Explain the difference between Mainstream and Parallel Cinema.

Mainstream Cinema is also known as Commercial cinema or Popular cinema and concentrates on the entertainment needs of the masses.  Cinema in India is in itself a diverse strand of expression incorporating mainstream cinema which holds popular appeal, art or parallel cinema that engages with social issues, middle cinema and regional language cinema. Mainstream or popular Hindi cinema is also better known as "Bollywood" because such cinema is seen to exercise widespread influence over people and enjoys mass appeal. Popular cinema and culture derive from each other. Films are believed to be the opium of the Indian masses as people rely on this medium to help them escape to a world of fantasy. In a bid to reach the masses, mainstream cinema has become melodramatic and rhetorical. The presentation of extremes has been common.

However, to a certain extent Mainstream Cinema are films that are distributed to movie theaters which give these films worldwide releases. The definition of a mainstream Cinema can vary by country. For example, a mainstream Cinema from China wouldn't be considered a mainstream film in India. But from a global perspective, mainstream Cinema could be defined as Hollywood films, because it is these films which make up the majority of the most widely distributed films in the world. This makes Hollywood films the worldwide mainstream.

Parallel Cinema is a film movement in Indian cinema that originated in the Bengal in the 1950's as an alternative to the mainstream commercial Indian cinema, represented especially by popular Hindi cinema, known today as Bollywood. The Parallel Cinema movement began to take shape from the late 1940s to the 1960s, by pioneers such as Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, Bimal Roy, Mrinal Sen, Tapan Sinha, Khwaja Ahmad Abbas, Chetan Anand, Guru Dutt and V. Shantaram. This period is considered part of the 'Golden Age' of Indian cinema.

The Parallel Cinema concentrates on contemporary socio-political problems of the country. These films are made for the elite audiences and they are expected to change their thought processes. Mostly, there are no idols or stars in the art movie. There are only ideas that shake the minds of the viewer.

Examples of Mainstream Cinema in India are - Sholay, Zanzeer, Don, Hum Aapke Hain Kaun, Devdas, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Dil to Pagal hain, Kuch Kuch Hota Hain, Kabhi Khusi Kabhi Gham, Doom 3, Krrish 3 etc.

Examples of Parallel Cinema in India are - Do Bhiga Zamin, Pather Panchali, Salam Bombay, Sati, Welcome to Sajjanpur, Chandni Baar, Lakshmi,Ishanou, Leibaklei etc.

(Source - Internet)