Kranti Prakash on how characters from Bihar are stereotyped in Bollywood
Kranti Prakash Jha has expressed his discontent over the way Bihari characters are being portrayed on the silver screen, especially in Bollywood. Without naming anyone, the Batla House actor says that such characters are being stereotyped in the way they speak or behave.
“Given the way these characters are being stereotyped on screen, they are mostly seen speaking in a certain dialect and behaving in a certain way. That isn’t the reality. I come from that part of the country, so I know. People in the state speak in more than one language. When Maithili, Bhojpuri, Magadhi, Bajjika and Angika, are mostly being spoken there, why are characters from Bihar shown speaking the same language?” he asks.
Since movies have the power to influence, it’s high time that the unidirectional approach towards the portrayal of characters from Bihar, changes. He is hopeful that filmmakers would highlight the good aspects of the state, so that people who reside there, can take pride in their culture much like Tamilians, Marathis, Bengalis or
Gujaratis, among others, do.
“When I was studying in Delhi University I was nicknamed as Hari because I’m from Bihar. This nickname was given to everyone from Bihar. They would also try to mimic the way we speak... It felt bad that not many know much about the state…,” he recollects.
Praising the effort put in by people such as the National Award winning filmmaker, Nitin Chandra, and actor Neetu Chandra, Kranti adds, “I’ve worked with Nitin in Once Upon a Time in Bihar (2015) and I know how much work he is doing. As an actor, I am also in talks for projects with good stories. Given my standing in Bollywood, I would need to earn more name and money before I can make some films,” says Kranti.