Dada Saheb Phalke - Hrishikesh Mukherjee
Born on 30 September 1922, and lives on…..
Every time it’s Hrishi-da’s birthday, it makes me (or should I say us) remember all the great movies that I have seen growing up. I especially remember “Anand, Anari. Chupke Chupke, Mili, Abhiman, Guddi, Golmaal, Khoobsurat, Asli Naqli” to name a few & I am sure you would agree with me that you can also identify with these movies.
Most interesting fact that I have noticed in all his movies is that there are no villain’s in his films. Characters in his movies were just human, like you me & Anand. Probably Hrishi-da never believed in creating larger than life Characters like the “Gabbar Singh’s, or Mugambo’s”, in his movies, you had only bad people in his films. In short, I can say for sure Hrishi-da has given us wholesome entertainment which shall be cherished and enjoyed by every Indian for ages to come.
He has left a successful formula, that to entertain it is not necessary to have villains in the movie. If my memory serves me right, we have seen the same formula being adopted by director Raju Hirani in his 3 films Munna Bhai, Munna Bhai MBBS & 3 Idiots, You can notice there are no villains in these films, except for bad people.
Hrishi-Da had directed 42 films during his career spanning 4 decades. He made films in which most of the middle class people can find themselves; he was the pioneer of the “middle cinema” of India. His movies always echoed the middle class ethos. He started his career under Bimal Roy, he was part of the team who made Do Bigha Zameen and Devdas.
His debut directorial venture, Musafir (1957), (It had 3 different stories in one film) was not a success, he was much ahead of his times. but he persisted and received acclaim for his second film Anari in 1959. You can also say that he pioneered the concept of parallel cinema. "He started the trend of parallel cinema much before it actually started. His early films like 'Anari', 'Anuradha', 'Musafir' and 'Mem Didi' were not just boy-girl stories.
In a career spanning four decades he directed films like Satyakam, Chupke Chupke, Anuradha, Asli-Naqli, Anupama, Anand, Abhimaan, Guddi, Gol Maal, Mili, Aashirwad, Khoobsurat, Bemisal, Bawarchi, Saanjh Aur Sawera, Phir Kab Milogi, Rang Birangi, Pyar Ka Sapna, Naram Garam, Namak Haraam which will remain in the history of Indian Cinema for times to come.
You could instantly relate to the characters in the stories he told, and in the very process smile, laugh as well as cry. At the end of the day, he touched our hearts through his wonderful movies and that's what matters.
Let’s enjoy by revisiting some magic moments that he has created on screen for our enjoyment:
Sorry to start with this clip but hrishi-da lives
History Byte: Film-Chupke Chupke
History Byte: Film Anari
The film won 6 Filmfare awards and Rajkapoor won for Best Actor,
Shankar Jaikishen for Best Music, Lalita Pawar for Best Supporting
Actress, Shailendra for Best Lyrics, Mukesh for Best Playback Male
& for Best Feature Film in Hindi
History Byte: Film Satyakam
The film won the National Film Award For Best Feature Film in Hindi
Rajinder Singh Bedi won the Filmfare Best Dialogue Award
History Byte: Film-Anuradha
The Music for this movie was composed by Bharat Ratna Pandit Ravishankar,
One of his rare forays into Hindi Film Music, This film won the National
Filmfare award and was nominated for the Golden Bear at the Berlin
International Film Festival
History Byte: Film-Musafir
First film directed by Hrishi-Da
Song from Asli Naqli
History Byte: Film: Anupama
Filmfare Best Cinematographer Award: Jaywant Pathare (B&W category)
History Byte: Film Anand
Kishore Kumar was the first choice to play
Rajesh Khanna's role in this movie, he had refused at the last
minute, so Rajesh Khanna got his chance to act in this movie.
History Byte: Film Khubsoorat
Rekha won Best Film Fare Award for best actress in this film in 1981
History Byte: Film Mili
This film was made in telugu by the name "Jyothi", which won Jayasudha
the Nandi Award for best actress
History Bite: Film Mili
Jaya Bhaduri was pregnant during the making of the film. Most of her
shots have been taken very carefully, as to avoid her profile view
History Byte: Film Guddi
Vani Jayaram was awarded Tanzen Award in 1972, for
"Bole Re Pappihara" (one of the most popular songs in her career
History Byte: Film Golmaal
Amol Palekar won the Best Actor Filmfare Award for this movie,
Utpal Dutt won the best comedian filmfare and Gulzar Saheb for
Aane Wala Pal song as Best Lyricist Filmfare award
History Byte: Film Abhimaan
Jaya Bhaduri Won the Best Acress Filmfare Award
History Byte: Film-Rang Birangi
Utpal Dutt won the Filmfare Award for best Comedian as "Durandhar Batawadekar"
Song from Rang Birangi
History Byte: Film-Ashirwad
Ashok Kumar won the Best Actor Filmfare Award
Song from Ashirwad
History Byte: Film-Bawarchi
Comedian Paintal won the Best Comedian Filmfare for his performance
in this film
Scene from Bawarchi
Song from Sanjh aur savera
Alaap
Aashiq
Chhaya
Song from Jurmana
Phir Kab Milogi
"Moments & Memories Never Expire" Bhasker M Sundaresan
Pls post your sincere and honest comments about how you feel on this post. So as to enable me to post better things in future.
