#365DaysOfWriting – Day 145
Happy birthday Hrishikesh Mukherjee
Remember, no matter how you feel about life, there’s a Hrishikesh Mukherjee film for every emotion.
He would’ve been 94 years old today.
He’s one of the two Bollywood filmmakers I like the most from the 60s-70s (the other being Shakti Samanta). Hrishida made only 42 films in a career spanning 40 years, but each one of them had a special stamp of his style of storytelling.
I was introduced to his more light-hearted works first.
I watched Golmaal, Bawarchi, Khoobsurat and Chupke Chupke, and immediately formed the impression that here was a filmmaker who deftly weaved everyday comical moments while talking of the struggles, the tribulations of the middle class Indian. True, it was Basu Chatterjee who introduced Amol Palekar as the Indian middle class hero, but it was Hrishida who cemented him as one of Bollywood’s top comic heroes in the 70s.
Afterwards, I realised what a multi-faceted filmmaker he was.
Anand, Satyakam, Namak Haraam, Abhimaan – these are just a few names of the many classics he’s made. Aashirwad is another one – it features Ashok Kumar in what many consider to be his greatest role. These films aren’t like the ones I’ve mentioned above. They are meant to turn you inside out and play with your emotions. And that was the duality of the man – his light hearted films could make you cry, while his serious films could leave you with a smile on your face.
His choice of music was top class.
Be it Hemant Kumar, Shankar-Jaikishen, SD or RD Burman – Hrishida knew the importance of music to a Bollywood film. But never was a song out of place – his situational mastery over the placement of songs was almost unparalleled. Take the case of Bawarchi for example – there’s a song where the whole family is undertaking kitchen chores. It’s a beautiful song, weaved with panache into an everyday situation.
His films were the most quotable.
“ज़िंदगी बड़ी नहीं, लम्बी होनी चाहिंए।” – Anand
“It is so simple to be happy, but so difficult to be simple.” – Bawarchi
“बारिश के बूँदों से डरने वाले कभी तूफ़ान से नहीं टकरा सकते।” – Namak Haraam
“आप police officer नहीं, foolish officer हैं।” – Golmaal
These are just a few of the gems that are my favourites. There are many, many more.
