The contribution of actresses to the unprecedented position that Bhojpuri film industry has achieved in the last two decades on the map of regional cinema can never be forgotten. In this cinema related to the soil of Purvanchal, Bihar and Jharkhand, artists from different states and backgrounds of the country have proved their talent. Often the audience thinks that all the actresses seen in saree and vermillion on the Bhojpuri screen come from traditional Hindu families, but the reality is much more diverse and interesting than this. Many beautiful and talented actresses belonging to Muslim families of Mumbai and other metros entered Bhojpuri cinema and not only changed the profile of this industry, but also ruled the box office as 'superstars' for decades. Rani Chatterjee (Sabiha Shaikh): Got a new name from the shooting of the temple and became the 'Queen' of Bhojpuri. Whenever the revival of Bhojpuri cinema and the beginning of the modern era is discussed, the first name that will come will be that of Rani Chatterjee. Today the world knows her as Rani Chatterjee, her real name is 'Sabiha Shaikh'. Born in a conservative Muslim family of Mumbai, Sabiha was fond of acting and dancing since childhood. In 2003, when director Ajay Sinha was looking for a new girl opposite Manoj Tiwari for his historical blockbuster film 'Sasura Bada Paisawala', he chose only 14-15 year old Sabiha. The story of Sabiha Shaikh becoming 'Rani Chatterjee' is very filmy and interesting in itself. The shooting of the film was going on in a famous temple located in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh. At that time a huge crowd of media and local people came to watch the shooting. When some journalists asked the director the name of the actress, to avoid any kind of religious controversy or uproar in the atmosphere, the director immediately removed the name 'Rani' from her mouth. When asked about his surname, he added the surname of a colleague of his unit present there and called it 'Rani Chatterjee'. This film proved to be the biggest all-time blockbuster in history and this screen name of Sabiha became her identity forever. Rani worked in more than 400 Bhojpuri films and became the first female superstar to earn the highest fees in the industry with films like 'Devra Bada Satavela', 'Rani No. 786', 'Ganga Rani'. Sahar Afsha: Superhit films with Khesari and Pawan Singh, then left fame and chose Allah's path. When Sahar Afsha, coming from an elite Muslim family of Bengaluru, entered Bhojpuri cinema, she made the audience crazy with her simplicity, beautiful smile and brilliant acting. She made a dream debut in the year 2020 with the film 'Mehndi Laga Ke Rakhna 3' with superstar Khesari Lal Yadav. This film proved to be a superhit at the box office and Sahar joined the ranks of Bhojpuri's top leading ladies overnight. After this he worked in 'Ghatak' with Pawan Singh and many big projects with Ritesh Pandey. When her career was at the peak of success and she had offers from dozens of big producers, in 2022 Sahar Afsha took a shocking decision which shocked the entire entertainment industry. Like Bollywood's Zaira Wasim and Sana Khan, Sahar Afsha also shared a long emotional post on social media and announced that she is now saying goodbye to the world of glamor and films forever. Sahar clarified that she wants to follow the path shown by Allah, hijab and religious education for the rest of her life. Today they are completely away from glamor and are busy in their marital and spiritual life. Shaba Khan: Social media sensation and uncrowned queen of music videos. Bhojpuri music industry today receives crores of views daily on digital platforms and 'Shaba Khan' is a prominent face of this digital revolution. Mumbai resident Shaba Khan has created a distinct and very strong identity for herself through Bhojpuri music videos and dance albums. Shaba Khan has worked as a lead model in dozens of trending songs with big singers like Samar Singh, Khesari Lal Yadav, Ankush Raja and Arvind Akela 'Kallu'. The steps and killer expressions of his songs go viral on YouTube and Instagram reels. Shaba proved that even without doing big roles in films, one can rule the hearts of Bhojpuri audience only on the basis of her dancing skills, dedication and expressions. Ruby Singh and Nazia Khan: Strong actresses of family drama and action films, Ruby Singh's name is also taken with great respect among the old and experienced actresses of Bhojpuri cinema. Ruby showed her acting skills in many hit films like 'Bhojpuri Sultan', 'Dilbar Sanam' and 'Jambaaz Khiladi'. She not only played glamorous characters but also lived the characters of typical villager and family with multiple daughters with equal intensity. Similarly, actress Nazia Khan also proved her talent in supporting and character roles in many projects in Bhojpuri and regional cinema. These actresses did not let any barrier of language and culture come in their way and adopted the typical Bhojpuri dialect, accent and traditions so effortlessly that no one would guess on screen that they came from a non-Bhojpuri or Muslim background. Screen name trend: compulsion or marketing need? The tradition of changing screen name or surname in the entertainment world is decades old. Yusuf Khan becoming 'Dilip Kumar', Begum Para, Madhubala (Mumtaz Begum) and Meena Kumari (Mehjabeen Bano) in Bollywood have been the biggest examples of this. Even in Bhojpuri cinema, when actresses from Mumbai came to work in films from Bihar and UP in the 90s and 2000s, many times the directors and PR teams gave them screen names that could directly connect with the local audience. This step was not taken out of any malice, but primarily for box office marketing and to establish an emotional connect with the target audience. The audience also never looked at the artists through the lens of their religion or their original name, but showered their love and applause wholeheartedly on their acting, their dance moves and their dialogue delivery. Art has no boundaries and religion: The inclusive power of Bhojpuri cinema From Rani Chatterjee to Sahar Afsha and Shaba Khan, the success of all these Muslim actresses is a living proof that art, music and cinema are not bound by the boundaries of any religion, caste or state. These actresses presented the folk culture of UP-Bihar, Chhath songs, Kajri songs of Sawan and traditional festival scenes on screen with such beauty and dignity that they became an integral part of every Bhojpuri speaking family. The dedication and journey of these artists reflects the beautiful and inclusive fabric of Indian cinema where talent alone is respected.
