Basu Chatterjee

Basu Chatterjee (Bengali: বাসু চ্যাটার্জ্জী; 10 January 1930 – 4 June 2020)[1] was an Indian film director and screenwriter.

Basu Chatterjee
Basu Chatterjee
Born(1930-01-10)10 January 1930
Ajmer, Merwara, British India
Died4 June 2020 (age 90)
Mumbai, India
NationalityIndian
OccupationFilm director
Children2 daughters

Through the 1970s and 1980s, he became associated with what came to be known as middle cinema or middle-of-the-road cinema, with filmmakers such as Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Basu Bhattacharya, whom he assisted on Teesri Kasam (1966). Like their films, his films also dealt with light-hearted stories of middle-class families often in urban settings, focusing on marital and love relationships,[2] with exceptions such as Ek Ruka Hua Faisla (1986) and Kamla Ki Maut (1989), which delved into social and moral issues. He is best known for his films Us Paar, Chhoti Si Baat (1975), Chitchor (1976), Rajnigandha (1974), Piya Ka Ghar (1972), Khatta Meetha , Swami (1977 film), Baton Baton Mein (1979), Priyatama (1977), Man Pasand, Hamari Bahu Alka, Shaukeen (1982)[3], and Chameli Ki Shaadi (1986), which was his last commercially successful movie.[4]

Chatterjee directed the Bengali film Hothath Brishti (1998), which featured actors from both Bangladesh and India. The film featured Ferdous Ahmed from Bangladesh, along with Priyanka Trivedi and Sreelekha Mitra from West Bengal. The film became popular upon its release. Chatterjee continued to cast Ferdous Ahmed in subsequent Indian-Bengali films, including Chupi Chupi (2001), Tak Jhal Mishti (2002) and Hotath Shedin (2012), another joint production of Bangladesh and India. He wrote the script for the Bangladeshi film Ek Cup Cha, directed by Noyeem Imtiaz Neamul.[5][6]

Early life

Basu Chatterjee was born in Ajmer, Rajasthan, India, with ordinary middle class surroundings. This middle class upbringing reflected in his movies that explored areas which were far removed from the glitz and glamour of the blockbusters of the time. [7]

Career

In 1950s, Chatterjee arrived in Bombay (now Mumbai) and started his career as an illustrator and cartoonist with the weekly tabloid Blitz published by Russi Karanjia. Here he worked for 18 years, before he changed career paths to filmmaking, when he assisted Basu Bhattacharya in the Raj Kapoor and Waheeda Rehman starrer Teesri Kasam (1966), which later won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film. Eventually, he made his directorial debut with Sara Akash in 1969, which won him the Filmfare Best Screenplay Award.[8]

Some of his most critically acclaimed are Sara Akash (1969), Piya Ka Ghar (1972), Us Paar (1974), Rajnigandha (1974), Chhoti Si Baat (1975), Chitchor (1976), Swami (1977), Khatta Meetha, Priyatama, Chakravyuha (1978 film), Jeena Yahan (1979), Baton Baton Mein (1979), Apne Paraye (1980), Shaukeen and Ek Ruka Hua Faisla.

His lesser known films include; Ratnadeep, Safed Jhooth, Man Pasand, Hamari Bahu Alka, Kamla Ki Maut and Triyacharitra.

He also directed big stars in his simple films, but in completely different never before seen roles for these actors. He directed Mithun Chakraborty in Shaukheen with Rati Agnihotri, again Mithun Chakraborty with Moon Moon Sen in Sheesha, Vinod Mehra in Us Paar with Moushmi Chatterjee, Jeetendra with Neetu Singh in Priyatama, Dev Anand with Tina Munim in Man Pasand, Rajesh Khanna with Neetu Singh in Chakravyuha (1978 film), Dharmendra with Hema Malini in Dillagi and Amitabh Bachchan in Manzil. Of them, only Chakravyuha (1978 film) with Rajesh Khanna and Manzil with Amitabh Bachchan were not successful at box office, but were critically acclaimed at the time of their release and have developed cult classic status over the years.

He has also directed many Bengali films such as Hothat Brishti, Hochcheta Ki and Hothat Shei Din.

Chatterjee directed the television Series Byomkesh Bakshi and the popular Rajani (TV series) for Doordarshan both of which were successful TV serials . He was a member of the jury at the 10th Moscow International Film Festival in 1977.[9] He was a member of the International Film And Television Club of the Asian Academy of Film & Television. A retrospective of Chatterjee's work was held as part of the Kala Ghoda Art Festival Mumbai in February of 2011.

His daughter Rupali Guha is also a film director. Her first Hindi film Aamras was released in September 2009, a coming of age film involving four schoolgirls. Rupali's next film, the Bengali film Porichoi, with Prosenjit Chatterji, deals with an estranged father-daughter relationship. She has also produced TV serials under the Filmfarm banner. Her serials have included Tumhari Disha, Rakhi, Dil Se Diya Vachan and Do Dil Bandhe Ek Dori Se for Zee TV, Kashi for NDTV Imagine, Uttaran and Ishq Ka Rang Safed for Colors TV and Perfect Pati for &TV.

Awards

Filmography
Multi roles
YearFilmDirectorScreenplayProducerNotes
1969 Sara Akash YesYes [11]
1972 Piya Ka Ghar Yes Tarachand Barjatya
1974 Rajnigandha Yes Yes Suresh Jindal, Kamal Saigal
1974 Us Paar Yes YesYes
1976 Chitchor Yes Tarachand Barjatya
1976 Chhoti Si Baat Yes B. R. Chopra
1977 Safed Jhooth Yes YesAshim Kumar
1977 Swami Yes Jaya Chakravarthy
1977 Priyatama Yes T C Dewan
1978 Khatta Meetha Yes YesGul Anand, Romu Sippy
1978 Dillagi Yes YesBikram Singh Dehal, Kanwar Ajit Singh
1978 Tumhare Liye Yes YesRaj Tilak
1979 Do Ladke Dono Kadke Yes Jayant Mukherjee, Hemant Kumar
1979 Manzil Yes
1979 Chakravyuha Yes
1979 Prem Vivah Yes
1979 Ratnadeep Yes
1979 Baton Baton Mein Yes Yes
1980 Man Pasand Yes Amit Khanna
1980 Apne Paraye Yes Mushir Alam
1981 Jeena Yahan Yes N.P. Ali
1982 Hamari Bahu Alka Yes YesShyamsunder Seksaria
1982 Shaukeen Yes YesSenmit Movie Visuals
1983 Pasand Apni Apni Yes Yes
1984 Lakhon Ki Baat Yes Yes Yes
1986 Ek Ruka Hua Faisla Yes Yes
1986 Kirayadar Yes B. R. Chopra
1986 Chameli Ki Shaadi Yes YesRamesh Ningoo, Sushil Gaur
1986 Sheesha Yes Sattee Shourie
1989 Kamla Ki Maut Yes YesNFDC
1990 Hamari Shadi Yes Yes
1997 Triyacharittar Yes
1997 Gudgudee Yes Mahesh Bhatt
1998 Hothat Brishti Yes Bangladesh and India joint production Bengali language film
2001 Chupi Chupi Yes Bengali language film
2002 Tak Jhal Mishti Yes Bengali language film
2007 Prateeksha Yes
2007 Kuch Khatta Kuch Meetha Yes
2008 Hochheta Ki Yes Bengali language film
2011 Trishanku Yes Bengali language film

Dialogue writer
Dialogue writer
YearFilmProducerNotes
1972 Piya Ka Ghar Tarachand Barjatya
1974 Rajnigandha Suresh Jindal, Kamal Saigal
1978 Khatta Meetha Gul Anand, Romu Sippy
1978 Dillagi Bikram Singh Dehal, Kanwar Ajit Singh
1982 Hamari Bahu Alka Shyamsunder Seksaria
1984 Lakhon Ki Baat Basu Chatterjee

Screenplay
Screenplay
YearFilmProducerNotes
1969 Sara Akash Basu Chatterjee
1974 Rajnigandha Suresh Jindal, Kamal Saigal
1974 Us Paar Self
1977 Safed Jhooth Ashim Kumar
1978 Khatta Meetha Gul Anand, Romu Sippy
1978 Dillagi Bikram Singh Dehal, Kanwar Ajit Singh
1982 Hamari Bahu Alka Shyamsunder Seksaria
1984 Lakhon Ki Baat Basu Chatterjee

Producer
Producer
YearFilmDirectorNotes
1979 Baton Baton Mein Self
1983 Pasand Apni Apni Self
1984 Lakhon Ki Baat Basu Chatterjee
1986 Ek Ruka Hua Faisla Self TV film

Director (TV series)
Director TV series or film
YearShowChannelNotes
1985 Rajani DD National
1985 Darpan DD National
1986 Ek Ruka Hua Faisla DD National (TV film)
1988 Kakaji Kahin DD National
1990-91 Bheem Bhavani DD National
1993 & 1997 Byomkesh Bakshi DD National 2 seasons 34 episodes
2005 Ek Prem Katha DD National 26 episodes

Assistant director
Assistant director
YearFilmProducerNotes
1966 Teesri Kasam Shailendra Directed by Basu Bhattacharya
1968 Saraswatichandra Vivek Directed by Govind Saraiya

Death

The veteran filmmaker died due to age-related illness at his house in Mumbai on 4 June 2020. He was 90 years old.[12]

References
  1. "Basu Chatterrjee is jury chairperson of Jaipur film fest". indiantelevision.com. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
  2. Bhawana Somaaya. Cinema Images And Issues. Rupa Publications. pp. 143–. ISBN 978-8129103703.
  3. "Classics should be taken on, but correctly: Basu Chatterjee". The Times of India. 28 March 2013. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
  4. https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/celebrities-mourn-the-demise-of-basu-chatterjee-6442148/
  5. https://www.thedailystar.net/arts-entertainment/news/renowned-filmmaker-and-screenwriter-basu-chatterjee-passes-away-1908833
  6. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-52919810
  7. "Basu Chatterjee Obituary". Cinestaan.
  8. "Director Profile: Basu Chatterjee". Cinemas of India, NFDC. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
  9. "10th Moscow International Film Festival (1977)". MIFF. Archived from the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
  10. "Best Screenplay Award". Filmfare Award Official Listings, Indiatimes. Archived from the original on 29 April 2014. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
  11. Asha Kasbekar (2006). Pop Culture India!: Media, Arts, And Lifestyle. ABC-CLIO. pp. 198–. ISBN 978-1-85109-636-7. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
  12. "Basu Chatterjee, director of Baaton Baaton Mein and Rajnigandha, dies at 90". HINDUSTAN TIMES. 4 June 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
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