Jai Arjun Singh
THE WORLD OF HRISHIKESH MUKHERJEE
The Filmmaker Everyone Loves
Contents
(Where the author reflects on the mysterious ways of movie fandom, and wonders if he was the right person to do this book)
(A first film about a house. Opening shots. A makaan-maalik , his people and his dogs)
(A movie that cant stop laughing and singing, and a movie about a man who knows neither mirth nor music)
Films discussed: Biwi aur Makaan , Satyakam
(Continuing thoughts on seriousness and lightness, dictators and pranksters, and other contrasts)
(And a reassessment of shrieking Shashikala)
Films discussed: Anupama , Anand , others
(A professor in a chauffeurs uniform, an insect in dal, a prophet in a cup of chai)
Films discussed: Chupke Chupke , Anari , others
(and the Devs Who Run It)
(About movies within movies)
Films discussed: Guddi , Rang Birangi , Gol Maal , Naram Garam , others
(On other forms of role-playing)
Films discussed: Bemisal , Namak Haraam , others
(Well-defined side characters, missing villains, and how unimportant things can illuminate a world)
Films discussed: Mem-Didi , Musafir , Achha Bura , Kotwal Saab , Sabse Bada Sukh , others
(On the completion of relationships, thoughts on ideology-driven criticism and what is regressive)
Jaya Bhaduri in the makaan
Films discussed: Anuradha , Khubsoorat , Mili , Abhimaan , Bawarchi , others
(A lovable uncle and a stern Master Moshai: How Hrishi-da dealt with actors)
(Actors and theatres, and a renewed appreciation for Rajesh Khanna)
(With irreverent thoughts about horror films, including a zom-com featuring Meena Kumari and Guru Dutt in Banaras)
Films discussed: Asli-Naqli , Naukri , Saanjh aur Savera , others
(On song sequences and the functions of music in his films)
Films discussed: Aashirwad , Alaap , Buddha Mil Gaya , Aashiq , others
(The man who wanted to get straight to the point)
Films discussed: Anupama , Abhimaan , Chemmeen , Do Bigha Zamin , others
(The man, his contradictions and confessions)
Illustrations by Gunjan Ahlawat
Illustrations by Gunjan Ahlawat
PENGUIN BOOKS
THE WORLD OF HRISHIKESH MUKHERJEE
Jai Arjun Singh has previously authored a book about the cult comedy film Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro and edited The Popcorn Essayists , an anthology of personal essays on cinema. His columns, reviews and essays have appeared in Business Standard , The Hindu , Yahoo! India , Tehelka , Caravan , Sunday Guardian , Forbes , Open and Indian Quarterly , among many other publications. Most of his published writings can be found on his widely read culture blog Jabberwock (jaiarjun.blogspot.in).
This photo from the Satyakam shoot almost gives the impression that David Abraham (so often a master of ceremonies in Hrishi-das films) is directing Dharmendrawhile the real director (on the right) watches passively.
For anyone who has loved a Hrishikesh Mukherjee film, and to everyone who is smart enough to take popular cinema seriously
Prologue
The Middle Path
F irst, just to clear up some things about what this book isnt and what it is. It is not a biography. At least, not in the usual sense of that wordby which I mean that any analysis of a creative persons career will naturally reveal things about him: his influences and beliefs, how he interacted with people, the culture he came from, the circumstances he worked in. In his interviews, Hrishikesh Mukherjee was self-deprecating and nervous about words like artistin the way that sensitive people working within a commercial film industry often arebut even he conceded that there was a lot of him in his movies, some more than others. These pages contain information about a filmmakers life and personality, but the focus is on the cinema itself.
Which means this wasnt conceived as a reportage-driven projectthough that changed to an extent as the work progressed. I gathered old interviews from the film archives and spoke with many people who knew Hrishikesh Mukherjee; quotes are sprinkled throughout the text, providing background information, supporting or contradicting my own thoughts. And these chats were rewarding in themselves. One of the pleasures of working on this book was hearing the warmth in the voices of the people I contacted. Hrishi-da rolled so naturally off their tongues that I found myself using the same term of endearment in response, even though I had never known him personally: such was the spirit of these conversations (and the nature of my relationship with his films) that it would have felt plain wrong to use the distant, detached Mr Mukherjee.
It is for similar reasons that I have used Hrishi-da throughout this book. If that sounds like an affectation, so be it. But not once, in the dozens or hundreds of times I typed the word over several dozen files, did it feel like an affectation. And anyone who feels they knew the man through his films will probably understand this.
Something else this book is not: a close examination of every film Hrishi-da directed (there are forty-three in all, including one that was, to the best of my knowledge, never released). Nor is there any pretence to being objective. I have my biases, my views about which his best, most stimulating work is, and this no doubt shows up in the space devoted here to one film vis--vis another. For instance, my Dharmendra fandom is closely tied to the actors work with Hrishi-da, and four of the films they did together rank among my favourite Hindi movies ( Satyakam , Guddi , Chupke Chupke , Anupama in roughly that order). On the other hand, Im not a big Rajesh Khanna fan, and this may have coloured my feelings about his work with Hrishi-da: I like Anand , Bawarchi and Namak Haraam very much and would be happy to watch the first two any time, but I dont love them with the intensity that so many Hrishikesh Mukherjee fans do. Needless to say, another writersomeone who felt a stronger connect with Khannas star personalitywould see these films through a different prism and would probably write a very different book.
Essentially, this is an enthusiasts tribute to some of the things he finds most stimulating in the Mukherjee universe. The book is not structured as essays on individual films (though I do indulge myself by writing in this way about two relatively low-profile movies I love)a chronological, film-by-film approach would have been easier in many ways, but I didnt want this to be a compilation of straight reviews. So the emphasis is on themes, talking points that can then be illustrated by looking at specific films or sequences, and sometimes embellished with anecdotes. In the process, films like Mem-Didi , Musafi r , Anuradha , Alaap , Asli-Naqli and Aashirwad which may not ring many bells for casual or younger viewersare discussed at some length, as are scenes or motifs from better-known films like Gol Maal , Chupke Chupke , Mili , Abhimaan , Anand , Bemisal and Guddi . There is the manner of engaged analysis that some people find overanalytical, especially when applied to mainstream cinema. In keeping with the whimsical qualities of some of Hrishidas own workthe detours, the little asidesthere are interludes and outtakes. And there are even footnotes.
