Parallel Cinema was an Indian movement inspired by the realist works of সত্যজিৎ রায় [Satyajit Ray], गुरु दत्त [Guru Dutt], and ঋত্বিক ঘটক [Ritwik Ghatak] (who taught at the Film Institute of India in the mid-1960s), directed by a new generation of film-makers emerging in the late 1960s.
After the mainstream success of भुवन शोमे [Mr. Shome] (1969), the Indian state started loaning more money to art films, such as उसकी रोटी [Our Daily Bread] (1970), কলকাতা ৭১ [Calcutta 71] (1972), and যুক্তি তক্কো আর গপ্পো [Reason, Debate and a Story] (1974). Many films were politically themed, and dealt with the difficult life in Indian megacities. Others took influences from the likes of Robert Bresson, which resulted in sparse and demanding films.
Many of the Parallel Cinema films proved unpopular with audiences, and the movement declined with a decrease in state support in the late 1970s, which in turn coincided with Indira Gandhi's proclamation of a state of emergency.
