There was a time in the 1970s when Hindi cinema was distinctly divided into two categories – commercial mainstream and parallel art cinema. It might sound bizarre now because the lines between what counts as mainstream, and what is seen as ‘artsy’ are extremely blurred, but even 50 years later, one knows what to expect from a Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari vs a Homebound, even when they are from the same producers, and have the same female actor. But, the 1970s were another beast altogether. Back then, the actors had to choose a path, and once they made their choice, they had to stick to it. Amitabh Bachchan wasn’t seen in any Shyam Benegal films , and when Sai Paranjpye tried to make a film with Dharmendra, it never materialised. Female actors had it much worse. They were largely

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