Indian Parallel Cinema: its emergence

‘English August’, ‘Split wide open’, ‘Drohkal’ to the newly released much talked’ Peepli Live’. All these are a new breed of movies, which are popularly categorized or bunched as ‘parallel cinema’. So what exactly is this parallel cinema concept and how did it come into existence, or how has it progressed and advanced in path with the Indian film industry? Let’s talk about it.

Cinema was and has been the most popular form and medium of entertainment in our country, and thanks to the global market, it has now become a huge lucrative industry. Through the film industry’s travel over a span of 65 years, it has experienced lots of innovations, turn arounds, applauds and criticism. Cinema has in fact been one of the very few forms in our country which has brought out and nurtured a wide range of creative people from an array of fields- composers, singers, actors, scriptwriters, dramatists, painters, more and more.

Now coming to parallel cinema. Before we start our main discussion, let us limit ourselves to the main film industry that is Bollywood. Yes, we do have regional film industries where parallel and alternative form of film making exists, but that is too complex a subject I guess for a single blog post. So as I was telling, if we look into the past history of Bollywood, we will easily see that the roots of parallel cinema were already planted long ago. Thanks to the changing scenario, that tree is now getting adequate care to spread its branches.

According to Rahul Bose, “parallel cinema has always been a tool for portraying the realities of life, but in a way that is understandable to the audience’. It fact it was this absence of realism in popular mainstream cinema, which led to the rise of an alternative genre of film making. It was in the 1950s, that somewhat marked the beginning of parallel cinema. India, that time, was a fresh nation, free from the shackles of British rule and was trying to set its feet on the global industrial and political scale. The changing socio-economic-political scenario created ferment in the film genre and raised post colonial issues like poverty, feudal social system and so on. With P.C. Barua’s ‘Devdas’, with the matchless, K.L Sehgal as the tragic, a new form of cinema came into existence.

Likewise in Bombay, directors like Sohrab Modi, Khwaja Ahmed Abbas and Santa Ram started experimenting with films, along with the ones produced by Phabhat and Bombay Talkies studios. The folk tradition too was richly portrayed, with a blend of the contemporary social context in Raj Kapoor’s ‘Awara’ and ‘Shree 420’.  All these films brought out the class divide that was still in vogue in the then Indian society, in a simple yet sophisticated manner. Another milestone in parallel Indian cinema was ‘Do Bigha Zamin’ by Bimal Roy. The great film which dealt with the proletarisation of Indian peasantry had Balraj Sahni, who gave an absolutely memorable performance.

The social questioning and curiosity turned into disillusionment and tragic romanticism during the end of the decade.  This haunting tragic poetic romanticism was evident in Guru Dutt’s ‘Kagaz ke Phool’ and ‘Pyaasa’. Dutt provided a new dimension to Hindi parallel cinema, along with soulful melody, excellent camera work (including use of shades) and his own exceptional acting.   

The next two decades saw the establishment of a number of film institutions like Film Archives of India and Film and Television Institute, which made Indian parallel cinema more meaningful. A new breed of talented directors, actors, and film personalities passed out from these places and contributed to the growth of this genre of movie making. Directors like Girish Karnad, Shyam Benegal, Gulzar, Adoor Gopalkrishnan, Sekhar Kapoor, Basu Chatterjee, Saeed Mirza, Ketan Mehta and others tried out new cinematic ideas, and were complemented by talented actors like Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, and Kulbhusan Kharbanda and so on. Some notable films made in this period were Bhumika, Ankur, and Maasoom, to name a few. 

To conclude, it can be said that Indian parallel cinema has today made itself a well known cinematic form of expression in the country. Although not so popular like its mainstream counterpart, it is widely accepted among a certain section of educated audience. Parallel cinema, has in fact proved its point and is all set to flourish in the future.

Is porn so promiscuous?

 Avishek Ganguly

Once in an interview I was asked “what’s your favorite pastime?” “Watching movies”. “What kind of movies?” “From Eisenstein, Ray, Chopra to hard core porn”, I answered. And lo, the very moment, I could see a disgustingly astonished look on everyone’s face.  What is this guy saying, must be a senile or lech” that was the expression like. Well, this is what I exactly want to talk about. Why do Indians behave in such a weird disdainful manner when they hear about pornography?  What’s so abnormal about it? Is porn really a sin?

I guess you have already understood that I don’t nurture any inhibition or disrespect about porn and rather support it as a genre of creative art. No other form, I guess glorifies or describes the feeling of lust like porn does. Like love, lust too is a basic human feeling and we all should accept this fact. Agree or disagree, pornography is a form of human expression and yes, to a great degree, a huge form of entertainment and pleasure. Well, if you think or consider it as pervert, let me tell you that perversion too is part of human nature and form of enjoyment.

And talking about expression, unlike our common concept, it’s not so easy writing or filming porn. In his essay, ‘Inside the Whale’, which was actually a review of Henry Miller’s book ‘Tropic of Cancer’, George Orwell made a wonderful statement when he said “it is rather the fashion to say that nothing is easier than to write an obscene book (in our case movies), that people only do it in order to get themselves talked about and make money, etc., etc. If there were easy money to be made out of dirty words, a lot more people would be making it.” In fact there have been and are lots of ‘good’ porn films that are made, which have excellent cinematography, scripting and acting (well it takes guts and skill to act in porn, not everybody can do it). Click on the AVN Awards site for knowing more.

In India (a land of 330 million Gods), where society is greater than human freedom, its common that people will shudder at the name of porn, where sex is portrayed vividly. I somehow do not like this ‘S’ word, I’ll rather prefer the term ‘making love’. That’s more aesthetic and pleasing to hear. So if making love is a fundamental natural human feeling, what’s the harm if you show it on camera? Mahesh Bhatt had once suggested that special halls be made for watching porn movies. As always, our so called ‘moral watch dogs’, posing as “watch gods’ created huge furor. Some even went to the extent of calling Bhatt a pimp.  Anyways, they had to be loyal and keep up their’ Bharatiya’ spirit, even if it is filled with thousand hypocrisies. You judge it yourself- who is a better human being. A guy who watches porn but protests against eve teasing or someone who acts virtuous but ogles at a woman’s bedroom.

I guess it’s not getting too boring, just one more para left after this. Coming to the money part. Porn is one of the most lucrative industries across the globe with $10 billion to $14 billion annual sales. It is the second largest economy in Las Vegas. An average porn actor earns around $100,000 to $250,000 yearly. Forget high flying economics, ask your local CD vendor and you will know how popular the demand for porn is. If one stands at a busy road and yells “porn, porn”, the CDs will sell like hot samosas. I can guarantee that.

Then what’s the harm with something which is so popular and so talked about? Just like anything, it too is just a form of entertainment. Whether you wish to watch porn or not ultimately depend on you. There’s nothing so derisive or despising. And if anyone thinks me to be a pervert after reading this blog, I pity his or her mental abilities and wish a speedy mental recovery from the well of ignorance and foolishness.

Getting slimmer and fitter costs nothing

By Avishek Ganguly

Time and again friends ask me "how do you keep so fit?” the question automatically brightens my face with pride, just a like halo around our Gods. Well I may sound mean ( I beg forgiveness and punishment) but sometimes I do feel an epicurean pleasure seeing tummy clad fatties gasping their way through a stair or nudging their way like a hippo with immense difficulty in a crowded bus. However, it also pains me to see women with beautiful faces but with fat tummies; I guess this tummy thing somehow reduces the charm of ogling at pretty women. Anyways, coming straight to the topic- here are some fitness tips from me, an ‘aam admi’ who is a bit concerned about keeping his body fit.   

Yes, another handy word of advice and caution before I start my gyans! Please don’t ruin your body and mind by nurturing some hyperbolic ambition to make a physique or figure like the Salmans or Priyankas. And don’t even think of getting a ‘Kapoor Size Zero’ syndrome, or else you will land up at hospital bed. These people have different diet regimes and different lifestyles, so it’s better that we avoid imitating them. We are normal people and so we should try to remain fit in the normal way. It’s virtually impossible for us to maintain those hi-fi diet and fitness habits amidst the stress and wear and tear that we go through everyday. So try what can be achieved and not the impossible.

Lots of beating about the bush, now let’s hit the point: “how to lose excessive weight?” I guess (even those docs think the same too), more than what you eat and how much you eat, the time when you eat matters more in making you fat. Thanks to our fast lifestyle (a lot of us pretend to be busier even than the PM), we can’t maintain the basic regular diet timings. The result: indigestion and fat formation. So what’s the solution? It’s easy- try to maintain a proper diet habit even in your (too) busy schedule. And yes, have plenty of water…it filters your system and also does not cost you much time.

Walk and walk-run and run, it’s the best solution when it comes to losing weight. The next time you need to go to the 6th floor, walk the stairs instead of lifting yourself. The drops of sweat you lose can be precious fatty acids which will reduce your waistline. Coming to the second option, if possible, jog for at least 30 minutes (not a short stroll- by jog my mean jog). You can also play some outdoor sports. Not only is it enjoyable but also healthy. You can play badminton, rugby, football, cricket, tennis or anything. Even a ‘chor-police’ game, which involves running, will do. Substitute biking with cycling, the latter makes you fitter.

Try doing all these and trust me, you will lose weight. Before you go to those Dr. Batras and VLCCs, try these methods. They cost nothing but are worth huge. Let not some stupid doctor dictate you how to shed extra fat….you can do it yourself!