Remembering Filmmaker Hrishikesh Mukherjee

바카라�Is it a Hrishikesh Mukherjee film? Then we can all go and watch it together,바카라� the head of the family would breathe easy. The name 바카라�Hrishikesh Mukherjee바카라� on the poster was a 바카라�green channel바카라� for comfortable family viewing served with innocent humor, great music, calmer melodrama, non-toxic family squabbles and elegant romance. He made quiet films about issues confronting the modest aspirations of the ordinary Indian middle-class. As Film expert Kaushik Bhaumik clarifies, 바카라�Their aspirations were not consumerist unlike a Vijay of Deewar.바카라� 

What genre does one classify Hrishikesh Mukherjee바카라�s films under? His films had none of the stock commercial magnets like screechy action, visceral violence, exotic locations, titillating dance sequences or double-meaning jokes. Neither were his films of the arthouse variety which are identified by their abstractness in expression, complicated camera angles, complex editing and absence of popular stars, flamboyance, flashiness or music. Meant essentially for the students or connoisseurs of cinema, art films have very limited popular reach. Hrishi da바카라�s narratives were simple, linear, and definite, and easy for the masses to understand who flocked in droves. 

So, did Hrishikesh Mukherjee belong somewhere in between these extremes, commonly referred to as 바카라�parallel바카라� cinema or 바카라�middle-of-the road바카라� cinema? Firstly, the two are not synonymous. Kaushik Bhaumik sums it up, 바카라�Parallel cinema deals with larger societal issues with political overtones whereas middle-of-the-road cinema deals with the tensions of the modern (often urban) Indian middle class.바카라�  Examples of parallel cinema would be Govind Nihalani바카라�s 바카라�Party바카라� (1984), 바카라�Droh Kaal바카라� (1994) and 바카라�1084 ki Maa바카라� (1998) which focused on Naxalites and their ideological clashes with the state. N. Chandra바카라�s 바카라�Ankush바카라� (1986) that dealt with the frustration of the unemployed youth and his 바카라�Aghaat바카라� (1985) about militant unionism in Bombay바카라�s cotton mills, Shyam Benegal바카라�s 바카라�Ankur바카라� (1974), Nihalani바카라�s 바카라�Aakrosh바카라� (1980) which portrayed exploitation of the disempowered villagers by the village honchos would also come under parallel cinema. 

Examples of 바카라�middle-of-the-road바카라� would be 바카라�Chhoti si Baat바카라� (1976), 바카라�Chitchor바카라� (1976), 바카라�Rajnigandha바카라� (1974) and 바카라�Piya ka Ghar바카라� (1972) 바카라� all by Basu Chatterji. 바카라�Geet Gaata Chal바카라� (1975). 바카라�Nadiya ke Paar바카라� (1982), 바카라�Dulhan Wahi jo Piya Man Bhaye바카라� (1977) from the Barjatyas would also qualify as middle-road. All these were quiet films too, very similar to Hrishikesh Mukherjee바카라�s. But바카라�. notice that the lead actors of these middle-road films featured non-star actors like Amol Palekar, Anil Dhawan, Sachin, Vidya Sinha, Zarina Wahab, Prem Kishan, Rameshwari. But Hrishikesh Mukherjee almost always needed stars 바카라� Dilip Kumar, Kishore Kumar, Suchitra Sen, Nutan, Raj Kapoor, Sharmila Tagore, Rajesh Khanna, Waheeda Rehman, Jaya Bhaduri, Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Utpal Dutt 바카라� and Amol Palekar only after Basu Chatterji had made him a star.

So, Hrishikesh Mukherjee was a mainstream filmmaker of the 바카라�quiet바카라� variety but with big stars. Basu Chatterji created stars out of thin air while Hrishikesh Mukherji needed support of established stars. In fact, his dependance on stars came in the way of bold storytelling. A strong context like labor union problems in 바카라�Namak Haraam바카라� (1973) got overwhelmed by the friendship-gone-sour story track. Likewise, 바카라�Bemisal바카라� (1982) lost an opportunity at bold depiction of corrupt medical practices, ending up instead as an Amitabh Bachchan show. Dharmendra with his higher star value was cast as the first male lead in 바카라�Chupke Chupke바카라�. It was a miscast. The Sherwood and Delhi University educated Amitabh Bachchan with his pure Hindi should have been cast as Prof Tripathi 바카라� both from 바카라�Professor바카라� and 바카라�Tripathi바카라� standpoints. 

Hrishi da is perceived to be a maker of comedy films. True, there were comedy segments and humorous songs in most of his films. But only 바카라�Chupke Chupke바카라�, 바카라�Gol Maal바카라�, 바카라�Naram Garam바카라� (1981), 바카라�Khubsoorat바카라�, 바카라�Rang Birangi바카라� (1983), and 바카라�Kisise na Kehna바카라� (1983) 바카라� just seven or eight out of his 40 odd films would count as outright comedies. 바카라�Bawarchi바카라� (1972) was about a joint family crumbling to pieces while 바카라�Guddi바카라� (1971) was about the coming-of-age of a star-struck young girl. Ironically, the one comedy film for which Hrishikesh Mukherjee deserved far more credit was 바카라�Sabse Bada Sukh바카라� (1972), India바카라�s first adult comedy, and the one with the lowest profile cast of a 바카라�pre-Yaadon ki Baaraat바카라� Vijay Arora and Rabi Ghosh. History must also bestow credit on him for the first Angry Young Man of Hindi films 바카라� Satyapriya Acharya (Dharmendra) in 바카라�Satyakam바카라� (1969). Acharya is a young graduate who is disillusioned with systemic corruption. Hrishi da바카라�s gallery includes deep tragedies like 바카라�Anand바카라�, 바카라�Mili바카라�, 바카라�Alaap바카라� (1977), 바카라�Naukri바카라� (1978) and sentimental sagas like 바카라�Anuradha바카라� (1960), 바카라�Chhaya바카라� (1961), 바카라�Anupama바카라� (1966) and 바카라�Jurmana바카라� (1979) while 바카라�Buddha Mil Gaya바카라� (1971) was a revenge story with multiple murders. 

To sum up, Hrishikesh Mukherjee바카라�s films fill us with a sense of contentedness. 바카라�Anand바카라� (1971) and 바카라�Mili바카라� (1975) showed how happiness can be juiced out of every living moment while to this day we long to be part of those laughter-filled households and bumbling friends in 바카라�Gol Maal바카라� (1979), 바카라�Chupke Chupke바카라� (1975), and 바카라�Khubsoorat바카라� (1980). As National Award-winning author Anirudha Bhattacharjee says, 바카라�A simple story told well sells.바카라�  

(Balaji Vittal is a National Award- an MAMI-winning author of five books. You can find him on Twitter @vittalbalaji. Views expressed are personal.)