Kahi Debe Sandesh was released in 1965. Directed and produced by Manu Nayak, it was a story of
intercaste love; its release caused controversy, with Brahmins calling for a ban. The next Chhattisgarhi film to be released was
Ghar Dwar in 1971, produced by Vijay Kumar Pandey. However, both performed poorly at the box office. On October 27, 2000,
Mor Chhainha Bhuinya was released, the first Chhattisgarhi film since
Ghar Dwar. The film was a major success, grossing over ₹20,000,000, recouping its budget of around ₹2,000,000. Interest in the genre would further increase in 2005 when
Bhakla was released, featuring a song composed by Kalyan Sen and sung by
Lata Mangeshkar. Later, the film
Bar. Satish Jain, having watched the film produced
Mayaa, Films such as
Mahun Deewana Tahun Deewani (Swapnil Film Productions)
Tura Rikshawala, and
Laila Tip Top Chhaila Angutha Chhap were released soon after.
Bhulan The Maze opened to international praise and won several awards. It became the first Chhattisgarhi movie to win a
National Film Awards, winning Best Film in Chhattisgarhi at
67th National Film Awards. Today Chhattisgarhi films often play in theatres outside of
Chhattisgarh, especially in cities like
Nagpur. The government of Chhattisgarh made a film policy to support Chhattisgarhi cinema. However, the support structure in the form of a subsidy remains unclear. The film makers are struggling to showcase their films due to an inadequate number of
cinema hall in the state. The film makers want the state government to help penetrate smaller towns to increase viewership, as that will help recover the production cost. This is important as unlike in 2000s when an average of only 4 to 5 films were made annually, today 40 to 50 film are made annually. This has resulted in competition between films that is affects their earnings. ==Notable people==