For someone whose idea of a dream Sunday afternoon has for long been superb suppina-saaru-sandige and an Amol Palekar film (preferably Gol Maal or Chupke Chupke), the news of Hrishikesh Mukherjee being taken critically ill is not good news at all.
Unlike the fully-toned, totally artificial, US-returned, Porsche-driving geniuses who dot the films of Karan Johar and Aditya Chopra, Hrishida's hero was unapologetically middleclass: the hero actually went to an office to work and the hero actually chased the heroine at the bus-stop and in the local train.
When the Dadasaheb Phalke award was rightly (for a change!) conferred on him a few years ago, Hrishida was asked the difference between films of his era and today's films. Without batting an eyelid, he said most aptly: "In today's films, they say "I" in New Zealand, "Love" in Austria, and "You" in Canada."
The simplicity and naturality of everyday romance was never better portrayed than in the films of Mr. Mukherjee.
The hero was in every way human and normal and the lady in question was so real, so palpably believable. Exuding typical middle class cuteness!
Unlike in today’s films where the hero and the heroine have such out of proportion mannerisms that drip artificiality all the way through.
Like mannequins that walk and talk!
:-(
Hrishi-da’s latest movie was way below what we’ve come to expect of him though.
Hrishikesh Muherjee, Amol Palekar, and don’t forget Utpal Dutt…
Chupke Chupke .. a classic. All movies were original as well.. no borrowed themes.
The interesting part about his movies was he got the big stars to act in them… try doing that these days.
Sorry to hear !. He is one of great film makers which touched everyones hearts ( at least the Middle class ) where we can relate to.
I liked Bhawarchi , Ashirwad ,guddi .
Chupke Chupke starring Amol Palekar? That is news to me. :-)
All of Hrishida’s movies were wonderful. Rekha to Utpal Dutt to Jaya Bhaduri to Sanjeev Kumar to David- wow is the word. The best thing about his movies was the way each character and not just the hero were crafted.
Chupke Chupke with amol is news but I guess the sentence needs to be seen in its context.
But Hrishida is wow- wonder why the media is so low key about this – no actually I dont wonder.
sakathagiro picture maadthidru namma puttannan thara
avarige begaa usaaar aagli
imahotgal,
There is indeed a context to my post. Please read this post by ERR. At least in that case, Naushad was asst MD to Khemchand Prakash for Mahal. Whereas, writing that Amol Palekar was in Chupke Chupke is not as forgivable an error as getting confused between Ramprasad Dashrathprasad Sharma and Laxmanprasad Dashrathprasad Sharma (“Pyaar se log mujhe ‘Lucky’ kehte hain”).
All in good humour, of course!
My favorite dialogue of Golmaal
==
Utpal Dutt in a party scene: “Pata nahin log party mein aaye hain ke
fancy dress parade mein!” (“I don’t know if people have come to a
party or to a fancy dress parade”)
His friend: “Tum kis mein aaye hon bhai?” (“What have you come to,
brother?” – this is a dig at Utpal Dutt for wearing a Indian style
jacket, trousers)
Utpal Dutt:” Haan, Haan, desi kapdon ka mazak nahin udaoge to
broadminded kaise kahlaoge?”(” Yeah, yeah, if you don’t make fun of
Indian clothes, how else will you be called broadminded?”)
==
Second favorite
Amol (as Laxman): “Tum mujhe Lucky kahna aur main tumhe Urmila-ji ke
bajaye, Mili kahonga” (“You call me Lucky and I’ll call you Mili
instead of Urmila-ji”
Utpal Dutt: “eeeeeesh – tum use Urmila Ji kahoge! Aur woh tumhe
Laxmanprasad-ji!” (eeeeessh, you will call her Urmila-ji and she will
call you LaxmanPrasad-ji”)
Amol: Ji? (Beg your pardon)
Dutt: Ji! (very strong YES)
Amol: Ji! (Ok, agreed)
The above stuff is hilarious if you understand the different ways in
which “ji” can be used in colloquial Hindi.
==
Also,
” Jiska naam Bhavani Shankar ho vo paida hote hi budda ho gaya hoga.”
imahotgal,
There is indeed a context to my post. Please read this post by ERR. At least in that case, Naushad was asst MD to Khemchand Prakash for Mahal. Whereas, writing that Amol Palekar was in Chupke Chupke is not as forgivable an error as getting confused between Ramprasad Dashrathprasad Sharma and Laxmanprasad Dashrathprasad Sharma (“Pyaar se log mujhe ‘Lucky’ kehte hain”).
All in good humour, of course!
About Chupke Chupke, sorry it appeared that way (shows you how not to start a sentence or how not to finish one).
What I meant was that he got big stars (Amitabh, Dharmendra, Sharmila, and Jaya) to act for him… and Chupke Chupke was a classic example…
Could anybody make a movie like’ Guddi’ today in ANY language. Would anybody attempt a topic like Satyakaam, Anupama? Hrishida made movies which were very simple and hence most difficult to make. Balraj Shani and Leela Naidu’s ‘ ‘ which won him a gold medal ( I forgot the name can anybody tell me the title… was a classic.
Filmmakers like him truly are a rairity. Hope he recovers and plays chess again, which he loved next to making movies…
Quiz Man, Thanks for reminding this dailogue
“Jiska naam Bhavani Shankar ho vo paida hote hi budda ho gaya hoga”
Wishing a fast recovery to Hrishidaa.
Like R K Laxman’s Common Man, Hrishidaa’s films are truly Indian.
We can’t get such a warm-feeling these days & Rigtly, almost all his films are Classics.
Except his recent most, jhoot bole kawwaa kaate, All were too good.
Laugh Riots and Emotional Spillovers were his forte and we want him give us more of such.
Very Sorry to hear this.
As my friends told above, he is a jem in the film industry.
Most of his movies were remaked in kannada and several other languages.
(Asegobba missigobba, Joke Falls etc etc)
I sincerly pray to GOD to make him well very soon
Gowreesha..ultapulta marthbityalla siva…adhu remake allva?
Erram, I think the movie with Balraj Sahni in it was Anuradha. Mukherjee also made a film called Musafir where there were three stories linked by a common theme. He was one of the first ones to make this type of movie. This trend has been tried out by Ram Gopal Verma in his Darna.. series. He can truly be called an all rounder as he tried to make movies in most genres.
Not many people are aware that Hrishikesh Mukherjee gave a tribute to his best friend Raj Kapoor in Anand, not only in the credits, but also in a particularly charming way within the film. RK used to fondly call HM “Babu Moshai”. During one of their drinking sessions, HM said that he would be lost if RK died before him. Thus, Anand came about.
What about the music in hrishida’s movies- from the kuch dilne kaha in anupama to ya dil ki suno in satyakaam to chupke chupke Chalri purvayaa in chupke Chupke to the Undescribable beauties in Anuradha- what a feast
Ya dil Ki Suno is from Anupama too if I remember right.
QM that was an interesting bit of info. I did remember seeing RK in the credits but did not know why.
Prasad,
That is correct. See this. [giitaayan.com]
Oh yes I was thinking of Abhi kya sunoge from satyakaam but was listening to Ya dil ki suno from Anupama and got a bit mixed up. Well both super songs