Chat masala Guest Episode with Suhita Thatte

 She's a an actress with substance. We chat about Suhita Thatte's entry into theatre, then films, serials and so on.. the link here-

https://youtu.be/4149WlsrnHM

Book Review of Amol Palekar's Memoirs

 It's called Viewfinder in English. I read the Marathi version.

It has a lot of content that I was not aware of. I liked it for its personal tone and insights into how theatre works in Marathi and Hindi at least. Both mainstream and parallel categories. He also interacted with Bengali playwrights, and directed Badal Sircar's plays like Juloos. 

He has a soft corner for Jaidev, who scored music for Gharonda and Ankahee (he also co-produced this with Jayant Dharmadhikari, my BIL). 

His attempts to get out of the boy next door characters in Hindi films, and attempts to make films about taboo topics including LGBT starring subjects gets a mention. Also how Nana Patekar got after him for that role in Thoda Sa Roomani Ho Jaayen. And did it so well!

Hrishikesh Mukherjee (Gol Maal, Naram Garam) and he shared a bond. And of course, Basu Chatterjee, who gave him 3 hits in a row- Rajnigandha, Chhoti si Baat and Chitchor.

Those who like theatre, and his kind of films will enjoy this memoir.

People Next Door

 These are further sub-divided into the Boy Next Door and the Girl Next Door. In films, for example, many of the hero/heroine characters are made of fantasy, with qualities you rarely encounter in one human. And they are flawless. Except when Basu Chatterjee made films like Rajnigandha. He had Amol Palekar and Vidya Sinha play two simple and relatable human beings, who could have been your next door neighbours, without any superhuman qualities in fights or dancing or anything else. 

On the other hand, there's plenty of talent, beauty, etc. to be found next door (not literally but in your circle of acquaintances) if you care to look. From my encounters with my own students and alumni (and colleagues), I am constantly made aware of this fact. They know so many things, that I have never heard of. They have talent for entrepreneurship, or for some fine art, or sport, often. Or they are experts in game-playing/gaming (in a positive sense), and so on. Some are into acting, modelling, writing, painting, and what not.

My point is simply, that fantasy has its place, but people who make a difference in our lives are right next to us, if we just care to look around, So start looking, and befriending them...you might just learn something new.

Basu Chatterjee

 He was a director I first encountered with Rajnigandha. Tightly edited, a simple story about a girl who has to make a choice between two suitors. And does. But the filming of this story leaves an impact felt for a long time. Vidya Sinha got a great role.

Then I saw Chhoti si Baat, where a trainer teaches the hero how to beat competition and win a lady love. Ashok Kumar played the trainer. A comedy handled in a breezy fashion. Again, with great music to accompany the story. 

Chitchor was next. Set in rural India, it was a musical, with a simple story yet again. Zarina Wahab was never so impressive. Amol Palekar scored a hat-trick- he was in all three.

After that I also saw a few more films (Priyatama, Shaukeen) and TV (Rajni, Byomkesh Bakshi) serials he directed. Very impressive, making him my favourite director among a few others I like- Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Gulzar, Vijay Anand. Editing and screenplay were his forte, I believe.

The World of Hrishikesh Mukherjee- Book Review

I thought I knew everything about him. But this book was revealing, to say the least. Many of his movies I have seen, but many others I came to know about. Musafir, Biwi aur Makaan (delightful comedy available on Youtube), Anuradha (starred Leela Naidu and Balraj Sahni), Anupama (this has my favourite song- Dheere dheere machal aye dil-e-beqaraar), and many more.

Dharmendra plays hero in his Satyakam, a story of an idealistic man who will not compromise on his values, and suffers in a world of corruption and compromise. The same Dharmendra plays a comic role (role of his life?) in Chupke Chupke, an all-time favourite film of mine.

Hrishikesh Mukherjee appeals to me for one more reason. He was a GREAT editor. His movies have an economy of shots that you rarely see in Hindi films. Many films are classics, and can be watched multiple times, such as Bawarchi, Gol Maal, Naram Garam, Khubsoorat.

The author brings out many little things about his films and working style- David playing sutradhaar (narrator/link-man) in many films, smaller characters getting prominence along with lead actors (Lalita Pawar or Johny Walker in Anand), his discipline on the sets.

Anari (typical Raj Kapoor) was directed by him, and so was Buddha Mil Gaya, a muder mystery! He used Deven Varma well in many films. He also used many different music directors in his films, and was modern in his thoughts about relationships (In Khubsoorat, Rekha calls the elderly Ashok Kumar 'boyfriend'). His characters had an everyday feel, you find them believable, and sometimes outrageously funny. He never had villains in his films-didn't need them. People with quirks were good enough (Utpal Dutt the moustache-worshipper in Gol Maal).

A superb read!

Biographies-1

Read a nice collection of filmi biographies by a Marathi journalist. These include interesting people like Salim Khan, Basu Chatterjee, Shamshad Begum, B.R. Ishaara, Rajendranath, and Nanda.

Salim Khan is from Indore. He narrates his early attempts to become an actor, and how he got into script-writing, into a partnership with Javed and delivered blockbusters like Deewar, Sholay, and Don. His breakup with Javed and lack of support from Amitabh and others cost him about 4 years in which he had no work. His love marriage with a Hindu girl is also a part of his life story, and his second marriage to Helen, in his own words. His hands-off approach towards his sons stands out.

Basu Chatterjee always made films that were believable, and extremely funny at times. Shaukeen, a story of three old men trying to reinvent a love-life was hilarious, for instance. Rajnigandha, Chitchor and Chhoti si Baat were all path-breaking comedies/simple stories. Amol Palekar became a household name, playing the boy-next-door in all three. Most were made on a shoe-string budget, proving that good films can be low-cost.

He started with a good story, and then wrote a screenplay around it. His skills at it attracted Dharmendra, Hema, Jeetendra and others to work with him, not always suuccessfully. He also made a Pygmalion/My Fair Lady remake with Dev Anand and Tina Munim called Man Pasand. His Khatta Meetha, and Baton Baton Mein were also very well-made. In TV serials, he made two that stood out. Rajni, about everyday problems faced by a housewife (gave Priya Tendulkar instant fame) , and Byomkesh Bakshi, a dhoti-clad detective played by Rajat Kapur. Hrishikesh Mukherjee was his contemprary who made similar films.

To be continued...

Heroes and Heroism

The Hindi film's idea of a hero is a guy who bashes up the villain's henchmen into pulp and saves the heroine, or his mother, from their clutches. In childhood, we lapped up this theory. Now, of course, we know better. So this is a tribute to some unlikely heroes who may not be young, tough, or even good-looking. They might be too, of course.

Naseeruddin Shah. A gawky and awkward-looking actor, but a powerhouse performer. Unforgettable in some of his roles. Masoom is one where he does the right thing by his child out of wedlock. Not to mention his great comic role in Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro, with Ravi Baswani, Pankaj Kapur and Om Puri.

Om Puri in Ardh Satya was better than any conventional hero of those times.

Amol Palekar never bashed up villains, but he was terrific in Chitchor, Rajnigandha, Chhoti Si Baat.

Irrfan in the Lunch box was a powerhouse performance, in my view. So was the one in Paan Singh Tomar.

Farooque Shaikh was a great actor, in fiilms like Bazaar, Chashme Baddoor, Maya Memsaab, and many others.

Shah Rukh in Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa is my favourite role of his.

Rajesh Khanna in Anand or Namak Haram. Or Bawarchi.

Dev Anand in Tere Mere Sapne.

Amitabh in Chupke Chupke. Dharmendra, likewise.

Nana Patekar in Thodasa Roomani Ho Jaayein.