Art Cinema in India

Art Cinema in India

In addition to commercial Cinema, there is also Indian cinema that aspires to seriousness or art. This is known to film critics as "New India Cinema" or sometimes " The Indian Newwave" but most people in India simply call such film "Art Films". From the 1960s throught 1980s, art film were subsidised by Indian Government: aspiring directors could get federal or state Government grants to produce non commercials film on India themes. Many of these directors were graduates of the Government-supported "Film and Television Institute of India". Their films were showcased at Government film festivals and the Government run tv station, "Doordashan". These films also had limited run art house theatre in India and over seas. Today , it must me made as "Independent Films" on a shoestring budget by aspiring outeurs, much as today's Western Film Industry. Art cinema was also well-supported in the South Indian State of Kerala. Starting in 1970s Kannada Films maker from Karnataka State produced a steing of serious, low budget films. "Girish Kasaravalli" is one of the few directors from that periode who continues to make non-commercial Films. He is the only Indian director other than "Satyajit Ray" and "Buddhadev Dasgupta" to win the Golden Lotus Awards" four times. From 1970s onwards Hindi Cinema produced a wave of art films. The foremost among the directors who produced such film is "Syam Benegal". Many cinematographer, technicians, and actors began in art cinema and moved to commercial cinema. Marathi art cinema hasbeen continously churning out gems even when Marathi main stream cinema had no suffered a set back