahore in 1924 when the city had nine working cinemas. The majority of the films exhibited at these cinemas were made in Bombay and Calcutta, with Hollywood and London being rare exceptions.
G.K. Mehta, a former North-Western Railways official who, like H. S. Bhatavdekar, had smuggled a camera into the nation, created Daughters of Today. Mehta continued to make newsreels for corporations in other countries and pursued new movie ideas, however his passion was short-lived as he departed the movie business for more lucrative endeavours. But it wasn’t until Abdur Rashid Kardar’s Husn Ka Daku was released in 1929–1930 that the cinema industry had truly established itself in Lahore’s Bhati Gate neighbourhood. Kardar, a competent calligraphist, was joined by Muhammad Ismail, a fellow artist and friend who would design the posters for his flicks.
Shadaa, Ardaas Karaan, Chal Mera Putt, Muklawa, Manje Bistre 2, Nikka Zaildar 3, Singham, Rabb Da Radio 2, Dil Diyaan Gallan, Blackia, Laiye Je Yaarian, Chandigarh Amritsar Chandigarh, Kaka Ji, as well as Band Vajje were among the 61 punjabi movies produced globally in 2019. At the 66th National Film Awards, Harjeeta received two awards: Best Punjabi Film as well as Best Child Actor. Laung Laachi, a song from the movie Laung Laachi, was the first Indian song to exceed one billion views on YouTube.
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