With realistic narrations and portrayals, these directors gave a new cinema
The new wave of Indian cinema or Parallel cinema as it is called reached the Indian entertainment circle in the early 50s introducing the audience to a realistic narration of stories akin to their own life. Originated in Bengal in the 1950s serving as an alternative to the commercial cinema, it ran parallel to mainstream Bollywood and was inspired by Italian neo-realism till the early 90s.
Hence it was initially led by the stalwarts of Bengali cinema-like Satyajit Ray, Tapan Sinha and others. But soon directors like Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Mani Kaul and others became pioneers of Indian parallel cinema.
Satyajit Ray One of the greatest filmmakers Indian cinema could ever have. He was drawn into independent filmmaking after meeting French filmmaker Jean Renoir and viewing Vittorio De Sica's film Bicycle Thieves. He went on to direct 36 films, including feature films, documentaries, and shorts. A few of his celebrated works are The Apu Trilogy, The Music Room, The Big City, and Charulata. His first film Pather Panchali won 11 international prizes and he is also the recipient of 32 Indian National Film Awards.
Ritwik Kumar Ghatak A director, screenwriter, and playwright, Ghatak was known for his meticulous depiction of social reality, partition, and feminism. He started with Nimai Ghosh's Chinnamul as an actor and assistant director, followed by his first film Nagarik. Since known to bring the social reality on screen, his work was often drawn from the folk theatre that brought together documentary realism and stylized performance. He won the National Film Award's Rajat Kamal Award for Best Story for Jukti Takko Aar Gappo.
MrinalSen He shot to fame as a major filmmaker after Bhuvan Shome (Mr. Shome) that was made on a shoestring budget provided by the government giving him national and international recognition. In fact, his films were largely political and earned him a reputation as a Marxist artist. He has won 18 National Film Award for best feature film for Bhuvan Shome, Chorus, Mrigayaa, Akaler Sandhane, Calcutta 71, Kharij, Punascha, Akash Kusum, and Antareen.
Shyam Benegal Director and screenwriter, his first four feature films Ankur, Nishant, Manthan, and Bhumika introduced a new genre, now called the ‘middle cinema’. His film Ankur (The Seedling) is about the economic and sexual exploitation in Telangana. The success of new wave cinema enjoyed from the 70s and early 80s can largely be attributed to Benegal's four films. He has won seven National Film Awards for Best Feature Film.
Few other directors of the new wave cinema known to bring real narratives are Girish Karnad, Rituparno Ghosh, Tapan Sinha, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Balu Mahendra, G. Aravindan, Girish Kasaravalli, Shaji N.Karun, Buddhadeb Dasgupta, Goutam Ghose and K. N. T. Sastry to name a few.
