Okay let’s see. Hero is a Grade 2 Supervisor in an office and a loser. Heroine is a regular office-goer. Both will travel by BEST buses. 40% of the film will be shot at the bus-stand. Time for a throwback to the 70s and a movie genre that is now extinct -The #BasuChatterjee movie.
ASHOK’s FIVE reviews the 1975 classic #ChotiSiBaat starring #VidyaSinha #AmolPalekar #AshokKumar and #Asrani. You can watch it on #AmazonPrimeVideo.
1. Arun Pradeep(#AmolPalekar) works at the Jackson Tolaram Company. He falls in love with Prabha(#VidyaSinha) of the cotton chiffon sarees and the winsome smile. He doesn’t know how to court her and is at risk to lose her to the brash Nagesh(#Asrani). He seeks advice from Colonel Julius Nagendra Nath Wilfred Singh(#AshokKumar) at Khandala and returns to win over his woman with some minor hiccups. Simple Story. Spectacular Execution. It is difficult to contemplate how this film competed with superstar laden blockbusters during that period and managed to woo audiences away. Much has been written about the middle cinema movement so I will avoid that. I think the reason this worked is that it reflected a challenge that the aam admi actually faced in real life and was therefore primed to root for the under-dog. The eventual victory of the under-dog was as thrilling as the dishoom-dishoom of the hero-heroine-villain mainstay films.
2. #AmolPalekar realized that he had a talent for these mousy characters and quickly cashed in on this. He is brilliant as the tongue-tied, socially awkward young man. The fact is that Prabha actually liked Arun and egged him on. But there is only so much she could do. #Asrani is brilliant as the brash Nagesh and has his way with everyone whether it is the errant waiter or the office staff. His prowess at table-tennis and chess only helped to increase the brashness quotient. His burp at the end of the meal and the temerity with which he leaves with Prabha, leaving Arun to settle the bill is brilliantly done. When Arun goes away to Khandala, Prabha does miss him and this is reflected through the song “Na Jaane Kyun…” in the haunting voice of #LataMangeshkar, with music by #SalilChaudhury and lyrics by #Yogesh. The other song “Jaaneman…Jaaneman...” by Yesudas was of course a run-away hit. This song is picturised on Dharmendra and Hema-Malini and Arun’s irritation when Dharam puts his arm on Prabha’s shoulder is palpable and funny.
3. The posters of #ChotiSiBaat had Dharam, Hema and #AmitabhBacchhan who also does a small cameo, seeking career advice from the Colonel. For the trivia hunters, he is wearing the costume from Zanjeer in that particular scene. Interestingly, the audiences found the film so simple and enjoyable that they actually over-looked the deception! I guess Basu da was not averse to using the mainstream heroes to further his own brand of cinema.
4. One cannot skip the mention of the vivid scenes of Bombay in the 1970s. The clean wide roads, office-goers striding purposefully, red double-decker buses, bus-stops with the posters of super-hit films of that era and the abundant greenery. This is pure nostalgia. The office files, Remington typewriters and the credits being typed out on paper all add to this. And finally, there is the ubiquitous transistor belting out the cricket commentary!
5. I am going to put down #Rajendranath’s brief cameo as another reason to revisit the movie. He has been one of Hindi cinema’s highly underrated actors, but his sense of comedy was brilliant. Here, he plays a god-man who pulls out a lemon from his back-side and offers it to Arun as a means to overcome his problems. The beatific expression on his face is pure delight.
The writing focusses on some simple sequences to high-light the transformation of Arun. The story about how he manages to sell back the dud motor-cycle is superb. The manner in which he tames his colleagues at the office and asserts himself is also testimony to fantastic writing and of course, acting. For the trivia seekers, there is a glaring error as well. Arun trudges along the greenery to the Colonel’s house in Khandala wearing sandals but when he arrives at the house, he is wearing shoes!
#ChotiSiBaat is a simple love-story that makes you smile. It is a masterclass in how you chisel out little moments to craft a tale together. And when you walk out of the theatre, you just look at everything with positivity and joy!
