1. Introduction
New Wave cinema is defined as a way of grouping together a series of films and personnel that represent a change of direction or a break with the past. A New Wave is usually a historical moment within a national cinema. The most famous example is the French New Wave (Nouvelle Vague); essentially a group of young critics turned film-makers who broke with the past traditions and made exciting, experimental and innovating films. Other New Waves include the Italian New Wave, British, Polish, Czech, Hollywood and even Indian New Wave where directors in the 1970s made groundbreaking films that reinvigorated the industry and broke old boundaries.
2. New Wave Indian Cinema
New Wave Indian Cinema is a specific genre of Indian cinema which is known for its serious content, realism and naturalism, with an eye on the socio-political climate of the times. The New Wave Indian cinema owed much more to foreign influences, such as Italian Neo-Realism or French New Wave, than they did to the commercial Indian cinema.
The films of the likes of Apu Trilogy (Bengali) by Satyajit Ray, Meghe Dhaka Tara(Bengali) by Ghatak and Do Bigha Zameen (Hindi) by Bimal Roy were the one’s which created a wave of new cinema.
2.1 Why Parallel Cinema?
This genre is distinct from the traditional Bollywood cinema in many perspectives. It was a cinema by intellectuals and for the intellectuals who were frustrated with the mindless song-dance dramas made in India. They wanted to do things differently and they did. They wanted to capture India in its true colour, no space for nonhuman heroism, no melodrama to make the script sell, moving away from the stereotype that large budget, big star movies are the one’s which are good to see. They wanted to translate their personal preoccupations into films that are proud of their local roots and ethos. It was truly regional in the best sense of the word. The most vibrant work flourishes in three areas: the Malayalam speaking...