The actors of Parallel Cinema are character actors, incredibly talented and artistically instinctive. Indian Cinema has seen some of the most adroit character actors, particularly in Hindi Cinema when a host of actors emerged during the growth of Parallel Cinema in the 70s and the 80s, the likes of Shabana Azmi, Smita Patil, Amol Palekar, Om Puri, Naseeruddin Shah, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Pankaj Kapur, Deepti Naval and Farooq Sheikh.
Eminent actress Shabana Azmi justified her acting mettle time and again in artistic films like "Ankur" (1974), her first release wherein she played Lakshmi, a married servant and villager who drifts into an affair with a college student who visits the countryside. Her performance garnered her National Film Award for Best Actress, an honour she has won a record 5 times. She is regarded one of the finest actresses of India. Smita Patil was one of the finest stage and film actresses of her times who made her debut with Shyam Benegal"s "Charandas Chor" (1975). Her most remembered roles include those in "Manthan", "Bhumika", "Aakrosh", "Chakra" and "Mirch Masala".
Amol Palekar is known for his roles in realistic films "Rajnigandha" (1974) and "Chhoti Si Baat" (1975). Padma Shri Om Puri has acted in multiple art films like "Bhavni Bhavai" (1980), "Sadgati" (1981), "Ardh Satya" (1982), "Mirch Masala" (1986), "Dharavi" (1992) and "Maachis" (1996). Padma Bhushan Naseeruddin Shah is a film and stage actor who has been awarded the National Award for Best Actor twice, for "Sparsh" (1980) and "Paar" (1974), both artistic films and the National Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in "Iqbal" (2005). Veteran Kulbhushan Kharbanda started off in several parallel cinema films, most noted being "Nishant" (1975), "Bhumika" (1977), "Arth" (1982) and all 3 instalments of Deepa Mehta`s Elements trilogy, "Fire" (1996), "Earth" (1998) and "Water" (2005).
Pankaj Kapur is a noted theatre and film actor whose most acclaimed roles include those in "Raakh" (1989), "Ek Doctor Ki Maut" (1991) and King Duncan"s adapted role in Vishal Bhardwaj`s Macbeth adaptation "Maqbool" (2003). Deepti Naval earned critical acclaim for her sensitive and “close to life†character portrayals in Hindi cinema that emphasized the changing roles of women in India, with films like "Junoon", "Kamla" and "Ankahee".
Irrfan Khan is an internationally recognised actor, who has delivered multiple critically acclaimed performances like in "Haasil", "Life in a... Metro", "The Namesake", "Paan Singh Tomar" and "The Lunchbox". Manoj Bajpai is recognised for his roles in "Satya", "Shool", "Pinjar", "Gangs of Wasseypur" amongst several others. Nawazuddin Siddiqui is known for his roles in "Dekh Indian Circus", "Kahaani", "Gangs of Wasseypur" and "Manjhi - The Mountain Man" among others. Richa Chadda and Huma Qureshi are other consummate artists of contemporary parallel cinema.
