Legendary film-maker Basu Chatterjee passes away at 93

Mumbai At a time when a majority of Hindi film heroes were happily showcasing their machismo and heroines were largely stuck in a damsel-in-distress mode, late filmmaker

Mumbai At a time when a majority of Hindi film heroes were happily showcasing their machismo and heroines were largely stuck in a damsel-in-distress mode, late filmmaker Basu Chatterjee, who passed away in Mumbai on Thursday at 93 owing to age-related ailments, took a nuanced look at the middle class and everyday “ordinary” concerns, instead of focusing his lens on anything “extraordinary” or over-the-top.

HT Image

Armed with his “common-man” sensibilities, Basuda – as he was fondly known as – was happy to have his middle class heroes/heroines travel and romance in buses, local trains; and meet at office canteens or non-descript coffee shops. The result was a number of memorable of films – laced seamlessly with a slice of everyday life – such as Rajnigandha, Piya Ka Ghar, Choti Si Baat, Chitchor, Khatta Meetha, Ek Ruka Hua Faisla, Kamla Ki Maut, Baton Baton Mein, Chameli Ki Shaadi and Shaukeen, among others.

Through the ’70s and ’80s, along with contemporaries such as Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Basu Bhattacharya, Basu became an integral part of what’s now commonly known as middle-of-the-road cinema.

Born in Ajmer, Chatterjee started his career as an illustrator and cartoonist with weekly tabloid Blitz. Eighteen years later, he shifted to filmmaking when he assisted Basu Bhattacharya in the Raj Kapoor- Waheeda Rehman starrer Teesri Kasam (1966). In 1969, he made his directorial debut with Sara Akash.

He is survived by his two daughters, Sonali Bhattacharya and Rupali Guha.