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| Basu Chatterjee (1927-2020) |
It sometimes takes death to truly recognize a forgotten genius. Basu Chatterjee’s prolific filmography is bound to be rediscovered, since his demise on June 4, 2020. He was 93.
Many great Indian film artists have faded to obscurity because they died years after they ceased working – legends like Pran, Mehmood, Manna Dey, Khayyam, Naushad, Yogesh are among them.
The few whom we continue to cherish on their abrupt untimely deaths include – music directors R.D. Burman and Wajid Khan, actors Sridevi, Irrfan Khan and Rishi Kapoor.
What is it about human nature that an unexpected death brings to the fore – the agony of what might have been?
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| For the love of tea: Byomkesh Bakshi (1993-1997 TV Series) |
Basu’s understated touches
Basu Chatterjee’s most celebrated films released in the 70s.
As a 90s kid the popular detective TV series Byomkesh Bakshi, based on the works of Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay was my first contact with Chatterjee’s work as director.
The cleverness of the crime and its earthy detection, the innumerable tea sessions in each episode, is enthralling to watch in reruns.
I remember spooking out back then to an episode featuring a haunted house (boooo…), where Basu intelligently gives us a split second ‘blink and you will miss’ ghost sighting, making the scene scarier, just by that quick editing bit.
Acute observer, teller of life stories concerning ordinary people with happy, humble aspirations, the world eventually got grim, greedy, sly, complex, devious and chaotic – no place for the compassionate stories Basu Chatterjee wanted to tell. But he kept at direction, the Bengali language movie Trishanku (2011) was his last film.
A select list of my favourite Basu Chatterjee films:
Can an extremely shy man Arun…to be more precise, Arun – the good-hearted buffoon and innocent fool, be with the girl he loves, the impossibly sexy Prabha Narayan? Going by the first 15 minutes, you would say “No,” “No,” and to just be sure, add another resounding “Nooooo.”
It doesn’t help that another capable man, the smart, boastful and confident Nagesh is taking huge strides in winning over Prabha.
Desperate to gain Prabha’s love, Arun reaches out to the wise man of Khandala – Colonel Julius Nagendranath Wilfred Singh. The colonel has a life mission – to help those in love find their mate. Can Arun turn the tables on Nagesh with the colonel’s help?
Loosely based on a British comedy, Choti Si Baat is largely enjoyable and good fun, if sometimes too simplistic in its plot. But then it is a Basu Chatterjee comedy.
Featuring the very foolish Amol Palekar, love guru Ashok Kumar, amazingly beautiful Vidya Sinha (man, oh man) and charming Salil Chaudhury music.
Life is lonely for about-to-retire widower Homi Mistry who lives in a small home with his four sons and a run-down four-wheeler. When his friend introduces him to Sethna, a Parsi widow with three children of her own, the two see more than eye to eye. But the children don’t – the funniest bits feature these siblings-by-marriage fighting it out. Rohit Shetty picked up the same concept for his overplayed but entertaining comedy Golmaal 3(2010).
Dedicated to the colourful Indian Parsi community, Khatta Meetha is a musical celebration of togetherness, life and joint families. Featuring Ashok Kumar and Pearl Padamsee as the older couple, Rakesh Roshan, Bindiya Goswami, the pleasing David Abraham and many others.
Rosie Perreira wants her cute daughter Nancy to marry a wealthy young man. Rosie’s brother Tom introduces Nancy to cartoonist Tony Braganza on Bombay’s local train. Nancy and Tony get along and love blooms gently between them, but Tony seems reluctant to commit.
This is when what-will-other-people-think mom Rosie decides to intervene, leading to sadness, friendly dad advice and a happy ending.
Charandas, a star bachelor wrestler learning under Ustad Mastram Pahelwan has a seemingly easy (on paper, at least) teacher-instilled rule to follow. He has to be celibate (no, there is no chastity belt at play). But when our abstinent young man chances upon the feisty Chameli, the daughter of the corrupt and crooked Kallumal “Koylewala”, abstinence turns into coal-fueled love.
Thanks to witty guidance from Advocate Harish, Charandas and Chameli battle caste inequalities, overrated goons and nosy family members in this hilarious comedy.
Chameli ki Shaadi is my favourite Basu Chatterjee movie.
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| The beautiful Vidya Sinha in Rajnigandha (1974) |
Very good complilation of information
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