Where the Reel meets the Real.
It is so simple to be happy, but it is so difficult to be simple”
– from Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s film Bawarchi
Chess is a game of complex psychological twists and turns and clever moves, and Hrishikesh Mukherjee was a master chess player. He was also a brilliant academician, a scientist, and a gold medal winning sitar player among other things. Hrishikesh Mukherjee also went on to become one of the top most editors in Indian cinema, a very gifted writer and a legendary director.
Hrishi da supposedly based the character of Rajesh Khanna in Bawarchi on his own father, a chemist who used to concoct all kinds of things from Kohl for the ladies, to fire crackers in his lab, but Hrishi da could have very well based it on himself because he was so good at so much.
For someone who just sat in with a friend to first absorb and then advice on film editing, Hrishi da went on to become one of India’s most brilliant editors, deeply admired by genius film makers like Bimal Roy. Roy gave him a free hand in the very first film Hrishi da edited for him-Do Bigha Zameen where Hrishi da experimented successfuly with some new techniques that later were to be picked up by others and became the hallmark of his work. Many other top notch film makers came to him and asked him to take a look at their films. His admirers included the likes of the great Satyajit Ray, Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor.
While the legendary actor Dilip Kumar was the one who Hrishi da credits as the man because of whom he became a film director, Raj Kapoor too became a close friend who along with Dilip Sahib stood by him even when his first directorial venture Musafir bombed at the box office. Dilip Kumar had predicted that the film would be a box office disaster because of the unusual subject matter-of a house being the centre that linked several stories together. “ Tu marega(You’ll get butchered) but I will do the movie free for you, go ahead,” said Dilip Kumar to Hrishi da.
After Musafir bombed, no one wanted the young director near them, and the phenomenally successful writer Sachin Bhaumick told me that when he approached Hrishi da with his first ever story for a film which was later to become the film Anuradha, a beleaguered Hrishi da told him, if his next film was a hit he would definitely hear Sachin ji’s story and help out; if he flopped that would be the end of his directorial career and then God help them both.
Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor had used their clout to get the producers to agree to let Hrishi da direct the next film Anari. The film was a runaway success and the rest is history.
For a man who so easily mastered the complex chess games and looked at complex human emotions, Hrishi da’s story telling was surprisingly simple and may be that is why it appealed to all strata of society. He was the producer’s director says everyone. He leaned towards what was most economical, and never wasted any raw stock. He shot often in his own house, by changing the color of the walls, rearranging furniture, and making the same rooms look utterly different according to Rakesh Roshan and Nitin Mukesh.
His films had remarkable music, but he hated wasting time and extra money on picturisation. The film Anand, says singer Nitin Mukesh who has worked with Hrishi da in so many films as an assistant director, was made in less than 30 days. “Zindagi kaisi hai paheli” one of the biggest chart busters was filmed by just telling Rajesh Khanna-tum bas chalta raho,(you just keep walking) in Hrishi da’s cute Hindi-Bengali accent and walk Rajesh Khanna did into the hearts of millions each time any of Anand’s songs picturised on him played or appeared on the screen.
Subhash Ghai who has had a very long reign at the top and has emerged as one of India’s most successful directors, says he admired Hrishi da as a superb editor and a master story teller. As a youngster looking for a career in films, Subhash Ghai often found himself in Hrishi da’s house asking for work, and ending up learning a lot in each visit. It was Hrishi da who as Chairman of the jury was instrumental in getting the Filmfare Best Director’s award for Subhash Ghai for his film Saudagar, in spite of there being better films that year according to Ghai. It was because Hrishi da was able to recognize and appreciate what a phenomenal effort it was to bring out stellar performances out of two new comers, Manisha Koirala and Vivek Mushran on one hand, and the legends Dilip Kumar and Raj Kumar on the other.
Kavita in Conversation with Subhash Ghai: The director speaks of the reason why Hrishikesh Mukherjee has a place not only in his heart but more. (LINK COMING SOON!)
Today Ghai’s film institute Whistling Woods teaches students how to make movies like Hrishikesh Mukherjee did among other things, says the film maker.(Check out www.Muktaarts.com and www.whistlingwoods.net)
Another super director Rakesh Roshan who started his career as an assistant director as well, says his film Khudgarz was a total take off on Hrishi da’s film Namakharam and did very well.
Rakesh Roshan said as an actor initially he would get confused when Hrishi da would suddenly say to him, go change your shirt, look this way or that way but when Roshan who worked in Hrishi da’s film Khubsoorat as an actor, watched the final rushes he would see how each time Hrishi da had taken the perfect shot. Rakesh Roshan also said he has worked with so many directors but none who were as sharp and clear in what they wanted as Hrishikesh Mukherjee.
Director par excellence, Nagesh Kukunoor said he truly realized what Hrishi da meant to him when he became a film director and people started asking him who were the film makers he admired most, and the more he thought about it the more he realized Hrishi da was the greatest film maker in India in his eyes. Subhash Ghai has dabbled successfully in so many genres but said he could not have touched Chupke Chupke, or done a better job. Nagesh said Bawarchi was the perfect film and he couldn’t have touched it as well. Nitin Mukesh has been with Hrishi da in his peak years but even he regrets not being a part of Anupama and Rakesh Roshan says he must have seen Namakharam a hundred times at least.
I had an interesting conversation with Rajeev Pandya, whose father was a close friend and produced some of Hrishi da’s films. Later Rajeev went to work with Hrishida. Rajeev spoke about the amazing contribution Hrishi da made not just as a director, but how he gave many actors new persona and helped the good ones hone their skills even further. He was very supportive of new comers and kind to them. Rajeev also talked about stellar film directors, writers who shared strong relationships with Hrishi da. Gulzar an amazing poet, lyricist and director had a wonderful guru in Hrishi da and holds Hrishi da in high esteem to this day, says Rajeev and Nitin Mukesh seconds that.
“You will not find a single person who will have anything else but good things to say about Hrishi da,” says Nitin Mukesh.
Kavita in Conversation with Nitin Mukesh: Nitin Mukesh talks of why he considers himself to be fortunate enough to have two fathers – Mukesh and Hrishikesh Mukherjee. (LINK COMING SOON!)
Hrishi da’s movies recreated stars. How else can you explain Ashok Kumar as the hero of Aashirwad and Lalita Pawar as the heroine of Mem didi? How can you explain Bindu in a sympathetic, soft role in Abhimaan and the macho man Dharamendra in soft sensitive portrayals like the ones he did in Anupama and Satyakam or as a comic actor in Chupke Chupke, or the parallel role Asrani played in Abhimaan. Raza Murad who has done over 450 films to date is still remembered as the Alam of Namakharam. Many think Rajesh Khanna reached his peak in Anand, Bawarchi and Namak haram and that Amitabh Bachchan is considered a serious actor only because of the work he did with Hrishi da.
I’m told that most superstars never talked money with Hrishi da. Hrishi da told Rajesh Khanna he couldn’t pay him a dime for Anand, and Rajesh Khanna after the initial disbelief at that comment was so mesmerized by the story of Anand, he started pulling out dates from all over the place, sneaking into Hrishi da’s sets at every given opportunity to finish Anand. “There came a point when Rajesh would be seen near the sets and I’d say run, he’s again here to give some more free dates,” said Hrishi da with a laugh in an interview!
These mega stars, some of whom have become legends, gravitated towards Hrishida with such passion because they too knew that while it was indeed very difficulty to be simple, Hrishida’s sets, and his stories brought them closest to the fragrance of the simple life that they had left far behind in their quest for aiming for the stars. Hrishida not only had his own feet firmly on the ground, his kind, compassionate, non judgmental and all embracing nature always gave them a haven they could turn to whenever they needed a reality check.
They knew that in Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s world, both the reel and the real were not far from the truth – and each other.