My parents always complained when I was a kid that there weren’t any clean family movies around. (This when I was in school and Hum Aapke Hain Kaun was yet to hit the screens.) So I landed up catching most of these ‘old’ films (most released before I was born) on video at home and saw myself watching them a million times again. By some coincidence most of these lovable films came from a man by the name of Hrishikesh Mukherjee.
Simplicity and real believable characters were always the highlight of his films. Probably why they always struck a chord with the people as they always identified with his characters.
- Anand with his cheerful approach to life even though he knew he would not be around for long
- Mili for her naughtiness, her innocence that made everyone around her love her
- Guddi for her infatuation and film fascination
- Subir and Uma’s trials and tribulations in Abhimaan affect us as much as them
- Bawarchi’s Raghu is one cook we all would love to have in our family and till today an inspiration for many Hindi movies
- Dr. Parimal Tripathi and his challenge to his wife to fool his brother-in-law in Chupke Chupke is still unsurpassed with its closest competitor being Ramprasad Sharma’s twin trick on his boss Bhavani Shankar in Golmaal
- And finally my favourite: Manju’s battle with Nirmala in Khoobsurat.
His movies always had melodious songs and with a lot of meaning. Here are some of my favourite ones:
- Dheere Dheere Machal from Anupama
- Woh Chand Khila from Anari
- Kahin Door Jab & Zindagi Kaise Hain Paheli from Anand
- All songs form Abhimaan, all of them!
- Bol Re Papihara from Guddi
- Badi Suni Suni Hain from Mili
- Sa re ga ma, ma sa re ga from Chupke Chupke
- Aanewala Pal and the Title track from Golmaal
- Piya Bawri and Sun Sun Sun Didi from Khoobsurat
All of them family movies. All about simple people who were leading simple lives. Movies woven out of day-to-day happenings, movies that made us smile and made us think as well. Movies that still cheer me up when I watch them. Movies that will never bore me or go out of style. Movies that will remain firmly etched in memory; with all moments that make me cry, make me smile, make me laugh my heart out and make me want a family just as those families there.
Hrishi Da you have left a void that no one can fill
Aapke bine yeh film industry badi suni suni ho gayi hain…
May you rest in peace and we will always miss you.