Edited Collection, Middle Cinema, Realism, and Everyday Life: Rethinking the Cinema of Sai Paranjpye (REFOCUS SERIES)
Event: REFOCUS SERIES
Call for Papers: Edited Collection on Sai Paranjpye
ReFocus: the Films of Sai Paranjpye
Contact Email: Tanushree Ghosh
Deadline for Abstracts: May 30th, 2025
Middle Cinema, Realism, and Everyday Life: Rethinking the Cinema of Sai Paranjpye
We are pleased to invite submissions for an edited volume that explores the cinema of Sai Paranjpye, one of the foremost figures in Indian middle cinema and one of the first women directors in the Hindi film industry. This collection aims to critically engage with her films, particularly focusing on their representation of the middle class, everyday life, and the negotiation between popular cinema and the so-called 'parallel' or 'New Wave' cinema. We seek original essays that delve into the thematic, aesthetic, and socio-cultural dimensions of Paranjpye’s oeuvre, analyzing her contributions to the shifting dynamics of Hindi cinema in the late 20th century.
Background:
Sai Paranjpye’s films, including Sparsh (1980), Chashme Buddoor (1981), and Katha (1983), are central to the understanding of what has been termed middle cinema—a movement that sought to move away from the melodramatic excesses of mainstream Hindi cinema in favor of more grounded, realistic portrayals of everyday life. Alongside contemporaries such as Shyam Benegal, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Mrinal Sen, and Basu Bhattacharjee, Paranjpye’s work navigates the complex terrain between commercial cinema and the introspective, politically engaged narratives of parallel cinema.
Middle cinema is often characterized by its focus on relatable characters and everyday struggles: financial hardships, romantic entanglements, familial bonds, and the pursuit of identity. Films in this category adopt a realist mode, yet they differ from the overtly political or experimental language of parallel cinema. Paranjpye’s work, particularly Katha, exemplifies this middle ground—offering narratives that prioritize the nuances of middle-class life without resorting to the melodramatic conventions of popular cinema or the formal experimentation of art-house films.
Themes and Topics:
We encourage papers that explore, but are not limited to, the following themes:
1. Middle-Class Identity and Its Complexities in Paranjpye’s cinema
2. The Aesthetic and Narrative Structures of Middle Cinema in Paranjpye’s cinema
3. Gender and Sexuality in Middle Cinema in Paranjpye’s cinema
4. The Intersections of Love, Loneliness, and Urban Space in Paranjpye’s cinema
5. Comparative Analysis of Paranjpye with Other Middle Cinema Directors and relevant international directors
6. Humor and Satire in Paranjpye's Cinema
7. Your Suggested Topic
Submission Guidelines:
Proposals of approximately 200-250 words, and a brief (100–150 words) author bio, are invited for the proposed project to be submitted to Edinburgh University Press as part of the Refocus Series on International Directors: series editors are Drs. Robert Singer, Stefanie van De Peer, and Gary D. Rhodes.
The deadline for proposal submission is May 30th, 2025. Please send your proposals to ghoshtanushree@gmail.com.
Accepted contributors are expected to submit their full chapters of (approximately) 6000-7,000 words including endnotes (referenced in Chicago style) by February 1, 2026.
Tanushree ghosh
