Basu Chatterjee (10 January 1927 – 4 June 2020) was an Indian film director and screenwriter in
Hindi Cinema
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...
. Through the 1970s and 1980s, he became associated with what came to be known as middle cinema or middle-of-the-road cinema filmmakers, such as Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Basu Bhattacharya, whom he assisted on
Teesri Kasam
''Teesri Kasam'' () is a 1966 Hindi, Hindi language drama film directed by Basu Bhattacharya and produced by lyricist Shailendra (lyricist), Shailendra. It is based on the short story ''Mare Gaye Gulfam'', by the Hindi novelist Phanishwarnath Re ...
(1966). Like their films, his films dealt with light-hearted stories of middle-class families often in urban settings, focusing on marital and love relationships.
The exceptions such as ''
Ek Ruka Hua Faisla'' (1986) and ''
Kamla Ki Maut
''Kamla Ki Maut '' (Death of Kamla) is a 1989 Hindi drama film directed by Basu Chatterjee. The film set in Mumbai, deals with issue of love, pre-marital sex and relationships in modern India. It stars Pankaj Kapoor, Supriya Pathak, Roopa Ga ...
'' (1989), which delved into social and moral issues. He is best known for his films ''
Us Paar
''Us Paar'' is a 1974 Hindi film directed by Basu Chatterjee and starring Vinod Mehra and Moushumi Chatterjee. It has music by Sachin Dev Burman and lyrics by Yogesh.
Synopsis
Us-Paar is a story about a young guy who comes to his village af ...
'', ''
Chhoti Si Baat
''Chhoti Si Baat'' (translation: ''A Small Matter'') is a 1975 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film directed by Basu Chatterjee. Considered one of the best Hindi comedy films of the 1970s, it is a nostalgic favourite for its quirky tak ...
'' (1975), ''
Chitchor
''Chitchor'' () is a 1976 Indian Hindi-language romantic musical film, written and directed by Basu Chatterjee. The film is a Rajshri Productions film produced by Tarachand Barjatya. It is based on a Bengali story, ''Chittachakor'' by Subod ...
'' (1976), ''
Rajnigandha'' (1974), ''
Piya Ka Ghar
''Piya Ka Ghar'' ( My Beloved's House) is a 1972 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film directed by Basu Chatterjee, and produced by Rajshri Productions, starring Anil Dhawan and Jaya Bachchan. A remake of Raja Thakur's Marathi film ''Mumba ...
'' (1972), ''
Khatta Meetha'', ''
Swami
Swami (; ; sometimes abbreviated sw.) in Hinduism is an honorific title given to an Asceticism#Hinduism, ascetic who has chosen the Sannyasa, path of renunciation (''sanyāsa''), or has been initiated into a religious monastic order of Vaishnavas ...
'' (1977), ''
Baton Baton Mein
''Baton Baton Mein'' () is a 1979 Indian romantic comedy film, produced and directed by Basu Chatterjee. The film stars Amol Palekar and Tina Munim. David, Pearl Padamsee, Asrani and Ranjit Choudhary appear in supporting roles. The film's musi ...
'' (1979), ''
Priyatama
''Priyatama'' ( Sweetheart) is a 1977 Hindi-language musical film, produced by T.C. Dewan under the Modern Pictures banner and directed by Basu Chatterjee. It stars actors like Jeetendra, Neetu Singh, Rakesh Roshan, Asha Sachdev in lead roles, ...
'' (1977), ''
Man Pasand'', ''
Hamari Bahu Alka
''Hamari Bahu Alka'' () is a 1982 Hindi movie, directed by Basu Chatterjee, based on the Bengali story ''Eto Tuku Basha'' by Manoj Basu. It stars Rakesh Roshan, Bindiya Goswami and Utpal Dutt. Music was by Rajesh Roshan, and it had the first sol ...
'', ''
Shaukeen
''Shaukeen'' () is a 1982 Indian Hindi-language comedy film directed by Basu Chatterjee based on story ''Ram Nam Kewalam'' by Samaresh Basu. The movie stars Ashok Kumar, Utpal Dutt, A.K. Hangal, Rati Agnihotri and Mithun Chakraborty.
Bas ...
'' (1982), and ''
Chameli Ki Shaadi
''Chameli Ki Shaadi'' () is a 1986 Hindi-language comedy film directed by Basu Chatterjee starring Anil Kapoor and Amrita Singh.
Summary
The film is a satire on the caste system in India. Charandas is a bachelor who aspires to become a wrestle ...
'' (1986).
Chatterjee directed the Bengali film ''
Hothath Brishti'' (1998), which featured actors from both
Bangladesh
Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...
and
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
. The film featured
Ferdous Ahmed
Ferdous Ahmed (born 7 June 1974) is a Bangladeshi film actor, producer, and politician. He served as an MP representing the Dhaka-10 constituency.
His work includes '' Hothat Brishti'' (1998), '' Kokhono Megh Kokhono Brishti'' (2003), '' Chan ...
from Bangladesh, and
Priyanka Trivedi
Priyanka Upendra (née Trivedi) is an Indian actress who predominantly appears in Kannada films and in a few Tamil and Bengali language films.
Early life
Priyanka was born in Calcutta (now Kolkata). Her mother is from West Bengal and father f ...
and
Sreelekha Mitra
Sreelekha Mitra is an Indian actress and director who is known for her work in Bengali cinema and television. Winner of a BFJA Award and an Anandalok Award, Mitra is best known for her roles in films such as '' Hothat Brishti'' (1998), '' Kan ...
from
West Bengal
West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...
. Chatterjee continued to cast 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.
Early life
Basu Chatterjee was born in
Ajmer
Ajmer () is a city in the north-western States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Ajmer district and Ajmer division. It lies at the centre of Rajasthan, earning it the ...
,
Rajasthan
Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...
, India, in a Bengali family. His 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.
Career
In 1950s, Chatterjee arrived in Bombay (now
Mumbai
Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
) and started his career as an illustrator and cartoonist for the weekly tabloid ''Blitz'' published by
Russi Karanjia
Rustom Khurshedji Karanjia (15 September 1912 – 1 February 2008) was an Indian journalist and editor. He typically signed his reports as "R. K. Karanjia". He founded the '' Blitz'', a weekly tabloid with focus on investigative journalism in 19 ...
. He worked there for 18 years before changing career paths to filmmaking, when he assisted
Basu Bhattacharya
Basu Bhattacharya (1934 – 19 June 1997) was an Indian film director of Bollywood, Hindi films. He is perhaps best known for his 1966 film ''Teesri Kasam'', starring Raj Kapoor and Waheeda Rehman (based on the short story "Maare Gaye Gulfam ...
in the Raj Kapoor and Waheeda Rehman starrer ''
Teesri Kasam
''Teesri Kasam'' () is a 1966 Hindi, Hindi language drama film directed by Basu Bhattacharya and produced by lyricist Shailendra (lyricist), Shailendra. It is based on the short story ''Mare Gaye Gulfam'', by the Hindi novelist Phanishwarnath Re ...
'' (1966), which later won the
National Film Award for Best Feature Film
The National Film Award for Best Feature Film is one of the categories in the National Film Awards presented annually by the National Film Development Corporation of India, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in I ...
. Eventually, he made his directorial debut with in 1969, which won him the
Filmfare Best Screenplay Award
The Filmfare Best Screenplay Award is given by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films.
Multiple Winners
;
;
*
Both Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Rajkumar Hirani won the award twice jointly.
List of winners ...
.
Some of his most critically acclaimed films are (1969), ''
Piya Ka Ghar
''Piya Ka Ghar'' ( My Beloved's House) is a 1972 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film directed by Basu Chatterjee, and produced by Rajshri Productions, starring Anil Dhawan and Jaya Bachchan. A remake of Raja Thakur's Marathi film ''Mumba ...
'' (1971), ''
Us Paar
''Us Paar'' is a 1974 Hindi film directed by Basu Chatterjee and starring Vinod Mehra and Moushumi Chatterjee. It has music by Sachin Dev Burman and lyrics by Yogesh.
Synopsis
Us-Paar is a story about a young guy who comes to his village af ...
'' (1974), ''
Rajnigandha'' (1974), ''
Chhoti Si Baat
''Chhoti Si Baat'' (translation: ''A Small Matter'') is a 1975 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film directed by Basu Chatterjee. Considered one of the best Hindi comedy films of the 1970s, it is a nostalgic favourite for its quirky tak ...
'' (1975), ''
Chitchor
''Chitchor'' () is a 1976 Indian Hindi-language romantic musical film, written and directed by Basu Chatterjee. The film is a Rajshri Productions film produced by Tarachand Barjatya. It is based on a Bengali story, ''Chittachakor'' by Subod ...
'' (1976), ''
Swami
Swami (; ; sometimes abbreviated sw.) in Hinduism is an honorific title given to an Asceticism#Hinduism, ascetic who has chosen the Sannyasa, path of renunciation (''sanyāsa''), or has been initiated into a religious monastic order of Vaishnavas ...
'' (1977), ''
Khatta Meetha'', ''
Priyatama
''Priyatama'' ( Sweetheart) is a 1977 Hindi-language musical film, produced by T.C. Dewan under the Modern Pictures banner and directed by Basu Chatterjee. It stars actors like Jeetendra, Neetu Singh, Rakesh Roshan, Asha Sachdev in lead roles, ...
'', ''
Chakravyuha (1978 film)
''Chakravyuha'' is a 1978 Bollywood thriller film directed by Basu Chatterjee with screenplay by Jainendra Jain. The film stars Rajesh Khanna in the lead role, supported by Neetu Singh, Vinod Mehra, Simple Kapadia, Pradeep Kumar, Om Shivpuri, D ...
'', ''
Jeena Yahan
''Jeena Yahan'' is a 1979 Bollywood film, directed by Basu Chatterjee and produced by N.P. Ali under Jamu Pictures. The film is based on story
''Ekhane Aakash Neyi'' by Manu Bhandari.
Cast
* Shekhar Kapur
*Shabana Azmi
*Dina Pathak
* Sunder
* ...
'' (1979), ''
Baton Baton Mein
''Baton Baton Mein'' () is a 1979 Indian romantic comedy film, produced and directed by Basu Chatterjee. The film stars Amol Palekar and Tina Munim. David, Pearl Padamsee, Asrani and Ranjit Choudhary appear in supporting roles. The film's musi ...
'' (1979), ''
Apne Paraye
''Apne Paraye'' () is a 1980 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Basu Chatterjee and produced by Mushir Alam. It stars Amol Palekar and Shabana Azmi in pivotal roles. It is based on the 1917 Bengali novel, ''Nishkriti'' by Sarat Chandra ...
'' (1980), ''
Shaukeen
''Shaukeen'' () is a 1982 Indian Hindi-language comedy film directed by Basu Chatterjee based on story ''Ram Nam Kewalam'' by Samaresh Basu. The movie stars Ashok Kumar, Utpal Dutt, A.K. Hangal, Rati Agnihotri and Mithun Chakraborty.
Bas ...
'' and ''
Ek Ruka Hua Faisla''.
Other films include ''
Ratnadeep'', ''
Safed Jhooth'', ''
Man Pasand'', ''
Hamari Bahu Alka
''Hamari Bahu Alka'' () is a 1982 Hindi movie, directed by Basu Chatterjee, based on the Bengali story ''Eto Tuku Basha'' by Manoj Basu. It stars Rakesh Roshan, Bindiya Goswami and Utpal Dutt. Music was by Rajesh Roshan, and it had the first sol ...
'', ''
Kamla Ki Maut
''Kamla Ki Maut '' (Death of Kamla) is a 1989 Hindi drama film directed by Basu Chatterjee. The film set in Mumbai, deals with issue of love, pre-marital sex and relationships in modern India. It stars Pankaj Kapoor, Supriya Pathak, Roopa Ga ...
'' and ''Triyacharitra''.
He has also directed many
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
films such as ''Hothat Brishti'', ''Hochcheta Ki'' and ''Hothat Shei Din''.
Chatterjee directed the television series ''
Byomkesh Bakshi
Byomkesh Bakshi is a fictional detective created by Bengali author Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay. A self-proclaimed "satyanweshi" (literally seeker of truth), Bakshi is known for his keen observation, logical thinking, and knowledge of forensic sc ...
'' and ''
Rajani'' for
Doordarshan
Doordarshan (), abbreviated as DD, is India's State-owned enterprise, state-owned public broadcasting, public television broadcaster. Established by the Government of India on 15 September 1959, it is owned by the Ministry of Information and B ...
. He was a member of the jury at the
10th Moscow International Film Festival
The 10th Moscow International Film Festival was held 7–21 July 1977. The Golden Prizes were awarded to the Hungarian film ''The Fifth Seal'' directed by Zoltán Fábri, the Spanish film '' El puente'' directed by Juan Antonio Bardem and the Sov ...
in 1977
and a member of the International Film And Television Club of the
Asian Academy of Film & Television
Noida Film City is a film city consisting a complex of studios and structures for filming located in Sector 16-A of Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India. It houses the Asian Academy of Film, Television and Marwah Films and Video Studios along with prom ...
. A retrospective of Chatterjee's work was held as part of the Kala Ghoda Art Festival Mumbai in February 2011.
A book on the work of Basu Chatterji, titled Basu Chatterji: And Middle of the road cinema, written by author and music historian
Anirudha Bhattacharjee
Anirudha Bhattacharjee is a Calcutta-based music historian and author.
Life
Anirudh was an engineering graduate of IIT Kharagpur.
Publications
He has authored and co-authored six books on cinema and music. They are as follows:
*'' R. D. Bu ...
, has been published by Penguin Random House in 2023.
Awards
* 2007:
IIFA Lifetime Achievement Award
The IIFA Lifetime Achievement Award is an Indian cinema prize, one of International Indian Film Academy Awards.
List of Honourees
The recipients of this award are listed below.
References
{{IIFA Awards
International Indian Film Acade ...
* 1992:
National Film Award for Best Film on Family Welfare
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, c ...
- ''
Durga
Durga (, ) is a major Hindu goddess, worshipped as a principal aspect of the mother goddess Mahadevi. She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction, and wars.
Durga's legend centres around combating evils and demonic ...
''
* 1991:
Filmfare Best Screenplay Award
The Filmfare Best Screenplay Award is given by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films.
Multiple Winners
;
;
*
Both Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Rajkumar Hirani won the award twice jointly.
List of winners ...
– ''
Kamla Ki Maut
''Kamla Ki Maut '' (Death of Kamla) is a 1989 Hindi drama film directed by Basu Chatterjee. The film set in Mumbai, deals with issue of love, pre-marital sex and relationships in modern India. It stars Pankaj Kapoor, Supriya Pathak, Roopa Ga ...
''
* 1980:
Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie
The Filmfare Critics Award for Best Film is awarded during annual Filmfare Awards, given by the Filmfare magazine. The awards are the oldest and most prominent film awards given for Hindi films in India. The yearly awards started in 1954. M ...
– ''
Jeena Yahan
''Jeena Yahan'' is a 1979 Bollywood film, directed by Basu Chatterjee and produced by N.P. Ali under Jamu Pictures. The film is based on story
''Ekhane Aakash Neyi'' by Manu Bhandari.
Cast
* Shekhar Kapur
*Shabana Azmi
*Dina Pathak
* Sunder
* ...
''
* 1978:
- ''
Swami
Swami (; ; sometimes abbreviated sw.) in Hinduism is an honorific title given to an Asceticism#Hinduism, ascetic who has chosen the Sannyasa, path of renunciation (''sanyāsa''), or has been initiated into a religious monastic order of Vaishnavas ...
''
* 1978:
Filmfare Best Director Award
The Filmfare Best Director Award is one of the main awards presented given by the annual Filmfare Awards to recognise directors working in Hindi cinema. It was first presented in 1954 in the inaugural year.
Superlatives
Bimal Roy has the re ...
– ''
Swami
Swami (; ; sometimes abbreviated sw.) in Hinduism is an honorific title given to an Asceticism#Hinduism, ascetic who has chosen the Sannyasa, path of renunciation (''sanyāsa''), or has been initiated into a religious monastic order of Vaishnavas ...
''
* 1977:
Filmfare Best Screenplay Award
The Filmfare Best Screenplay Award is given by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films.
Multiple Winners
;
;
*
Both Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Rajkumar Hirani won the award twice jointly.
List of winners ...
- ''
Chitchor
''Chitchor'' () is a 1976 Indian Hindi-language romantic musical film, written and directed by Basu Chatterjee. The film is a Rajshri Productions film produced by Tarachand Barjatya. It is based on a Bengali story, ''Chittachakor'' by Subod ...
'' Nominee
* 1976:
Filmfare Best Screenplay Award
The Filmfare Best Screenplay Award is given by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films.
Multiple Winners
;
;
*
Both Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Rajkumar Hirani won the award twice jointly.
List of winners ...
– ''
Chhoti Si Baat
''Chhoti Si Baat'' (translation: ''A Small Matter'') is a 1975 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film directed by Basu Chatterjee. Considered one of the best Hindi comedy films of the 1970s, it is a nostalgic favourite for its quirky tak ...
''
* 1975:
Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie
The Filmfare Critics Award for Best Film is awarded during annual Filmfare Awards, given by the Filmfare magazine. The awards are the oldest and most prominent film awards given for Hindi films in India. The yearly awards started in 1954. M ...
– ''
Rajnigandha''
* 1972:
Filmfare Best Screenplay Award
The Filmfare Best Screenplay Award is given by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films.
Multiple Winners
;
;
*
Both Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Rajkumar Hirani won the award twice jointly.
List of winners ...
–
Filmography
Dialogue writer
Screenplay
Producer
Director (TV series)
Assistant director
Death
Chatterjee died due to an age-related illness at his house in
Mumbai
Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
on 4 June 2020. He was 93 years old.
References
External links
*
Official websiteBasu Chatterji: And middle of the road cinema
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chatterjee, Basu
1930 births
2020 deaths
Film directors from Rajasthan
Bengali film directors
Hindi-language film directors
People from Ajmer
Filmfare Awards winners
University of Calcutta alumni
Indian television directors
Indian male screenwriters
20th-century Indian screenwriters
21st-century Indian people
Directors who won the Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment National Film Award
Directors who won the Best Film on Family Welfare National Film Award