Can't remember the last time I wrote two obituaries in a row. After Ustad Bismillah Khan died I wrote and now I am wrting, rather attempting to write an sort of obituary of Late Hrishikesh Mukherjee - a director whole ruled my favourite era in Hindi movies. Simple movies about common people with not so common characterastics - that was Hrishi da. I don't know why but whenever I have watched these movies I have always imagined a very sensitive and humane director in the background. He came to Mumbai for money, but the Kolkata in him never left him. The Left never left him. The belief in the basic goodness of humanity never left him. And when the penchant to make movies left him, he left us. And the fact that a 27-year-old urbane youth is now writing about him is a testimony of the fact that Hrishida lives.... And let's just read the list of some of the movies that Hrishi da edited before he became a director. That shows his pedigree.
Do Bigha Zameen, 1951
Parineeta, 1953
Biraj Bahu, 1954
Devdas, 1956
Madhumati, 1958
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Here's something that you might love to know. I had the novel 'Chemmeen' by Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai in my graduate course. Originally in Malayalam, that's one book I have always wanted to go back to again and again. When the novel was being made into a movie, our very own Hrishi Da edited it. (Manna Dey was also involved) Recognized as technically and artistically brilliant cinema, it won a President's Gold Medal and a Certificate of Merit in the Chicago Film Festival. Little known contribution of Hrishi Da to Indian cinema!
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