Letters to Filmmakers-part 1/ Day 1825

Dear Basuda,

Date – June 8th, 2020

On 4 June amidst escalating fear of approaching cyclone and escalating Corona,you quietly made your exit without the slightest fuss,just like all your characters in your films.By the time we emerged from our fears we discovered that the marvelous director Sara Aaakash was gone.
The headline on the news channel ‘Basu Chatterjee no more’filled me with sadness. Your contribution in our lives over the last four decades cannot be summarized in a column.Nobody connected with us,the middle class as you did.In a quiet corner of our memories,we still retain the innocence of Piya Ka Ghar, the fragrance of Rajnigandha, the music of Chitchor & the wisdom of Swami.
There was acceptance in Khatta Meeth,aspirations in Manzil, conflict in Ratan Deep, endurance in Apne Paraye, struggle in Jeena Yahan, mischief in Shaukeen,anger in Ek Ruka Hua Faisla and celebration in Chameli Ki Shaadi.
Your detractors said that you stopped connecting with your audience in your later films, I feel you were ill-adjusted with the changing trends,which can & does happen to the best of filmmakers,what is important is that you tried to stay relevant without excuses of age.
I have been on your sets & watched you brief Zarina Wahab & Shabana Azmi before a scene,quiet,affectionate & sometimes reprimanding.
You disapproved of makeup, of actors taking any liberties in costume or hair that was out of character & which is why you shot the best of your songs in the background.You said to me in an interview ‘Normal people don’t sing and dance when they are happy or sad so why must actors do it unless the subject demands it’.
In the 90s I was on the Advisory Panel of the Central Board of Film Certificate,the same time as you & we shared many committees together.You were against censorship of any kind & solely responsible for Deepa Mehta’s Fire India’s first lesbian film in the year 1996 to be cleared & you did not change your stand even after laathi charges at cinema halls.
Your films reflected values,the common man enriched from your stories but when your time was up,you exited quietly, without a song or a dance just like your characters.