The Indian film industry is the largest in the world regarding the number of films produced. Every year, India produces between 1,500 and 2,000 films per year, in over 20 languages. While Bollywood and Tollywood are well-known and the most preferred form of entertainment amongst audiences, they were also known to produce films that appealed to certain sections of society.

Known as B-grade films, they are often dismissed as low-budget ventures catering to niche audiences. These films are characterised by their experimental genres, bold storytelling, and unapologetic exploration of taboo subjects which later helped create a space where filmmakers dared to challenge societal conventions and test uncharted waters.

While mainstream Bollywood adhered to the safe confines of family-friendly narratives, B-grade cinema ventured into themes of sensuality, psychological thrillers, and raw human emotions. Films directed and produced by Mahesh Bhatt & Vikram Bhatt were instrumental in bridging the gap between these two worlds, introducing bold narratives into larger productions.

The 90's & 2000's Bollywood was a time when A-grade films like Hum Aapke Hain Koun! (1994), Raja Hindustani (1996), Hum Saath - Saath Hain (1999) Mujhse Dosti Karoge! (2002), Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001), Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam (2002), Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003), etc., took centre stage but seeping its low-budget but marvellous heads were B-grade films that were soon to shape the mainstream Bollywood. Films such as Murder, Jism, and Raaz paved the way for a genre of bold, unconventional storytelling that resonated with urban audiences.
What exactly are B Grade Films?

B-grade films are low-budget movies that often tell bold, experimental, or taboo stories that mainstream Bollywood generally avoids. Although they are perceived to be less polished than big Bollywood blockbusters, the B-grade Indian films are known for being daring and unconventional. They touch on subjects like sensuality, horror, psychological thrillers, and human emotions, often in an unkempt and uninhibited fashion.

B-grade films are different from mainstream Bollywood in their approach and budget. Mainstream Bollywood films tend to be big-budget productions, almost always featuring superstar actors or well-known faces, stunning imagery, and cliched plots for family viewers. These films tend to remain focused on entertaining all age groups, many of them culminating in a happy ending and sweetened with light stuff.

On the other hand, B-grade cinema is made on a smaller budget. It usually has unknown directors and actors to explore darker and more controversial subjects. These films are not made for everyone; they appeal to a small audience as they never shy away from confronting taboos and foraying into society's curiosities.

Bollywood is preoccupied with opting for the more popular genres of romance, action, and drama; whereas, B-grade films are more experimental and uninhibited in their storytelling. But for their reductive "cheap" and "low quality" labels, B-grade films have greatly influenced mainstream cinema, and it is worth noting that these filmmakers--such as Mahesh Bhatt and Vikram Bhatt--have taken on bold themes and ventured into bigger Bollywood productions.

In vogue much later in the 1980s and 1990s, B-grade films allowed scope for artists to experiment with other story ideas, often with cold genres.

'Raat Ke Andhere Mein', directed by Vinod Talwar, is considered by many film historians and critics to be the first B-grade Bollywood film because it adopted a more exploitative, sensationalist approach.

"Veerana" and "Bandh Darwaza" are quintessential cult films, though Kanti Shah's erotic thrillers had limited acceptability in small towns and rural places. Notwithstanding piracy attacking its client base, a stringent censorship regime with concentric waves, and moving audience preferences, this motley form of cinema still characterizes a vast cultural breathing space. It continues to inform popular culture influences beckoning Bollywood to move on from more sinful themes.

The Ramsay Brothers produced B-grade horror films from the mid-80s to the late '90s, such as 'Veerana', 'Purana Mandir', 'Bandh Darwaza', etc., all copies of Hammer's films from the UK. The Ramsay Brothers made a good amount of money in tier 2 cities and single screens with these films.

In the early 90s, Mithun Chakraborty started his hotel franchise business in Ooty and began producing films like Chandaal, Gunda, and Shere Hindustan, starring new actresses and villains. These B-grade films marked his decline and were replaced by new-age stars like SRK, Suniel Shetty, and Akshay Kumar.

Moreover, the Indian English language daily newspaper Deccan Herald attributed the popularity of B-grade movies in India during the 1980s to the advent of television and VCR technology, the same pleasure people today get from surfing social media.
B Grade through the 2000s

'Kasoor', a 2001 Vikram Bhatt directorial, was a Hindi-language legal thriller that starred Aftab Shivdasani and was Lisa Ray's Hindi film debut. The movie was praised for its story and the lead pair's performance but due to its low budget, it was inadvertently known as a B-grade film.

In 2002, Vikram Bhatt's supernatural horror 'Raaz' propelled Bipasha Basu and Dino Morea to stardom but those in the film always had to deal with the 'B-grade' tag.

Amit Saxena's 2003 erotic thriller 'Jism' starred John Abraham in his film debut and Bipasha Basu. Based on the 1944 American Noir film 'Double Indemnity', Bipasha Basu's character, Sonia, was a bold and manipulative antagonist. She's shown to be overtly ambitious and uses other people for her goals and kills them once she achieves those goals.

Anurag Basu's 2004 erotic thriller 'Murder' changed the course of Hindi-language films, for better or for worse. Even though the film received mixed reviews, it promoted B-grade films that had a storyline that went well with the erotic scenes.

Mallika Sherawat was praised for her performance as Simran Sehgal and gained somewhat of a stardom. Emraan Hashmi in an old interview said that even if Murder was an awakening for the audience and a lead for cinema, he received much flak.

The film showed Mallika's character as someone who made her own decisions, be it jumping out of her apartment window to be with her boyfriend or saying no to the same man wanting to get back with her even though she was married.

On the other hand, 'Hum Saath - Saath Hain' maintained the family perspective, albeit a regressive one filled with patriarchy. Be it indirect references to women 'belonging' in the kitchen or giving single/divorced ladies a negative shade.

Directed by Mohit Suri, the 2005 thriller film 'Kalyug' portrayed the non-consensual voyeurism of a couple consummating their marriage which is released on a porn site. The neo-noir film explores many concepts like dependence, innocent love, misuse of technology, revenge, exploitation, corruption, prostitution, social stigma, LGBTQ, resilience, and more. Today, films like Badhai Ho and Badhai Do and the ilk could be made because Kalyug existed.

Other B Grade movies like Jism, Julie, Kalyug, Charulata, Madhoshi, Zeher, etc. portrayed women’s sexuality, which showed women with desire and freedom and embraced narratives that challenged traditional morality, as opposed to A Grade films of that time.

B-grade films tended to feature sensual, flawed yet confident heroines, a combination that resonated with modern audiences.

Bhatt’s films illustrated that strong storytelling and boldness could go hand in hand, leading to a new era in Hindi cinema. Moreover, many of these films were influenced by Western films, which were way ahead of Indian cinema.
The South Factor

Whether it was in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, or the Malayalam film industry, B-grade actresses were always in demand. Porn arrived later in India in comparison to the West, and since it was not possible to watch porn on your phone without being caught earlier, B-grade actresses dominated the X or XX-rated movies through the 80s, 90s, and also, to an extent, in the early 2000s. There was no one more influential in X-rated films than South actresses.

Silk Smitha, a name who became famous due to Milan Luthria's 2011 sleeper hit 'The Dirty Picture', portrayed her and her contemporaries in a consolidated performance given by Vidya Balan, winning her a Vidya Balan.

After Silk, Shakeela was a name to be reckoned with. Bollywood actress Richa Chadda starred in and as ‘Shakeela’, a 2020 biographical film portraying the former actress-turned-politician's life navigating patriarchy in the 1990s. Mostly referred to as a softcore pornographic actress, she was targeted for being successful in a male-dominated society.

Many other actresses, such as Bhuvaneswari, Babilona, Devika, Meenakshi aka Sharmilee, Jayamalini, Huma Khan, Sona Heide, Swati Verma, and Jayavani, have B-grade credentials and are well-known names in the South.
Streaming Platforms

The rise of streaming platforms such as AltBalaji, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video, has popularized bold content along with web series like Sacred Games, Made in Heaven, Mirzapur, and The Married Woman breaking the boundaries on sexuality, power-play, and taboos cloaked by society.

Helmer Vasan Bala's docu-series 'Cinema Marte Dum Tak' is an endeavour aimed at acknowledging the cultural significance of these pulp films. The documentary revolves around four filmmakers whose names are J Neelam, Kishan Shah, Dilip Gulati, and Vinod Talwar; their task is to recreate their 90s and early 2000s "classics." Making money with low-budget content that appeals to a section of the audience has never received any attention in any polite conversations. One side of the documentary portrays this aspect well.

Even films and series like ‘Gulmohar’, ‘Amar Prem Ki Prem Kahani’, ‘Forbidden Love’, ‘Made in Heaven’, etc. bolster LGBTQ+ storylines that mainstream Bollywood would hardly dare to create.
The Mainstream Magic

In Abbas Mastan's 2003 release, ‘Aitraaz’, Priyanka Chopra Jonas played Mrs. Sonia Roy, a sexually unsatisfied wife who seduces her former lover and current employee, Raj Malhotra, played by Akshay Kumar.

In many interviews, the global star did mention the hesitation of those around her to accept a role due to the controversial theme of sexual harassment. It was still uncommon for film stars to do roles with a sexual backdrop.

Priya, played by Kareena Kapoor, was shown to be an ambitious young intern who aspired to be a lawyer but settled for being a wife with a baby on the way. In the end, she wasn't just a typical trophy wife, waiting for her husband to get justice, she took matters into her own hands.

Aitraaz starred superstar Akshay Kumar and the then newcomers, Priyanka Chopra and Kareena Kapoor for a film that explored complex themes such as sexual harassment, power dynamics, gender roles and reverse harassment. The film clashed with the epic romantic drama musical ‘Veer-Zaara’, directed by Yash Chopra, and firmly stood its ground. This wasn't an easy feat.

'Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna', a 2006 romantic drama directed by Karan Johar, garnered considerable attention for its themes of infidelity, feminism, and career ambitions. Its bold exploration of love, marriage, and human relationships sparked conversations about modern life's complexities.

Alankrita Shrivastava's 2016 black comedy 'Lipstick Under My Burkha' explored otherwise taboo topics such as patriarchy, female desire, sexual liberation, oppression, and self-expression through the lens of four women in search of their freedom. It will change the way you view women.

Amit Rai's 'OMG 2' is a comedy-drama film that explores the current situation of sex education in India. The film is a progressive step towards sex education, a taboo subject in Indian society.

Such films explore taboo topics in a commercial space and can reach more audiences than a typical A-grade film. These films were the result of some directors and producers who inspired mainstream cinema, giving it the inspiration and audacity of B-grade cinema that later appealed to the masses.
The Takeaway

Some of the low-budget film's narrative and visual strategies challenge conventional Bollywood norms and aesthetics, thus questioning the notion of normativity in itself. Such films created a space for dialogue that mainstream cinema has not only failed to take seriously but also altogether ignored the areas of incest, female lust, and male sexuality.

The success of films like ‘Murder’ and ‘Jism’ demonstrated that bold themes were no longer confined to B-grade cinema as mainstream filmmakers began to incorporate it. Film series such as ‘Ragini MMS’, ‘Hate Story’, ‘Love Sex Aur Dhokha’, and ‘Murder’ normalised bold themes in Bollywood and are a product of boldness with storytelling.

The beautiful part is that all these A-grade and B-grade films coexisted for a long time. Serving different audiences may have been overlooked, but the 1990s and 2000s proved to be a turning point, especially in Bollywood.

Ramesh Sippy's 1975 film ‘Sholay’ was released 31 years before Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (KANK). Although it had a similar concept, it never explored familial dynamics the way KANK did.

The film was also criticised for glorifying, but it does present the characters involved in the affairs as flawed in their existing marriage, perhaps implying that the infidelity arose from within the workings of the relationship rather than simply about the act of infidelity itself. Moreover, the characters suffer from internal turmoil and repercussions, showing how cheating has a negative impact.

B-grade films had already created a path that Karan Johar simply walked on. Today, films like ‘OMG 2’, ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3’, ‘Satyaprem Ki Katha’, and many more feature taboo plot points produced by well-known production houses and starring some of the biggest names in Bollywood.

In Mohit Suri's 'Kalyug', porn, suicide, and prostitution are the central theme. It was Suri's second directorial venture, while it was Kunal Khemu's first film as a lead. Today, mainstream producers can think of making such a film if it's pitched because it was already done and they know the formula.

Yes, B-grade cinema is still a grey area—some like it while some abhor it, blaming it for the industry's falling standards. However, the success of bridging two industries may be due to the thematic focus on the female body in films, which serves as a platform to negotiate tensions, fears, and desires.

On close observation, B-grade films gave the leading ladies an agency not seen in many A-grade films. If we have never had 'Kalyug', 'Jism' or 'Murder', Bollywood never would have made 'Aitraaz', 'Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna', or 'Lipstick Under My Burkha'.