India is known for the glitz and glamour of Bollywood but there is another side!

In the era of fast content and short attention spans it’s imperative to understand the importance of major works of art in the past. When India and cinema are mentioned in the same sentence one instantly pictures the opulence and colors of the song and dance sequences of Bollywood, endowed with huge set pieces and massive Superstars, despite that there is a side of cinema and its history that is unknown to many people. From the late 1960s, India saw a rise in offbeat cinema from many states. These films were not part of a particular industry like Bollywood or  Tollywood but were produced and directed by individuals and most of them were funded by government aid. The Indian movement of offbeat cinema was mainly spearheaded by the alumni of the newly opened film institute and various other Intellectuals from several regions of India. This list doesn’t prioritize any particular region; the films chosen are from separate languages and states and seminal films which permeate and inspire filmmakers even. Many films from this list have also garnered widespread acclaim from International film festivals and critics across the board.

Uski Roti

Uski Roti is canon in the Indian parallel cinema movement and was directed by FTII graduate and auteur Mani Kaul. This was the debut effort by Mani Kaul and was adapted from a play by Mohan Rakesh, the film is set in rural India and tells the story of Sukha Singh and his wife. The film showcases an extreme intellectual understanding of film grammar. The rural setting also adds to the rich black-and-white cinematography of the film, it also won recognition for its outstanding image-making.

Bhuvan Shome

Directed by one of the three legendary directors of Bengal Mrinal Sen, Bhuvan Shome uses a number of techniques from international cinema and threads a uniquely Indian Story, of an Indian Bureaucrat, played by the legendary thespian Utpal Dutta who experiences being humbled by a village girl played by Suhasini Muley, shot magnificently by K.K Mahajan. The work also went on to win several awards in many categories for the creator as well as the actor.

Bhumika

A film by another prolific director associated with the Indian Parallel Cinema, Shyam Benegal, it tells the story of Hansa Wadkar an actress in the Silent Film Era and is also based on her autobiography. Photographed in different film stocks to indicate time by Govind Nihalani, who later went on to direct many films like Ardh Satya. The film also has a stellar star cast with Smita Patil playing the titular character who herself was one of the faces of Indian Parallel cinema.