The Bollywood industry is one filled with glitz and glamour. It makes films which serve the purpose of purely entertaining people. But amidst all the showbiz and spotlights are made some films which may not catch the public eye but surely reaches it. They make a cut for themselves though they may not turn out profitably that well. They belong to the genre of parallel films which are not meant for commercial purposes. These movies are based on real life issues and situations made with the prospect of drawing realism. Many such films are there in our industry and are intensely made. They are a must-watch in a person’s lifetime.
- To begin with the Sudhir Mishra produced Hazaron Khwaishen Aisi was a film set against the backdrop of the Indian emergency and followed the lives of three individuals in a story of politics, ambition and love. It deals with idealism and realism.
- One more cult film was the debutant Rajeev Khandelwal’s Aamir. Based on the Islamic extremism affecting a middle class doctor’s life, this story it deals with the prejudices and stereotypes prevailing in the Muslim community and was an eye opener in many ways.
- Anurag Kashyaps film Gulaal is a “film which scores high on moments” as put by Raja Sen of Rediff.com. It brings a message regarding the current political history of the country and has power packed performances from its characters KK Menon and Piyush Mishra.
- Another movie which is not much known but was critically acclaimed was Black Friday by the same director. It is a movie based on Black Friday – the True Story of the Bombay Bomb Blasts, by S. Hussain Zaidi. It is the story of the 1993 Bombay blasts told by the people which led to polarization of communities in Mumbai.
- 15 Park Avenue, a Konkana Sen Sharma and Shabana Azmi starrer, directed by Aparna Sen was a movie dealing with the progressive schizophrenia of the younger sister while her elder sister, a powerful women dealt with her and her issues. It is set in Calcutta and is back-dropped by reality and illusion and the difference between them.
- Astitva was another fine movie with pivoting performances by Tabu and Sachin Khedekar and dealt to some extent with gender issues. Mahesh Manjrekars directorial Astitva deals with the travails of a devoted wife who gets rejected by her male chauvinist husband for a single act of infidelity committed 25 years ago.
- Black and White, starring Anil Kapoor and directed by Subhash Ghai was a film which explored the life of a suicide bomber who comes to Delhi. It is an emotional drama that entertains for sure but leaves the audience with a lofty message for all humanity – in search of harmony amidst diversity.
- Nandita Das’s directorial debut Firaaq was a movie which went through the lives of ordinary people who witnesses and lived through the 2002 Gujarat roits. It shows us the uncomfortable truths and painful reality in which the people of our country must live, as they set about repairing the destroyed trust between two communities.
- Another movie which set apart from the rest was Deepa Mehta’s Fire, which was the first of her elements trilogy (Water and Earth came later on). It was a path-breaking film which openly depicted homosexuality and was banned in India for a very long time. Beginning with regular family hassles it progresses to the underlying issues in the household where it is based. Deepa Mehta said that it was a film based on life choices.
- Among many others, My brother Nikhil was a movie with a heartfelt experience dealing with the lack of AIDS awareness in India. Though it begins meekly on a trite note, it develops into a serious film, which tries to educate without being overtly preachy, whether about an individual’s constitutional right to freedom or the distinction between HIV+ and full-blown AIDS. It maturely handles the subject of homosexuality without a single suggestive scene.
These and many more such movies have been made, Mr. and Mrs. Iyer, A Wednesday etc to name a few. They make a mark for themselves and the movie says it all. Wanna add to the list? Drop a comment in the box below, or email us at editor@youthkiawaaz.com or tweet @YouthKiAwaaz on twitter.