Started in the 1950s in West Bengal, the movement aimed at creating films based on the experiences of life
Cinephiles are aware of various film movements such as the British New Wave, Poetic Realism, etc., and to some extent, even those who are not too educated about movies have heard these names on podcasts or reels. However, the majority are not aware of India’s own film movement—the Parallel Cinema or New Indian Cinema movement—because the movement rarely gets the discussion or credit it deserves.
In the 1950s, Parallel Cinema originated in West Bengal to showcase the struggles of real life. It was an alternative to commercial movies, which focused more on entertainment.
The film movement was inspired by Italian Neorealism and started just before the French and Japanese New Waves.
The movement was led by some of the finest directors India has ever produced. Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, Mrinal Sen, Tapan Sinha, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Balu Mahendra, G. Aravindan, Shyam Benegal, Girish Karnad, Girish Kasaravalli, Shaji N. Karun, and Buddhadeb Dasgupta are some of the famous directors who contributed to the movement.
The movement grew strongly in India over three decades, with brilliant films such as the Apu Trilogy, Pyaasa, Do Bigha Zamin, Abhijan, Naandi, Swayamvaram, and so on.
Unfortunately, by the 1990s, the distribution of these films became a problem because the audience demanded entertainment more than art. Also, commercial Hindi films had a larger budget because the majority of the producers had no interest in investing money in art films.
Art found its way back as a chunk of the Indian population craved meaningful plots and scripts rather than masala entertainment. From Satya (1998) to Abohomaan (2009) and Girls Will Be Girls (2024), Parallel Cinema has found its place back and seems to be making noise, not only in India but also in foreign film festivals.
