Why This Haryanvi Film Festival Is Important for Local Creators
Haryanvi pop culture is moving from music tracks to the big screen. Here is what happened at the recent Haryanvi Film Festival in Rohtak.
Haryanvi Cinema is changing fast. For a long time, Haryana’s entertainment world was all about hit music videos on YouTube and Instagram reels. Local songs and singers proved they could win millions of fans far outside the state. Now, that same energy is moving from music tracks into movies.
A clear sign of this shift happened in Rohtak, where Haryanvi film festival organized by the Haryanvi Innovative Film Association (HIFA) recently wrapped up its two-day run. Held at Dada Lakhmi Chand SUPVA University, the event became a meeting place for directors, actors, young creators, and students from Haryana and other parts of India to discuss the future of Haryanvi Cinema.
What Happened at Haryanvi Film Festival Rohtak?
The festival was created as a platform for filmmakers to screen their work and connect with other people from the film world. Instead of focusing on one major release, the event brought different kinds of films and creators together under one programme.
The first day featured 16 films from different languages and styles. The lineup included Haryanvi films such as Muawza, Sanjhi, Wada, Sangi and Khelunga, along with films from other parts of India and international independent projects. This gave the audience a chance to see Haryanvi work alongside cinema from outside the state.
Also Read:- How Regional Identity Became India’s New Mainstream Powerhouse
The festival also accepted films across several categories, including feature films, short films, documentaries, student films, animation and music videos. This meant the event was not limited to established filmmakers and also opened space for younger and independent creators.
A filmmaking masterclass was another part of the programme. Filmmaker Ashwini Chaudhary spoke to students about storytelling, screenplay writing, character development, camera language, casting and direction, giving young creators an opportunity to learn directly from someone working in the industry.
Haryanvi Cinema Takes Centre Stage
Haryanvi Film Festival comes at a time when more Haryanvi films are trying different ways to reach audiences. Peddler Media has been following this change through films such as Licence, Azad Singh and Harphool Jaat Julani, each showing a different side of the current Haryanvi film scene.
Licence, starring Masoom Sharma and Yashpal Sharma, brought a Haryanvi film into the multiplex conversation, including screenings at PVR INOX locations. The film also showed how artists already popular in Haryanvi music can become part of a larger movie audience.
The connection between music and movies is also visible in Azad Singh, which stars Haryanvi music artist Aman Jaji. The film is another example of popular Haryanvi artists moving into cinema and bringing their existing audience with them.
Then there is Harphool Jaat Julani, which takes a story from Haryana’s history to the screen. The project shows that Haryanvi Movies are not only looking at modern commercial stories but are also exploring characters and events connected to Haryana’s own past.
Harphool Jaat Julani on Peddler Media
These films were not part of the festival’s 16-film opening-day count simply to create a list. They are useful context for understanding why an event like HIFA’s festival is happening now: there is already more activity around Haryanvi cinema, and filmmakers need places where this work can be seen and discussed.
What Filmmakers Discussed at the Festival
The festival was also a space to talk about the practical side of making regional films. The conversation was not only about actors and releases but also about the people and support needed behind a film.
Famous actor and filmmaker Yashpal Sharma spoke directly to young students about the real business side of movies. He mentioned that while making an independent Haryanvi Film has become easier due to rising local talent, the real test is making it profitable.
For the movie scene to survive beyond occasional festivals, it needs a proper system. Local financiers must invest in regional scripts, independent distributors need to back theatre releases, and most importantly, the audience must regularly buy tickets to support local language films on the big screen.
Haryanvi Film Festival For New Filmmakers
HIFA event at SUPVA also gave the festival a strong connection with students and young creators. Instead of keeping the event only for established names, the programme included learning sessions and categories for student and independent films.
That makes the festival relevant beyond the two days of screenings. Someone attending the event as a student today could eventually become a writer, director, cinematographer or producer working on a Haryanvi Film tomorrow.
The organisers also opened the festival to different forms of filmmaking, including documentaries, animation, music videos and short films. This gives creators more than one way to enter the regional film space.
Why This Rohtak Event Matters
One festival cannot construct an entire industry overnight. However, by routing this event through a creative hub like SUPVA in Rohtak, the organizers have provided the next generation of storytellers with a proper platform to discover their voice.
Making films is only one part of building a regional film industry. A strong cinema ecosystem also needs audiences, filmmakers, actors, writers, producers, festivals, and platforms where these films can be discovered.
Haryana’s music has already conquered the digital space; now, its cinema is systematically laying down the bricks to build a world of its own.
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