New cinematic expressions in languages like Kannada, Malayalam, Oriya, Assamese, Manipuri, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Bhojpuri, Tamil, Tulu, Telugu, Urdu and Hindi (as distinct from the pan-Indian commercial cinema) were soon to spring up. Writers, painters, theatre practitioners and film professionals who were emboldened by the ‘Bengali renaissance’ came to the fore.The Film Finance Corporation to a great extent played the role of the catalyst. And thus was born our breed of the ‘New Wave’. The new wave did produce a whole lot of worthwhile films. Shorn of stars, spectacle and glamour, they were mostly rooted in their own respective literatures and wore a look and feel that was authentic and truthful.
But the enthusiasm was quick to get sullied as the unsympathetic exhibitor chose to shut his doors on the fresh entrants. The system wouldn’t entertain anything new or unfamiliar. If the ‘70s and ‘80s saw a real effervescence of new talent, the ‘90s witnessed its ebbing out in the face of a closed system and the new demands and pressures of an upstart electronic media. Whereas our television keeps drawing on cinema for its very sustenance, it does not concede its obligation to reinvest in return. Everywhere else in the world, television is a trusted partner in quality film production. Cinema is revered as a cultural and artistic expression and television duly plays the promoter’s role. Standing as we are on the threshold of the new millennium, what has our cinema got to offer the world?