Pollywood, in a book

Chandigarh-based Sapan Manchanda, a Punjabi entertainment critic, a frequent at various film festivals often finds himself questioning about the reach of Bollywood and other regional cinema. ‘Apart from the factory line production of films, huge budgets, what is it that makes Bollywood huge,” he wonders and answers it in the same breath, “maybe the reach. There is so much information available on the Internet about Hindi films, their actors, songs, production...just about everything something that Punjabi entertainment industry lacks.”

 In order to fill gaps and to take the reach of industry far and beyond, Sapan Manchanda has come up with a Bollywood directory with 392 pages. “Many might mistake it as Yellow Pages thing but this directory is pretty unlike a directory,” he pulls a huge copy for reference. 

This Pollywood directory which Sapan compiled in a span of six months after an extensive research not only has contacts of just about every artiste old and new associated with the industry, almost 7000 to put it in numbers. “The directory has a low down on Punjabi cinema from its initiation in 1931 to the present date. In fact, this directory will work as a reference for people who do not know much about the cinema and are keen on knowing more.” 

Though Sapan along with his diligent team has already given the industry directories before, this attempt is way different from the others. “Right from designers, makeup artists, singers, directors, production houses, it has numbers of all artistes,” adds Sapan who ensures that there is no way that these numbers can be misused. “We personally called up every single artiste to seek permission before printing their numbers, while some did not have any problem, others gave the alternate numbers.”

Sapan who is also a known casting director believes that there is enough work in the industry, “We need people who can guide freshers and assist them to fulfil their dreams, something that this industry will be fulfil.” 

— Jasmine Singh