Introduction

The introduction traces the remarkable career of Benegal with its beginnings in the realist ethos of parallel, or new wave, cinema of India. Attention has been placed on how within the ambit of parallel cinema, Benegal has managed to formulate a specific type of cinema that is underpinned by a distinct liberal ideology, an ideology central to his understanding of the complexities of a nation caught in a state of continual transition. How Oscar-winner Satyajit Ray played an instrumental role in shaping this liberal vision of Benegal also has been assessed. Emphasis is laid on the director’s perennial interest in voices from the periphery; his sensitive handling of gender/caste/ class issues through credibly delineated individualized characters. The chapter also tries to illustrate how the films of Shyambabu, as Benegal is popularly known among his Indian aficionados, instead of standing opposed to masala Bollywood potboilers, often critique yet reinforce the hybrid generic conventions of commercial Hindi cinema through a meaningful dialogue with the aesthetic as well as thematic concerns of mainstream filmmakers. The introduction concludes with brief outlines of the subsequent chapters.