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HRISHIKESH MUKHERJEE: THE MASTER OF PATHOS: PART 1

Hrishikesh Mukherjee is perhaps the most underrated director of Hindi cinema. A guy who had a three decade long career, a guy who worked with some of the biggest names & yet managed to present them in a fresh manner, a guy whose movies always had unforgettable music, he has somehow never been counted as a great or in the pantheon of great directors in India. It is a mystery, because he was the master of his craft. He was a director with a sharp eye for social issues and peopled his movies with believable, life like characters. He had a flair for comedy and produced a superb range of comedies in the 1970s. Again, his comedies were never over the top, never shouting for attention. They were as quiet & unwitting as the man himself.

We start an appreciation of his work by featuring a clip plus song from his debut film Musafir (1957). This film had an unusual story, presented in that simple, middle class sort of a way that became his hallmark. The film also brought together Dilip Kumar and Kishore Kumar. Enjoy the clip.

Watching the clip, one can’t help but appreciate the charming simplicity of films and actors of that era. Compare that to the overexposed brats of today. Anyhow.

Next comes Anari (1959). Now this was an out and out commercial movie, starring Raj Kapoor, the great star of 1950s. The movie had an interesting plot which resonated with the charming naivete of those times. A simpleton, through his adherence to principles of honesty and integrity is able to bring a business baron, who had indulged in corrupt practices, to his knees. The film was a massive hit, but carried all the hallmarks of a Hrishida movie. Middle class hero, a believable heroine and no real villain. Plus, a dose of great music and deft touches of comedy.

We feature a wonderful song from the movie. Listen to the song and get drenched in nostalgia.

Next we feature a wonderful clip plus song from his next movie Anuradha. This 1961 movie features an idealistic doctor who chooses to practice in a small village. He gets so absorbed in his work that he starts neglecting his wife. His wife, who had been a singer herself, starts to find solace in an old friend who encourages her to leave him and concentrate on re-building her own identity. It was a pretty bold theme for its times – a lady in search of her own identity, tackled with customary sensitivity by Hrishida. Another aspect of this movie was its masterly music – composed by Ravi Shankar. Enjoy the clip, and ask yourself – if this is not sheer poetry, then what is it?

Curiously, it is almost as if Hrishida was still trying to figure out his oeuvre. However, he was already proving to be a prolific director that he became without ever sacrificing his deft touch. And yes, he was now showcasing his talent as the director who could pluck characters from real life & present them with charming simplicity, and very little melodrama. Here we feature a song from one of his lesser known movies called Mem Didi.

Next, we come up with a movie with a theme which was very popular in its day – the union of rich and poor, or lower castes with upper castes. The movie was Chhaya starring Sunil Dutt and Asha Parekh. The movie itself was unremarkable, and Hrishida used the same theme again in Asli Naqli, but the movie had unforgettable songs. The song we feature has music set by Salil Chaudhary – another remarkable and underrated music director. It is sung by Talat Mahmood – once again an underrated singer. The song is inspired by Mozart’s 40th symphony, but has wonderful lyrics that will stay with you for long. My advice is that you listen to the song in a quiet room sitting alone, reflecting on life.

The next movie Hrishida directed had an almost identical theme – Asli Naqli. The movie starred Dev Anand who was somehow able to resist his usual flourish and act with restraint, no doubt under the careful watch of Hrishida. By now, you would have noticed a pattern in the way Hrishida directed his songs. Much like his movies, his songs had minimal fuss. And unlike the trend in those days, the lyrics were simple with very little ornamentation. Watch this wonderful song from the movie, sung by Lata Manageshkar. Lata has sung some of her best songs for Hrishida’s movies.

Next, Hrishida directed Aashiq (1962) – an unremarkable movie though it starred Raj Kapoor. For the first time, we notice the songs are not as good as the earlier or later songs. The song that we feature is quite popular, though a bit less sparkling than the other ones.

Next, Hrishida returned to direction in 1964 after a two year hiatus, with Saanjh aur Savera. Again, the movie is unremarkable and it does seem as if Hrishida the master is still to emerge. The movie is significant though, as it stars Guru Dutt, perhaps his last role as he committed suicide the same year.  We feature a popular song from the movie.

Next comes a movie which one would find very hard to associate with Hrishikesh Mukherjee – Do Dil (1965). It is a plastic costume drama which was very popular in those days. Yet the movie is significant. It is in colour, though Hrishida’s masterpiece in black and white, Anupama, is still to follow. The film is produced under the banner of Uttam Chitra and N C Sippy, the same banner that later produced classics like Anand and Golmaal. The movie stars Biswajeet and Mehmood. Later both of them teamed up with Hrishida in a little known but delightfully comic movie Biwi Aur Makaan.

Now, we finally have the master hitting his stripes. By picking Gaban (1966), a wonderful novel by Munshi Premchand, with its rich tapestry of human relationships, Hrishida started to created a style we so much associate with him. Human relationships. People who rise above the situation. Women who are empowered. All these resonate in Hrishida’s movies from now on. The interesting fact about the movie is that it was directed by Krishan Chopra who died while making it, prompting Hrishida to step in and complete it. It was perhaps also the last time Hrishida worked with Sunil Dutt and Sadhana. We feature a popular song from the movie Gaban.

It is a moot point whether Hrishida chose the subject for Gaban, but he was a master of displaying human frailties as well as strengths in his movies.

Now starts the true Hrishida phase, where he created one classic after another till Rang Birangi in 1983. It is possible to detect the common elements in his movies from now on. There is almost always an unmarried, poetic bachelor. The heroines are quiet but determined. The heroes are multifaceted but unassuming. The songs are simple but always beautifully rendered.

Biwi Aur Makaan (1966) is Hrishida’s first attempt at full blown comedy. And what a delightfully movie it is, about four young men who can’t find accommodation in a big city. Hence two of them start posing as women, so they can pass off as couples. The movie is available on youtube. Do watch it.

Next comes Anupama (1966) which by all accounts is a classic. The first notable thing about the movie is its subject – a father who grows to hate his own daughter because his wife died in giving birth to her. The daughter grows up to be shy and awkward and rarely speaks. But she ends up winning the heart of a romantic, but poor poet and finally marries her against the wishes of her domineering father. The film had fantastic cinematography with great use of light and shadow and facial close ups made popular by Guru Dutt. Then there was the very talented star cast, which would team up again and again with Hrishida – Dharmendra, Sharmila Tagore, Deven Verma & David. And yes, the songs. Hemant Kumar, another underrated talent, came up with gems. We feature two songs. The first one “Dheere dheere machal” is capable of lighting up your life whenever you listen to it. If this is not immortal love, then what is?

The other song, from the same movie is as shy and withdrawn as the heroine of the movie. Listen to it and feel it touching your soul.

Next comes Majhli Didi in 1967. Not the first time would Hrishida adapt from a popular Bengali movie and re-make it in Hindi. The movie starred the popular pair of Dharmendra and Meena Kumari.

Next, Hrishida serves up the utterly delightful Aashirwaad, starring Ashok Kumar and Sanjeev Kumar. It is the story of a simple, guileless man who is married to a ruthless landlady. He ends up murdering another person to save a lady’s honour, and is jailed for 14 years. He composes poetry in jail & hopes to meet his daughter when free. It is an utterly charming movie. Do watch it on youtube. We serve a superb song from this movie which is popular to this day – Rail gaadi. Apparently the song was penned by Harindranath Chattopdhyay, who also acted in the movie (and later in Bawarchi) and was a good friend of Hrishida. It is a hugely enjoyable song, especially amongst kids.

With that, we come to the end of Part 1 on perhaps the greatest director Hindi cinema has known – Hrishikesh Mukherjee. His classic movies of 1970s will be the subject of our next post.

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