Art Films, also known as Parallel Cinema, form an integral part of Bollywood. They are an alternative to the mainstream commercial cinema especially for the people who use their brain while watching movies. Art Films are not considered to the part of mainstream cinema due to their serious content, realism and naturalism. The culture of Art Films first started in Bengali film industry by critically acclaimed filmmakers such as Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, Ritwik Ghatak and others and then gained prominence in the other film industries of India including Hindi Film industry.
The Parallel Cinema movement started in the late 1940s to the 1960s, by India’s great filmmakers such as Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, Bimal Roy, Mrinal Sen, Khwaja Ahmad Abbas, Chetan Anand, Guru Dutt and V. Shantaram. Real-life movies by these directors added a new perspective to the Indian movie industry. That is why this period is still considered as the Golden Age of Indian cinema. For the first time, Cinema became the mirror of the contemporary Indian society as movies which were made during this period were largely influenced from Indian Literature and current socio-political situations.
These film makers used Cinema to highlight prevalent issues. This new style of Cinema got world wide acclaim and fame. Chetan Anand’s Neecha Nagar (1946), a social realist film won the Grand Prize at the first Cannes Film Festival. Bimal Roy’s Do Bigha Zamin (1953) was both a commercial and critical success. Guru Dutt’s film Pyaasa (1957) featured in Time magazine’s “All-TIME” 100 best movies list.
During the 1970s and the 1980s, parallel cinema entered into Bombay’s Hindi Film industry. This was led by such directors as Gulzar, Shyam Benegal, Mani Kaul, Rajinder Singh Bedi and Saeed Akhtar Mirza, and later on Mahesh Bhatt and Govind Nihalani, becoming the main directors of this period’s Indian art cinema. Benegal’s directorial debut, Ankur (Seeding, 1974) was a major critical success, and was followed by numerous works that created another field in the movement. These filmmakers tried to promote realism in their own different styles, though many of them often accepted certain conventions of popular cinema.
Parallel cinema of 70s and 80s gave careers to a whole new breed of young actors, including Shabana Azmi, Smita Patil, Amol Palekar, Om Puri, Naseeruddin Shah, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Pankaj Kapoor, Deepti Naval, Farooq Shaikh etc. Actors from commercial cinema such as Rekha and Hema Malini ventured into art cinema.
Although nothing much happened during late 80 and 90s for the parallel cinema, Mira Nair’s Salaam Bombay! (1988) gathered a lot of National and International acclaim and is remembered till date as one of the finest Bollywood movies ever made on the daily lives of street-children of Mumbai.
By the early 1990s, the rising costs involved in film production and the commercialization of the films had a negative impact on the art films. The fact that investment returns cannot be guaranteed made art films less popular amongst filmmakers. Underworld financing, political and economic turmoil, television and piracy proved to be fatal threat to parallel cinema, as it declined. However, we can still see the touch of Parallel Cinems in the movies of Mani Ratnam, Nagesh Kukunoor, Anurag Kashyap etc.
I have compiled the list of 100 Best Bollywood Hindi Art Films. Please let me know, if I am missing any good movie in this list.
- Salaam Bombay
- Mirch Masala
- 36 Chowringhee Lane
- Arohan
- Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyoon Aata Hai
- Raincoat
- Ankur
- Party
- Holi
- Parzania
- Maya Darpan
- Meenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities
- Hu Tu Tu
- Antarnaad
- Heaven on Earth
- Ardh Satya
- Chandni Bar
- Astitva
- Charandas Chor
- Daman
- Mitr, My Friend
- Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi
- Sparsh
- Dance of the Wind
- Chameli
- Dharavi
- Bhumika: The Role
- Arth
- Bandit Queen
- Bazaar
- Aakrosh
- Bheja Fry
- Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda
- The Blue Umbrella
- Chakra
- Dharm
- Mandi
- Page 3
- Sardari Begum
- Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho!
- Trikal
- Duniya Na Mane
- Ijaazat
- Rudaali
- Drishti
- Dweepa
- Fire
- Monsoon Wedding
- Woh Chokri
- Hasina
- Ek Din Pratidin
- Khandhar
- New Delhi Times
- It’s Breaking News
- Mahapurush
- Katha
- Manthan
- Diksha
- Maqbool
- Dor
- Genesis
- Jane Do Bhi Yaaro
- Utsav
- Ek Din Achanak
- Water
- Firaaq
- Nishant
- Paar
- Gaja Gamini
- Ghatashraddha
- Hari-Bhari
- Earth
- Joggers’ Park
- Ek Ruka Hua Faisla
- Junoon
- Kalyug
- Ek Doctor Ki Maut
you missed rui ka bojh
missing good movie –
GODAM , KITAB , ARVIND DESAI KI AJIB DASTAN ,
27 DOWN , PESTANJI , Massey Sahib (Best Actor’s Award,SILVER PEACOCK,IIFI International Film Festival of India, 1987), Aasman Se Gira ,
Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda (National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi, 1993)
missing–fire,machis,aandhi,3idots,tere jammin pe,garm hawa,
salim lande pe mat ro, manorma 1oo feet under
sahib biwi aur ghulam, do beegha zameen, khamoshi(old)
sorry…. manorma six feet under
Mr & Mrs Iyer
Antardwand
Umrao Jaan (Rekha)
Current,Bada Din,Amu,Dharavi,Gangoobai,Halo, Hawa Aney Dey,Kali Salwar,Sadgati,
Dear all i want to see Libaas 1988 movie but i could not find it on net so plz tell me how could i watch this movie…
thanks
Dear All
how i have to watch Libaas 1988 movie, this movie i could not find on net so any body have link of movie plz tell me.
Maya memsab,Kmasutra,Aastha u have missed
Nowdays . good art film doesnt make Why is this ? and I would like to be a actor wht should i do . Thnkx
saransh
I AM by Onir is also artistic movie.
Ek ruka hua faisla is fantastic art film. you did not mentioned the name of this film
I am dreaming of creating a database of all the art movies made in India. I use your list and the films that came up in comments as reference 🙂
– Godhuli
– Kondura
– Gaharai
– Bagh Bahadur
– Parinati
– Yatharth
– Dansh – KK menon
– Paacnch – KK menon
– bhopal Express – kk menon
– Being Cirus
my fav art films-
1. 1084 ki maa
2. aghaat (govind nihalani)
3. aarohan
4. dayra (amol palekar)
5. parinati
You missed Zara si Zindagi, Thoda sa romani ho jaye, A Wednesday
Spandan; Trishagni; Diksha; Earth; Water; Fire; Aamir;
Saaz; Dayra;
That Girl In Yellow Boots; Kai Po Chhe; Blue Umbrella; Haider;
Gandhi 1983
RUI KA BHOJ, current,
Rui ka bhoj is best film.
Genesis1986, Mrigya 1976,
Sadgati,(very good series)
kaurya.
gaman
The perfect murder
sanshodhan
Dharm
Mati maay (marathi film)
Shorts.
u can watch this movies on youtube.Any good art movies kindly update. CHEERS….
Missed Aurat & Thoda Sa Rumani Ho Jaye, acted by Nana Patekar also
dharm
darmiyaan
damul
thanks maa
road to sangam
disha by sai parnjpe
in custody
raghu romeo
1971 must see
Bawander, 1947 Earth
1084 ki maa
15 Park Avenue
1947 Earth
27 DOWN ,
36 Chowringhee Lane
3idots,
A Wednesday
Aadharshila
Aakrosh (1980 film)
Aamir;
aandhi,
aarohan
Aasman Se Gira ,
Aasphota
Aastha
Aattakatha (2013 film)
Abhijan
Abohoman
Adaminte Makan Abu
Adimadhyantham
Agantuk
Agantuker Pore
Aghaat
Agraharathil Kazhutai
Akaler Shandhaney
Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyoon Aata Hai
Amu
Anjuman (1986 film)
Ankur
Antarmahal
Antarnaad
Anthimanthaarai
Anuranan
Aparajito
Aranyaka (film)
Ardh Satya
Arekti Premer Golpo
Arohan
Arth
Arvind Desai Ki Ajeeb Dastaan
Astitva
Asukh
Atithi (2002 film)
Aval (film)
Avasthe
Avva (film)
Bada Din,
Bagh Bahadur
Bandit Queen
Bariwali
Bawander
Bazaar (1982 film)
Being Cirus
Bheja Fry
bhopal Express kk menon
Bhujangayyana Dashavathara
Bhumika: The Role
Blue Umbrella;
Byari (film)
Chakra
Chameli
Chandni Bar
Char Adhyay
Charandas Chor
Charulata
Chayilyam
Chokher Bali (film)
Current,
Daman
damul
Dance of the Wind
Dansh KK menon
darmiyaan
Dayra
dayra (amol palekar)
Desadanam
Devi (1960 film)
Dharavi
Dharavi
Dharm
Dhobi Ghat (film)
Diksha
disha by sai parnjpe
do beegha zameen,
Dor
Dosar
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar (film)
Drishti
Duniya Na Mane
Duvidha
Dweepa
Earth (1998 film)
Ek Cup Chya
Ek Din Achanak
Ek Din Pratidin
Ek Doctor Ki Maut
Ek Ghar
Ek Ruka Hua Faisla
Ekjon Jhumur
Ekti Nadir Naam
Firaaq
Fire (1996 film)
Gaadha
Gaharai
Gaja Gamini
Gaman
Gandhi 1983
Gangoobai,
Garm Hava
Genesis1986,
Ghatashraddha
GODAM ,
Godhuli
Haider;
Halo,
Halodhia Choraye Baodhan Khai
Hari-Bhari
Hasina
Hawa Aney Dey,
Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi
Heaven on Earth
Hirer Angti
Holi (1984 film)
Hoomale
Hu Tu Tu
I AM by Onir
I am Kalam
Idiot (1992 film)
Ijaazat
in custody
It’s Breaking News
Iti Mrinalini
Jalsaghar
Jane Do Bhi Yaaro
Joggers’ Park
Junoon (1978 film)
Kaadu Kudure
Kabani Nadi Chuvannappol
Kai Po Chhe;
Kakana Kote
Kali Salwar,
Kalyug (1981 film)
Kamla Ki Maut
Kanchenjungha (film)
Kanchivaram
Kapurush
Kasba (film)
Katha (1983 film)
Kathavasheshan
kaurya.
khamoshi(old)
Khandhar
Khayal Gatha
Khosla Ka Ghosla
KITAB ,
Kmasutra,
Kondura
Kunku
Kutty (2001 film)
Libaas 1988
Life! Camera Action…
Maachis
Mahanagar
Mahapurush
Main Zinda Hoon
Malli (film)
Mammo
Mandi
Mane (film)
manorma six feet under
Manthan
Maqbool
Marupakkam
Massey Sahib ,
Mathilukal (film)
Mati maay (marathi film)
Maya Darpan
Maya memsab,
Meenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities
Meghe Dhaka Tara
Mirch Masala
Missed Aurat
missing–fire,
Mitr, My Friend
Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho!
Monsoon Wedding
Morning Raga
Mr. and Mrs. Iyer
Mrigayaa
Mrigya 1976,
Mysore Mallige (film)
Neela (film)
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero
New Delhi Times
Newspaper Boy (1955 film)
Nishant
Om-Dar-Ba-Dar
Omkara (2006 film)
Onamalu
Once Again (film)
Ooruku Nooruper
Oru Cheru Punchiri
Paacnch KK menon
Paar
Page 3
Pakal (film)
Parash Pathar
Parinati
Paromitar Ek Din
Parshuramer Kuthar
Party (1984 film)
Parzania
Patang (film)
Patham Nilayile Theevandi
Pather Panchali
Pestonjee
Phaniyamma
Piravi
Pulijanmam
Quest (2006 film)
Raat Bhore
raghu romeo
Raincoat
Rao Saheb (film)
road to sangam
Rudaali
rui ka bojh
Saaz
Sadgati,
sahib biwi aur ghulam,
Salaam Bombay
salim lande pe mat ro,
Samar (1999 film)
Sammohanam
Sandhya Raagam (1989 film)
sanshodhan
Santha Shishunala Sharifa
Sara Akash
saransh
Sardari Begum
Sati (film)
Shala (film)
Shantham
Shorts (2013 film)
Shwaas
Sookha
Spandan;
Sparsh
Sringaram
Sunglass (film)
Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda
Susman (film)
Swaham
Tarang (film)
Teen Kanya
Teen Patti (film)
tere jammin pe,
Thalaimuraigal
thanks maa
That Girl In Yellow Boots
The Blue Umbrella (2005 film)
The Japanese Wife
The Last Lear
The perfect murder
The Untitled Kartik Krishnan Project
The World of Apu
Thoda Sa Rumani Ho Jaye,
Through the Eyes of a Painter
Titli (2002 film)
Trikal
Trishagni
Two (1964 film)
Unfreedom
Unishe April
Unnaipol Oruvan (1965 film)
Uski Roti
Utsav
Vanaja (film)
Vanaprastham
Veedu (1988 film)
Water (2005 film)
Woh Chokri
Yatharth
Yeh Woh Manzil To Nahin
Zara si Zindagi,
thank you for showing me some details of Rekha’s film/ picture, I shall be waiting for watching the picture like this way,
Yours faithfully,
BARUN KUMAR DEY
plz update these all movie list with release year & one best image of film.
citylights
Gharam Hawa
Rajani Ghandha(Amol Palekar, Vidhya Sinha)
Paar( Nasirudheen Sha, Shabhana Azmi)
Party
Dr. Ambedkar (Mamootty )
Lahore
Vijetha (Kunal Kapoor and Supriya Pathak)
Katha( Farook Shaikh, Deepti Neval)
Saransh
Do bigha zamin
Zevar
Darmiyan
Khandhar
Aligarh is also falls in art movie category.
Can someone please advise me non commercial movie on MD Drugs-Mumbai lifestyle.
Raman raghav, MD drug and somehow can say lifestyle,
Dev d you can watch this one also,
You can see the UGLY too it’s an anurag kashyap movie
Kaantatar , chotushkon , piku , wheel chair , I am kalam , lunch box , 19 April ,
the list is good but why no movies after 2000. i wud like to recommend some
dor
pitah
panch (unreleased)
kaun
ek hasina thi
raqeeb
swades
udaan
i am kalaam
the blue umbrella
shaurya
gangs of waseypur
dil se
teen
karthik calling karthik
404: error not found
dil dosti etc
satya
shool
company
yuva
a wednesday
dev d
omkara
khonsla ka ghonsla
chalo dilli
dasvidaniya
mithya
oh my god
dharm sankat me
bheja fry
shanghai
gulaal
oye lucky lucky oye
socha na tha
ek chalis ki last local
love sex ar dhoka
citylights
babar
do dooni char
shahid
badlapur
iqbal
sankat city
shaitan
kondura
Nayi neralu, dweepa, both in kannada
panchvati
deepti naval
Panchavati (1986)
This is a story about having an extra marital affair within the family itself. Vikram (Suresh Oberoi) and his younger brother Yatin (Akbar Khan) lead their import – export business. Eventually Vikram meets Sadhavi (Deepti Naval) who is a painter with the family in Nepal. They become great friends and one day Vikram decides that Sadhavi should marry his younger brother Yatin. They get married and were having happy married life till Sadhavi discovers that Yatin only wants sexual pleasure but does not want to give her his time. One day due to a big fight between husband and wife, Sadhavi leaves the house and goes back to Nepal. Vikram goes there to bring Sadhavi back. There is a great bond between them and they both end up having an extra marital affair. Sadhavi finally wants to become a saint and leave the world of pleasure.
Banaras – Urmila Matondkar, Ashmit Patel, Raj Babbar and Dimple Kapadia
Chokhairbaali – Ashwariya Rai
Parched
Gulal
The lunchbox
No smoking
Dear Dad
Udaan
Rang de basanti
Nishabd
Dil Dosti etc.
Life in a metro
Saheb biwi aur gangster returns
A Wednesday
Dhobi ghat
Black Friday
Johnny gaddar
Dev D
Oye lucky lucky oye
Manorma six feet under
Yeh saali zindagi
Dil chahta hai
Khosla ka ghosla
Gangs of wasseypur
Salaam bombay
Page3
Monsoon wedding
I am kalaam
Karthik calling karthik
Yuva
Dum
Chalo dilli
Do dooni chaar
Shaitan
Piku
Haider
1 Lalith,, ek reth ka mahal
2 Akarshan ” more attractive love or money
3 Hasraten
4 Taabiz
5 the taj
Chandani Bar by Madhur bhandarkar
Before the Rains
Ankur Arrora Murder case
Nital & Doghi ( Marathi) film by Sumitra bhave & Sunil Sukhthankar
BA pass
Barrah Ana
Massan
Hey Everyone!!! Great work people. I needed some help regarding an art movie i watched long time ago. i only remember the plot and could not remember the name. If anyone can help it will be highly appreciated.
The movie is about simple village people where some bad things start to happen all of a sudden. i don’t remember much but the villagers for self redemption get together around the village well and start cleaning the well. with each cleaning turn a story unfolds telling about the misdeeds and sins of notable members of village.
If anyone have watched the movie than please tell me the name of the movie.
I ll be much obliged
Hi everyone! Nice work!!! i needed some help. i watched an art movir long time ago and i don’t remember the name of the movie. its plot i remember. it so happens that some bad things start to happen in a village and i remember the scenes where all the villagers sit around a well and try to clean the well as the water becomes bad too. for each cleaning a story unfolds telling us about the sins of the villagers.
if anyone knows about the movie than please tell me its name. the help will be highly appreciated.
thanks
You missed Ship of Theseus.
I too want to know the name of the movie that Syed has mentioned on July 23, 2017
There is another movie about an untouchable who dies of starvation while cleaning up a priest’s compound and then the same person who has trouble touching a low born, drags the dead body far away to dispose off the crime and it’s victim
Bro agar aapko Yeh movie ka naam mila hoto plz muje b btana
Sir
. kindly upload all rarest rare movie such as contributions of musicians jaidev, lacchi ram , raghunath Seth , basu manohari etc.
The film name is….tarpan….
Name of the film is … TARPAN.. @syed….story of well cleaning..
The film name “TARPAN” @syed
Thanks Ma the best I’ve seen
pls I need a help. I watched a movie on zee cinema. mithun chakraborthy and Sanjay dutt appeared at the beginning of the movie. is a like a guy is sent to China for a mission. There are two ladies in the movie. one lady is in India while the other is in China. Two of them are looking alike. Also, they locked one of the ladies in a motor boot, mistakenly thinking that is the other one. please what is the title of the movie
Hi everyone! Nice work!!! i needed some help. i watched an art movir long time ago and i don’t remember the name of the movie. its plot i remember. it so happens that some bad things start to happen in a village and i remember the scenes where all the villagers sit around a well and try to clean the well as the water becomes bad too. for each cleaning a story unfolds telling us about the sins of the villagers.
if anyone knows about the movie than please tell me its name. the help will be highly appreciated.
thanks
anyone got name for this … I also want to know its name
Tarpan..
I also have seen the movie on durdarshan but I also dont remember its name.may be dd people can help
An awesome list i have found ever.
i think
– Woh Chhokri(Pallavi Joshi, Paresh Rawal, Om Puri) is missing here.
Film name is tarpan its 1995 movie
Mr. N mrs. Iyer
Nice list compilation…. actually m also hunting badly for a muvie … the name is not at all anywhere near the plot also is lil sketchy … there is a married lady in a house situated in deep jungle …. the house is creepy with lots of antique hunting trophies in the form of heads of bulls and all that … the lady is a wife of a forest officer I guess and they have a servant who is from a village nearby … young and quite … he never speaks anything ….. the lady keeps getting bored in the house alone and one day ventures out in the forest. She sees at night that the servant is the leader of a community and is sacrificing Sumone to a holy fire or sumthing similar to this …….I saw it way back in 1998 I guess … even the memory is quite sketchy now ….I just can’t get the name of the muvie …. plz help … plzzzz
Tarpan (English title: The Absolution[1]) was a 1994 Indian Hindi drama film written and directed by K. Bikram Singh, and starring Om Puri, Revathy, Dina Pathak, Manohar Singh and Mita Vashisht in lead roles. This directorial debut film was jointly produced by NFDC and Doordarshan. The film set in the 1940s, in a fictitious village in the Shekhavati region in Rajasthan, where no girl child survives beyond the age of seven. It deals with larger issues of communalism and caste system through four inter-related stories.
Tarpan… movie name
Add another one to the list:
Everybody says I’m fine
Director: Rahul Bose
Screenplay: Rahul Bose
Music composed by: Zakir Hussain
sixteen
Got to know about the history of Indian parallel movies as well as a chosen list.thanks a lot.
Mr Jahnu Barua a very talented producer-director from Assam.
His contributions to Indian Art film is immense…
Need help with an old art movies name. The plot is Husband and wife live in the desert where they build a rest house for travelers around a well. They then loot travelers and kill them. Then one day there lost son comes to the rest house .. without knowing that he is there son they kill him for money and later come to know that he was their son. Rajasthani background to the movie I think.
Pl help with the name.
There was one movie on govt officer who goes in a village for verification of govt rest house construction, actually it wasn’t constructed
But due to so many politics ,
in last he gives the report it was constructed
There was one movie on govt officer who goes in a village for verification of govt rest house, actually it wasn’t constructed
but in last he gives the report it was constructed
Sadgati by Satyajit ray. Starring Ompuri.
I’m looking for a Indian art film based on mountain journey of a pregnant lady & 3-4 men If anyone can give it’s name.
Movie name is parinati
Salim langde pe mat ro
Pushpak
Salim langde pe mat to
help with an old art movies name. The plot is Husband and wife live in the desert where they build a rest house for travelers around a well. They then loot travelers and kill them. Then one day there lost son comes to the rest house .. without knowing that he is there son they kill him for money and later come to know that he was their son. Rajasthani background to the movie I think.
Pl help with the name.
Need help with an old art movies name. The plot is Husband and wife live in the desert where they build a rest house for travelers around a well. They then loot travelers and kill them. Then one day there lost son comes to the rest house .. without knowing that he is there son they kill him for money and later come to know that he was their son. Rajasthani background to the movie I think.
Pl help with the name.
I hunting for a old art movie a wife gave birth to child who has 2 hands & 4 legs …Her husband handover that child to a baba…And that baba start earning money on child stating that a child is a god
The film is ” parinati”.
Parinati 1986 Prakash Jha movie
https://youtu.be/SUtxMYykxzg
Film parinati
Mrigya
Matrubhoomi
Junoon
Kalyuk
Khamoshi
Koshish
Chakra
Saudagar
TRAP
Smita
June 13, 2021
I hunting for a old art movie a wife gave birth to child who has 2 hands & 4 legs …Her husband handover that child to a baba…And that baba start earning money on child stating that a child is a god
That movie is Devshishu
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTJ_CrvtEaA
You can watch Devshishu here.