Do you remember how we watched all of Basu Chatterjee’s films together?” Shamantha DS’ WhatsApp groups were full of such messages when cinema lovers heard the news of the film director’s death on Thursday. Known for introducing ‘middle- of-the-road cinema’ or narratives that shone a spotlight on the joys and struggles of the average middle class person, Chatterjee’s films may have been made in Hindi but had a far-reaching effect. For Shamantha, a city-based multimedia professional in her 50s, the movies always come laced with a treasure trove of fond memories, complete with which theatre and show timing of the films she watched – Baton Baton Mein was a 6pm show at Alankar Theatre, Manzil a 4pm show at Tribhuvan Theatre.
“I may have been only 13 or 14 when I was watched Rajnigandha but I was so imp r e s s e d with how real and natural the story was. From then on, I started paying attention to who the director of a film is,” says Shamantha, who often watched these films in a group of six friends (comprising three pairs of sisters). “Hearing about his death made it seem like I lost a family member,” she says, adding how she also watched some films with her mother and sister, who were also big fans of the director.
Like Shamantha, Usha Pillai carries memories of Chatterjee’s films that are filled with sepia tones of fondness. The then teenager, like many others who enjoyed the director’s works, was also drawn to the everyday simplicity of the stories, which included a widow’s dreams for her daughter (Baton Baton Mein), wooing a girl at a bus stop (Chhoti Si Baat) and living in a crammed house (Piya Ka Ghar). “Despite the likes of Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, and Rajesh Khanna ruling the roost with their commercial entertainers, movies by Basu Chatterjee and Hrishikesh Mukherjee still found an audience.
Their sliceof- life movies were best enjoyed with your family and nothing short of a warm visit to your friend’s house,” says Pillai, who interestingly picked up the language through the Hindi films she watched. While many of his works were in Hindi, they were able to transcend linguistic barriers, feels landscape engineer Nagesh Sidhanti. If Shamantha’s memories are tied to the Bengaluru theatres in which she watched Chatterjee’s films, Sidhanti’s paint a picture of Doordarshan and many Sundays spent watching the director’s works on the national channel.
“Language was never a barrier because the films spoke the universal language of human emotions. Take, for example, Chhoti Si Baat. The heroine’s (Vidya Sinha) facial expressions were enough to tell you if she approved or disapproved of something. Chatterjee seemed to rely on movements, shots and emotions more than talking portions,” says the Kannadiga. Such was his appreciation for the films that when Sidhanti heard the news of Chatterjee’s demise, the 51-year-old could only recall feeling fortunate he lived through a time when he got to watch his films. “I’m glad he lived a full life and left behind so many memories to celebrate in his name.”
Looking back Mentor, family friend, a jovial person... actor Priyanka Upendra (maiden name Trivedi) describes the late director in many ways as she recalls her fondest memories with him. Having worked with Chatterjee in multiple films, including his first Bengali film – Hothat Brishti – the actor shares how the director added his own personal touch to every project he took on. “He handpicked my sarees for the films too. Today, you have a costume designer to do that. But Basu da was very hands-on with every aspect of the film,” she says, adding how he always called for packup around 6 or 7pm, choosing to then spend the next two hours eating and socialising with the cast and crew. “At the beginning of my career, I wasn’t sure if I could do this. He instilled confidence in me and told me I had it in me,” she says.