[Commlist] Edited Collection-CFP

*Middle Cinema, Realism, and Everyday Life: Rethinking the Cinema of Sai 
Paranjpye*

*Please Note: We have received a great number of abstracts on Chashme 
Buddoor (1981) and Katha (1983) and we are specifically looking for a 
few more abstracts that explore Paranjpye’s debut film Katha (1980) 
along with her documentary films. *

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 August 8th, 2025*. *Please send 
your proposals to **(_ghoshtanushree /at/ gmail.com) 
<mailto:(ghoshtanushree /at/ gmail.com)>_*and (swatibakshi11 /at/ gmail.com) 
<mailto:(swatibakshi11 /at/ gmail.com)>

*Accepted contributors are expected to submit their full chap­ters of 
(approximately) 6000-7,000 words including endnotes (referenced in 
/Chicago /style) by March 1, 2026. *

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