characteristics of indian parallel cinema
Hey
One of the major features of the films classified under Parallel Cinema is their fixation on social critique, so much so that some filmmakers have called it “complaint box cinema”. Many of these films are first and foremost screeds against feudalism, corruption, nepotism, patriarchy and religious intolerance. More radical, politically-engaged ones deal with modernisation and class warfare and regularly lean towards the left of centre.
Style
Parallel films are characterised by their rejection of popular forms, especially the song and fight sequences, their affinity for rural settings or working class, use of method actors, a penchant for close-ups and lengthy shots, a spare use of musical score, toned down colour palettes, their frequently formalist approach to composition and, sometimes, even experimental editing patterns. Through the years, these films have almost always been funded by state-owned institutions.
