How different is parallel cinema from commercial cinema?
Whenever an image emerges in our mind about the 111-year-old indian cinema, what is it? Some films before Mughal-e-Azam like Chalte Ka Naam Gaadi and Chaudhvin Ka Chand Or films after it like Sholay to Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and the recent pushpa 2. Actually, the cinema that comes first in our mind is called mainstream cinema by experts. But if we consider cinema as a tree, then it becomes necessary that it does not have just one branch. Actually, it has some other branches, one of which many people do not notice because it did not flourish in the way mainstream cinema flourished. And this is called parallel cinema.
That is, a cinema that does not talk about glamour and stars at all. In that cinema, big stars appear as actors. This cinema neither gives the makers a chance to earn money nor is any effort made to reach it to the general audience properly. But the special thing about this cinema is that it talks about society. It talks about the common man. It keeps an eye on burning issues, it tries to give priority to social concerns even if entertainment is secondary.
Indian cinema was ruled by superstars like rajesh khanna till the 1970s, whose films had romance, songs and music, but the story and characters of Rajesh Khanna's films were often far from reality, that is, what was shown did not match reality.
During this period, filmmakers like shyam benegal came, who did not consider films as just a means of entertainment, but he believed that films can be a means to bring out the problems of society and bring about change. shyam benegal changed his way of making films and made his first film 'Ankur' in 1974. With this film, he took a completely different direction from the usual way of bollywood masala films.
'Ankur' was shyam Benegal's film, for which he worked hard for 13 years. Although, initially no one was interested in this film, but Shyam Benegal did not give up, and when this film was made, it showed a new direction in hindi cinema. This film was not just entertainment, but raised deep issues of society. This film started a new wave in indian cinema, which was later called "parallel cinema". In this way, shyam Benegal started a new revolution in indian cinema through his film 'Ankur'.
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