04-07-2025
Before this film released, puja was performed in theatre, audience watched it after removing…, not Adipurush, Ramayana, film is…
In 1975, a unique sight was seen outside the cinema hall. Women from nearby villages and towns, many of them elderly, came to watch the film in buses, carts and bullock carts. Inside the hall, many women would remove their slippers. Some were barefoot. They watched the story on the screen with reverence and wonder, as if they were attending a satsang. 'Jai Santoshi Maa' was not just a religious film for them, but a life-affirming one. Before this film began, puja used to happen in theatre
All this was repeated for months in hundreds of small towns and villages across the country. This film by first-time director Vijay Sharma was released on 30 May 1975, when the Emergency was four weeks away from being imposed in the country. 'Sholay' was released on 15 August, but no one could stop the popularity of the low-budget 'Jai Santoshi Maa'. Viewers would offer coins, flowers and rice to the screen. How did Jai Santoshi Maa become a huge success?
In the 1975 trade guide annual report, 'Jai Santoshi Maa' and 'Sholay' were given blockbuster status above 'Deewar'. The film celebrated golden and silver jubilees in many cities. According to Film Information magazine, a separate 9 am show for women was started in Malad, Bombay.
The impact of this film was not limited to just revenue. From the silent era to the 1960s, religious films were continuously made in the cinema market of Bombay. They were mocked by the educated urban people, but had a huge fan base among the common people. The opening credits of the film were written in Hindi, not in English, which was common at that time. The production of religious films decreased in the 1970s. Most of the films were unsuccessful except 'Sampoorna Ramayan' in 1973. 'Jai Santoshi Maa' produced by Satram Rohra breathed new life into this waning market.
