Actress Neetu Chandra, whose first production titled Deswa is being regarded as a coming-of-age Bhojpuri film, is miffed with Bhojpuri superstar Ravi Kissen.
Chandra was apparently led up the garden path by Kissen, who initially displayed enthusiasm about playing the lead in her production, but begged off after more than a year of dilly dallying.
"No thanks to him (Ravi Kissen), Deswa is being seen as a turn-around project in Bhojpuri cinema. Bihar's Chief Minister Nitish Kumarji saw it recently and loved it.
Everyone who has watched the film -- and not many want to see a Bhojpuri film because of the cheesy tag it has acquired in the last 20 years -- thinks Dewsa will finally bring some glory to Bhojpuri cinema. The so-called superstars of Bhojpuri cinema have treated it like a prostitute -- used and abused it to their own advantage.
Today Bhojpuri cinema is a dirty term, a butt of ridicule and contempt, " said Chandra.
Elaborating on Kissen's 'betrayal', Chandra said, "Since he's a big star in Bhojpuri films, my brother Nitin Chandra wanted him to act in Deswa. He was enthusiastic at first, and said that this film would revolutionise Bhojpuri cinema.As months passed, he turned elusive. The final straw was when he refused to shoot in Bihar. Can you believe that? We're happy we replaced him with Kranti Prakash Jha, a well-known model and actor. He has done a fabulous job."
When contacted, Kissen played down the issue. "Neetu is such a wonderful girl. I'm very fond of her. She's just upset because I couldn't do the film due to date hassles.
I stayed with the project for one-and-a-half years. I offered inputs to the script -- it was almost like my own film. But then they wanted me to shoot in Buxar, and that too in the sticky summer. That would have created genuine security problems for me and the crew. Why would I not want to shoot in Bihar?" he said.
