Actress Monalisa has addressed the long-standing perception that Bhojpuri cinema is largely associated with glamour, double-meaning songs and vulgar content, saying that such opinions are often formed without people actually watching the films.
In an exclusive interview with IANS, Monalisa said she had been hearing criticism about vulgarity in Bhojpuri entertainment for years. However, she believes that the perception is often driven by music videos that become popular on digital platforms.
“I have been hearing about vulgarity in Bhojpuri entertainment for many years. But I think many people who comment on this have not actually watched the films. They may have only seen certain music videos that have received millions of views on YouTube, and because of that, they judge the entire industry,” she said.
“All Bhojpuri films are not like that. There may be a lot more of such content in albums and music videos, but films are different. There are good actors, and we genuinely perform well in films,” she added.
Monalisa also spoke about the rapid growth of regional cinema and the increasing presence of actors from regional industries in the wider Indian entertainment landscape.
“I think every regional industry is growing, and especially regional cinema is growing very rapidly. In fact, I feel we were a little late,” she said, noting that South Indian and Bengali cinema had been at the forefront in several areas for a long time.
The ‘Nazar’ actress also reflected on her own journey from the regional entertainment space to national television and films. She recalled that she had begun establishing a presence on national television around a decade ago through shows such as ‘Bigg Boss’ and ‘Nach Baliye’, besides appearing in several reality shows and television serials.
“Things have changed now. Around a decade ago, I was already working in national television. I did ‘Bigg Boss’, ‘Nach Baliye’, several reality shows and television serials. I have also worked in many South Indian films,” Monalisa said.
“So, from the beginning, we were trying to get national recognition while coming from a regional space. It is a very good thing that the industry is growing very quickly. That is good for all of us,” she added.