Symbol of simplicity
VINAY KUMAR
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His subjects used to hit hard but his objects always smiled their way to the heart. A tribute to the master craftsman Hrishikesh Mukherjee.
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LOVED BY ALL Hrishikesh Mukherjee.
Hrishikesh Mukherjee, one of the finest directors of Hindi filmdom, will be remembered for his sensitive portrayal of the lives of middle-class people with whom a cinemagoer identified instantly as well as his laugh-a-minute movies like "Chupke Chupke" and "Golmaal".
Hrishida, as he was fondly known in the film-industry, came across as a director, who tackled complex issues in the most simple manner and in the end managed to drive home the bigger philosophy of life, often demolishing long-held beliefs and values and charting out a new order which was humane and sensitive. He left filmgoers wondering as to how and why they could miss out on such situations, which seemed to be too familiar and events, which were commonplace but went unnoticed till Hrishida portrayed them in his movies. "Satyakam", for instance, falls in that category where you have Ashok Kumar, asking his daughter-in-law's son, borne in the aftermath of her rape, to light the funeral pyre of his son. He cast Dharmendra and Sharmila Tagore in the lead roles and the movie manages to shake up the age-old values.
Take "Abhimaan" where a young couple is portrayed battling their egos in a very sensitive manner. The portrayal of lead roles by Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bhaduri in "Abhimaan" under the skilful guidance of Hrishida moved everyone.
Core value
Actress Deepti Naval paying homage.
The core value of his films remained simplicity, be it comic or tragic situations. Mindless violence and sex never found any place in his films. While "Anand" launched Rajesh Khanna on the road to super-stardom, it propelled Amitabh Bachchan into the orbit of Bollywood from where the `Babumoshai' never looked back and went on to climb higher echelons of stardom. The pair of Rajesh-Amitabh was seen years later in "Namak Haram", a film, which brought out the struggle of mill-workers.
Starting his career in films as an assistant to Bimal Roy, Hrishikesh Mukherjee tried his hand at comedy and brought out comic situations in his movies that seemed plausible but proved to be rib-ticklers. While "Chupke Chupke", played on the linguistic peculiarities without deriding any language, "Golmaal" had two Amol Palekars coming face to face with Utpal Dutt. Both the movies turned out to be great hits.
The era of 1970s and 80s will remain etched firmly in the memories of film buffs and common man alike. Earlier, in his career he made "Anupama", where macho Dharmendra essayed an entirely different role of a writer and Sharmila Tagore played the role of a daughter who longs for her father's love and affection, a role that won accolades for Sharmila Tagore. "Anuradha" in which a doctor is so immersed in his profession that he neglects his family won him the President's Gold Medal in 1960. "Guddi", "Bemisaal", "Jhooti", "Khoobsurat", "Mili", and "Bawarchi" were some other hits, which launched careers of several actors and brought out unexplored facets of others, a skill which he had mastered. Melodious music was another feature of his films and you saw music directors like R.D. Burman and Salil Chaudhary giving out new, unorthodox numbers that remained on the lips of cinemagoers for years and still ring in the ears.
Unusual situations
If "Guddi", "Bawarchi", "Khoobsurat" and "Jhooti" stressed the fact that a bit of laughter and an easy outlook can make life much better, "Bemisaal" and "Mili" became the hallmark of sensitive portrayal of unusual situations in which middle-class families found themselves. His last directorial venture was "Jhoot Bole Kauwa Kaate" in 1999, which failed to light up the box-office, indicating that glitz, glamour, sex and violence had taken over the Bollywood and filmmakers had bid adieu to the art of simplicity. But even now if someone wants to tell a story in a deglamourised, simple manner - Hrishida's repertoire of 40-odd films will act as the guiding spirit.
He was a great friend of Raj Kapoor, Mrinal Sen, Utpal Dutt and Salil Choudhary, all masters in their fields. "Aaye Tum Yaad Mujhe, Gaane Lagi Har Dhadkan'', the song will continue to evoke his sweet memory. It is a song from his movie "Mili" where a young Jaya Bhaduri is afflicted with a rare disease and an arrogant Amitabh Bachchan who came from a rich, embattled family, marries her to take her abroad for treatment. It has shades of his golden classic "Anand". Both the movies touched a million hearts and Hrishida's films will continue to be viewed and enjoyed a million times over because nobody else mastered the art of simplicity in Hindi filmdom as he did.
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