Indian cinema is bigger than just “Bollywood” and there is no better reminder of that than some of the independent classics made in the 1970s and 1980s. The main catalyst of this new wave of Indian cinema was an unlikely government program. The National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) was started in 1975 by the Government of India to support high quality cinema that represented the best of India’s diverse artistic vision. It was, by all standards, a great success, producing cinema that was socially relevant and aesthetically exceptional in ways that the commercial industry was not able to deliver. Many of India’s greatest directors, such as Shyam Benegal, Govind Nihalani and Ketan Mehta, were supported and funded by NFDC. So strong was the impact of these films at the time that the movement acquired the name of “parallel cinema”, co-existing with the “Bollywood” mainstream.

A new special feature “India’s Finest Films: a parallel journey” traces the development of parallel cinema through interviews with many of the protagonists—directors and actors—and combines the commentary with some of the defining moments from this cinema. It reminds us that the parallel cinema movement had its roots in international experiments with realism and especially in the path breaking efforts of Satyajit Ray whose first film, Pather Panchali, released in 1955 and helped inspire a whole generation of directors in Hindi and other languages.

Interestingly, the special feature and the films in the festival showcase how some of the celebrated alternative Hindi films in recent times, by the likes of Anurag Kashyap, Tigmangshu Dhulia and others, are part of the long history of different, often questioning and not always comforting voices in Indian cinema. And that, in addition to the song-and-dance fantasies that we all love, there is the parallel world of artists wanting to engage with the realities, complexities and even the everyday-ness of life in our country. To know more about this fascinating journey, you can watch “India’s Finest Films: a parallel journey”.

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Zee Classic is showing a great selection of these movies —many of which were developed by the NFDC and some that were not—in the festival “India’s Finest Films”. The festival kicks off at 10pm on Saturday, July 16th and you can look forward to one of these films every week, same day same time, till 15th October. Here are snippets about some of them to whet your appetite:

Salaam Bombay. (Starring Shafiq Syed, Raghubir Yadav). Mira Nair’s breakout film was about the lives of street children living in Mumbai. It won the hearts of audiences worldwide and at home. It also won two National Awards, the Audience Award at Cannes and the Jury Prize at the Montreal Film festival and was nominated for an Oscar.

Mirch Masala. (Starring Naseeruddin Shah, Smita Patil). Ketan Mehta’s story dealt with a confrontation between an arrogant tax collector and a group of spirited village women living in colonial-era India. Its unforgettable last scene and performances by Naseeruddin Shah and Smita Patil make it one of parallel cinema’s greatest achievements.

Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro. (Starring Pavan Malhotra, Makarand Deshpande). Salim, a small-time thief, falls in with gangsters who promise to make him rich if he helps incite communal violence. Saeed Mirza’s film won a National Award for its camera work, and much praise for its exploration of communal tensions.

Ek Doctor Ki Maut. (Starring Pankaj Kapur, Shabana Azmi). Tapan Sinha directed this tragic story of a doctor who is trying to discover a vaccine for leprosy but is discredited for his attempt. The film highlighted flaws in the bureaucracy and government, which was remarkable in itself since the film was funded by NFDC.

Ardh Satya. (Starring Om Puri, Smita Patil). Govind Nihalani’s gritty crime drama written by noted playwright Vijay Tendulkar is also an unusual study of a violent father-son relationship. Om Puri’s performance won a Karlovy Vary Festival award for Best Actor and a National Award.

Qissa. (Starring Irrfan Khan, Tisca Chopra). This Punjabi film set after the Partition is about a Punjabi man who desires a son and raises his daughter like one. The film deals with the tragic consequences of his decision and features powerful performances from Irrfan Khan and Tilottama Shome, who plays his daughter.

Several hours of great cinema await you. To get a taste, watch the montage below. For more information about the film festival, see here.

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This article was produced by the Scroll marketing team on behalf of Zee Classic and not by the Scroll editorial team.