Parallel filmmaking at its best

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Pather Panchali

The term “parallel cinema” — meant as an alternative to mainstream commercial cinema — is still equated with meaningful filmmaking.

Film historians trace the beginnings of the parallel cinema movement back to the 1940s, and it was flourishing by the 1960s. Filmmakers like Guru Dutt, Bimal Roy, Ray, Chetan Anand all made this the “Golden Age” of Indian cinema. Literature was a great influence on filmmakers from this age, and their works often drew heavily from it. The films also highlighted the social issues of the time and were a reflection of society itself, which is why their relevance hasn’t diminished over time. And the acclaim for these films poured in — Chetan Anand’s 1946 film Neecha Nagar won the grand prize at the first ever film festival held at Cannes, Guru Dutt’s 1957 film Pyaasa was featured in TIME magazine’s 100-best films list while Ray’s Pather Panchali and Apu trilogy strengthened his status as a master. Many of these films also garnered commercial success, such as Roy’s Do Bigha Zameen.
By the 1990s, the movement lost much of its thrust, but the gems that were created at its prime continue to inspire today.