Famous Actors in Parallel Cinema
These are the films that critics fall in love with, films of a serious nature that draws out the best in actors.
Published: Friday,Mar 20, 2015 21:46 PM GMT-06:00
When one thinks about Bollywood movies, one thinks of the masala, the excitement, the colourful songs and dance numbers. But, as long as there have been movies, there has been parallel cinema. Parallel cinema consists of both art films and films that have a hard-hitting subject, films without the glamour and glitz we are used to. These are the films that critics fall in love with, films of a serious nature that draws out the best in actors.
A lot of actors these days are drawn to roles in such films. From Aamir Khan in Dhobi Ghat (2010) to Shreyas Talpade in Dor (2006), from Juhi Chawla in My Brother... Nikhil (2005) to Nandita Das in Ek Alag Mausam (2003), there has been a wide variety of films coming out in parallel cinema, and a number of different actors have been trying their hand at such strong stories.
Konkona
Sen Sharma is one of the biggest actresses in parallel cinema. She has acted
in both Hindi and Bengali parallel cinema films. Her impressive
filmography boasts of movies like 15 Park Avenue (2006), which deals with schizophrenia and Mr And Mrs Iyer (2002), which deals with cultural strife. Starring with her in both these films was Rahul Bose.
Rahul Bose has also starred in English, August (1994),
which is a humorous and irreverent study of the bureaucracy and the
Indian Generation X. More recently, he starred in the 2010 film I Am,
an Indian anthology film consisting of four short films based on real
life stories. He's been a staple face in much of Indian parallel cinema
and has garnered much critical acclaim for his unconventional roles.
Another relatively common name in parallel cinema films is that of Kalki Koechlin. The actress made her debut in Dev D (2009), which was a modern take on the novella Devdas. Since then, she appeared in That Girl In Yellow Boots (2011), an Indian thriller film, and will appear in Margarita, with a Straw (2015), a film about cerebral palsy that comes out sometime this year.
While
his cousins seem to choose commercial films, Abhay Deol has starred in
both parallel and commercial cinema. He appeared in Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! in
2008, a black comedy film inspired by the real life shenanigans of
Devinder Singh alias Bunty, who was a real-life "super-chor". He then
starred opposite Kalki in Dev D (2009).
Aditya Srivastava is more commonly known for his television roles, predominantly for his role in C.I.D.; however, he has also starred in films. Bandit Queen (1995),
a biographical picture based on the life of Phoolan Devi, was his first
outing in films. After that, he appeared in a number of parallel cinema
films, among them Gulaal (2009) and Mohandas (2009).
Parallel
cinema offers a more serious look at life, stripped of the masala, the
excitement and the colours that the rest of our movies offer. We can
enjoy a slice of something a little more critically acclaimed to balance
out our love for the glitzy magic of Bollywood. There have been many
films of this nature over the years, and we can be rest assured that
Bollywood will continue to have an avenue of them as time goes on. After
all, we need some seriousness before we can escape into the
song-and-dance. Which are some of the parallel cinema films you enjoyed?
Who would you love to see in a film of this nature? Leave us your
comments below.
Writer: Aradhna K.
Editor(s): Nisha M. & Gunia K.
Graphics: Marsh P.
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Aamir Khan
Abhay Deol
Juhi Chawla
Nandita Das
Konkona Sen Sharma
Shreyas Talpade
Rahul Bose
Aditya Srivastava
Kalki Koechlin
Gulaal
Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!
Dor
15 Park Avenue
My Brother Nikhil
Mohan Das - A Man Lost In His Own Nation
Dhobi Ghat
I Am
That Girl in Yellow Boots
Bandit Queen
Margarita With A Straw
Ek Alag Mausam
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