Bollywood has lost another legend, Basu Chatterjee. However, his works continue to have a lasting impression and find relevance even today. By Team Viva
It’s been five months into 2020 and the film industry has already lost a few of its legends. Filmmaker and screenplay writer Basu Chatterjee joined the list yesterday. His passing away at 92 due to age-related ailments has made film connoisseurs reminisce about his films and the reality he brought out through them. His works are still remembered as something that had made the 1970s the most fascinating and interesting times for the Indian cinema.
Here are his five must-watch films, which find relevance even today due to themes that resonate.
Sara Akash (1969)
The film, Chatterjee’s directorial debut, has time and again proved to be a must-watch for married couples. It traces the journey of a couple who, because of the man’s obstinacy, doesn’t interact with each other for a long time after their marriage. The film is a commentary on incompatible marriages and how Indian joint families force decisions.
The protagonist Samar, played by Rakesh Pandey, even recalls in a scene how he once discussed the urge to “break-free” from society’s expectations with his friends, when he says, “Inhi baadhaon ko kuchal kar hume aage badhna hai.”
The film is also said to have showcased the early distorted view of what came to be known as the Middle cinema — a waystation between glamourous commercial films and self-consciously inward-looking arthouse cinema. And representing man-woman relationships through the prism of reality was Chatterjee’s forte.
Piya Ka Ghar (1972)
While Sara Akash portrayed the disputes of a newly-married couple, this film focussed on privacy in a marriage by showcasing a struggling couple in a joint family of seven in Mumbai, somewhat explaining the ‘big city woes.’
Through satire, the film commented on how two people in love could long for privacy in their own home. However, with “Jagah toh dill mein honi chahiye, aur kahin nahi,” it summed up its underlying message.
Rajnigandha (1974)
The sea, the romance, the maximum city — these are just three things which explain one of the most celebrated films by Chatterjee, Rajnigandha.
It traces the journey of Deepa, who is deeply in love with Sanjay in Delhi and unexpectedly meets Navin in Mumbai, her former lover. She is later left confused between the two. The reason why the film found a place in people’s hearts is because Chatterjee, while showing a woman confused in love, neither made it scandalous nor apologetic. The protagonist, first travelled to another city all by herself to find independence and later, goes through turmoil to eventually find clarity.
Art collector and archivist Supratik Roy had once said, “Rajnigandha’s poster is one such that if you remove the title credits, it’s an amazing artwork by itself, not a typical film poster.”
Khatta Meetha (1978)
The film portrays a middle-aged Parsi widow and widower, who decide to get married despite the objections of their grown-up children.
It still finds relevance because even today, adults might find it hard to adjust with the fact that their single parents could also fall in love with anyone else. “Thoda hai, thode ki zarurat hai...” explains it all.
Chitchor (1976)
A misunderstanding about his professional position brings Vinod (played by Amol Palekar) close to Geeta (played by Zarina Wahab) and her family. However, later, when Vinod’s boss Sunil (played by Vijayendra Ghatge) enters their lives, her family chooses Sunil as Geeta’s suitor, considering him as her lover.
The film was described as a typical Basu Chatterjee presentation, as it was “so infectious, so appealing. Simple, realistic and aesthetic to the core, you want to revisit and experience the joy of quality and meaningful cinema,” by a national daily. It simply brings two people close to each other without dramatising anything, or a guy trying to woo a girl. Rather, it makes for a very compelling and natural narration.
The film was also nominated for Filmfare Best Screenplay Award.
