Ahmad Abbas
While commercial Hindi cinema was thriving, the 1950s also saw the emergence of a parallel cinema movement. Although the movement (emphasising social realism) was led by Bengali cinema, it also began gaining prominence in Hindi cinema. Early examples of parallel cinema include "Dharti Ke Lal" (1946), directed by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas and based on the Bengal famine of 1943,; "Neecha Nagar" (1946) directed by Chetan Anand and written by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas, and Bimal Roy's "Do Bigha Zamin" (1953). Their critical acclaim and the latter's commercial success paved the way for Indian neorealism and the Indian New Wave (synonymous with parallel cinema). Internationally acclaimed Hindi filmmakers involved in the movement included Mani Kaul, Kumar Shahani, Ketan Mehta, Govind Nihalani, Shyam Benegal, and Vijaya Mehta.