Natraj Bhojpuria: Saste me Masta

“Apna Natraj, cheap and best” declares Azzharuddin, a street vendor and aspiring actor. Natraj Theatre, an old landmark in Chembur, Mumbai shifted to screening Bhojpuri movies somewhere in the early 2000s. The Bhojpuri film industry does a booming business with a new film releasing every next week in Natraj and a few other theatres in Mumbai. The documentary seeks to explore the space of this theatre. With the many single screen theatres that have been shut down in the city, Natraj too stands under the shadow of this threat of ‘redevelopment’. The film, through the voices of people in and around the theatre, looks at the meaning and importance of this space that is occupied by the migrant working class, the ‘Bhaiya’. How do the Bhaiyas look at their movies, the space of the theatre and the larger politics of the city?

Directors

Natraj Bhojpuria: Saste me Masta