When people think Bollywood, the script pretty much goes like this: The colors are so pretty! The dances are so fun! It’s escapism at its best! Everyone is so pretty! The acting is over the top. The story lines are completely unrealistic.

While many of these thoughts accurately reflect many Bollywood films, another style of Bollywood that stands in complete opposition from the mainstream masala flicks is regaining a strong following in Bollywood. These films don’t come with the generic ingredients to make a “only for profit” masala flicks, nor do they necessarily come with a profound message or are void of songs or silliness. They’re just better– more thought out, more logical, better for your brain– and more entertaining.

Now hold on. I’m not referring to the Bollywood that is completely “artsy” (although they count), I’m talking about films that are well-made, films not solely made to woo certain audiences to make some box office money. Recent examples include filmmakers like Vishal Bhardwaj (Omkara, Maqbool), Rajkumar Hirani (Munnabhais), Anurag Kushyup (Dev D). They were successful in making fantastic films that, surprisingly, were commercially successful as well. This clearly states that Indian audiences are expecting more than they used to. Films that once would have struck box office gold and won all the awards are failing. Switzerland and dance numbers just don’t cut it anymore.

The late 80’s, 90’s, and early 2000’s were dominated by masala films with formulaic scripts backed by producers whose sole purpose in making movies was to turn a profit. That’s not to say that this era completely lacked in profound cinema. Filmmakers like Ram Gopal Verma (Satya, Company), Vidhu Vinod Chopra (Parinda, 1942 A Love Story), Mani Ratnam (Roja, Bombay, Dil Se, Yuva) were those rare commercially successful yet innovatively enlightened filmmakers. I must add that I too am a a fan of  commercial cinema, but more a fan of movies that broke from the norm (DDLJ) rather than followed it (too many to name).

The problem lies in the fact that that era lacked diversity in substance. Sure, commercial cinema, brainless entertainers, chick flicks are all welcome and an obvious ingredient in any film industry. But Indian filmmakers have so much more to offer, and we’re slowly watching what exactly that entails.

The point of this blog is to follow this new movement in Bollywood– call it progressive or parallel cinema. As Nasseeruddin Shah once said, “Bollywood is entering it’s adolescent phase.” Let’s be thankful that it got over its infantile phase and hope that Bollywood allows itself to fufill its incredible potential.