Basu Chatterjee and His Immortal Creations: My Top 7 Picks of the Maestro

Basu Chatterjee, a name associated with pleasant-feeling movies, immortalised the character of Saradindu Bandopadhyay's "Satyanweshi" Byomkesh Bakshi as a household name throughout India. A filmmaker who, upon closer examination, has brought the regular drama of an ordinary household to the screen so effortlessly. January 10 marked his 95th birth anniversary. 

After starting as a cartoonist, at the beginning of his illustrious career in films, he began assisting legendary filmmakers such as Basu Bhattacharya and Hrishikesh Mukherjee. His directorial debut was Sara Akash, released in 1969. In a couple of years, he made one of his most acclaimed films, Piya Ka Ghar, and then there was no looking back. He established himself as one of the most prolific storytellers of the middle class. Despite the larger audience's affinity for romantic or action films of that era, Chatterjee successfully brought the average man's joy from small things, despite various struggles and life's issues on screen. His approach had won both the critics' and the audience's hearts. The beauty of his movies is that they still sound relevant in today's era. The late 80s and 90s had almost forgotten this flavour of cinema, with the emergence of ultra-glamorous characters, flaunting their designer wear under snow-clad mountains. until very recently, when we again began watching movies like Luka Chuppi, Badhai Ho, or Bareilly Ki Barfi, which revisited the same sort of flavour: middle-class dramas. 

Here are my Top 7 Picks of Basu Chatterjee from his enviable list of films. I have not watched all of these, but I am fortunate to watch most of them. 

1. Rajnigandha: " Rajnigandha phool tumhare Mehke yuhin jeevan me"

A beautiful song in an equally stunning film, this 1974 movie starring Vidya Sinha, Amol Palekar, and Dinesh Thakur in lead roles, is about Deepa, who is about to get married to Sanjay, a simple man. However, problems start when Navin, her ex-lover, re-emerges in her life. While dealing with the simple and unobservant Sanjay, she constantly compares him to Navin and his artistic eye for detail. 

In an era when women were rarely given the choice to find their own partners, the filmmaker presented the character of Deepa as a modern and independent thinker who is uncertain about choosing her ideal partner. 

2. Piya Ka Ghar:  "Ye Jeevan hai, Is jeevan ka yehi hai rang roop."

Jaya Bhaduri and Anil Dhawan starred in this sweet 1972 movie, which tells the story of a newlywed couple and their struggle to adjust to a joint family in a small shared setup. The movie has a wonderful rhythmic pattern, starting from a young woman's dreams of moving to a big city and a soulmate to share her dreams with, and then comes the initial issues of privacy, which extend to marital troubles and differences in both families. The villain here is a lack of space; weird, but that's reality.

3. Priyatama: A budding TV producer, Ravi, marries Dolly. Once the honeymoon phase is over, misunderstandings start to arise between them, which slowly turn into an irreconcilable battle of egos. Despite the efforts of their good friends, things turn sour till Dolly's father arrives. Again, this film was quite advanced in its approach. Set in 1977, when female leads were generally portrayed as either eye candy or acquiescing to the demands of their male counterparts, the character of Dolly dared to make the decision to leave her marriage, which was becoming toxic for her. 

4. Khatta Meetha: " Ye Jeena Hai Angur ka daana..Khatta Meetha"

Remarriage of elderly people - something we rarely come across and something that has seldom been depicted in films. This movie, released in 1978, depicted this when Homi and Nargis got married. They are both widowed and have their own children. After initial issues of adjustment, their families gradually start settling, but there are also outside factors that hinder their peace of mind. However, once they unite, things improve. 

Ashok Kumar and Pearl Padamsee play the lead in the film, supported by Rakesh Roshan and Bindiya Goswami. The film represents life's bitter-sweet moments in a lovely way.

5. Choti Si Baat:  "Jaaneman Jaaneman tere do nayan chori chori leke gaye dekho mera man"

Amol Palekar, for me, is a quintessential representation of the common man in Hindi films. The actor possesses an unparalleled innocence. That's what made him so popular with directors like Basu Chatterjee and Hrishikesh Mukherjee, who dealt with the hero of the middle class. And how honestly he performed in those characters! This film is a bright example of when the maker can bring out the best from an actor. No spoilers, nothing...simply watch this film for a hearty laugh and some awesome music from Salil Chowdhury. 

6. Chitchor: " Aj se pehle aj se zyada khushi aj tak nahi mili"

The worst movie of Hrithik Roshan was Mai Prem Ki Diwani Hu. I always fail to understand why a generally good actor would perform so annoyingly, and what compelled the maker to turn such a classic like Chitchor into such a headache with very bad songs. Whatever it may be, let's concentrate on Chitchor, with Palekar in the lead, alongside Zareena Wahab. The film shows how a man's simplicity and innocence steal a girl's heart, thus justifying the name Chitchor. But things change when her mother realises he is not the man they thought he was, all unbeknownst to that very man. Not to forget the melodious music by Ravindra Jain.

7. Ek Ruka Hua Faisla: I have not watched 12 Angry Men, but this was the Hindi remake of the same. 12 members of a jury have to decide the fate of a young boy, guilty of killing his own father. While most of the members have already chosen that the boy is guilty, only one remains adamant about his innocence and tries to convince the rest until the end. This is a distinctly different kind of film, with conversation being the central element. Recently, a Bengali version of the movie by Srijit Mukherji came out, called Sotti Bole Sotti Kichu Nei

I know, I know, but what to do? I haven't watched Swami, Kamla Ki Maut and Shaukeen. My list would have changed if I had! Also, I have watched Manzil, but I'm not a great fan because the original story was altered to give it a positive ending. Someone who had been faking things from the start can not be accepted so easily. The original Bengali version, Mrinal Sen's Akash Kusum, showed the reality. Basu Chatterjee's other notable movies that I had the chance to watch are Baton Baton Mein, Chameli Ki Shaadi, Safed Jhooth and Dillagi.