This was a real long break, I am sorry, I was away attending to some work.
Bimal Roy was my
father’s favourite director, he revered him, however, besides Roy, there were
some other directors with whom my father enjoyed working and Hrishikesh
Mukherjee topped that list.
Those days Mukherjee was acknowledged as the industry’s best editor. He used his editorial skills to
great effect while directing his films. My father used to say, “Hrishida edits
the film in his mind while directing a film”. He was at ease both with comedy
and serious films. While I surreptitiously
wiped my tears after watching Aashirwaad, Satyakam and Anand, I found myself in
splits while watching Chupke Chupke. Usually when I see the Hindi remakes of
Bengali originals, I usually prefer the originals, but as far as Chupke Chupke
was concerned I loved Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s version, the Bengali version
was absolutely tame in comparison.
Despite being an ace technician he did not resort to any
gimmickry to draw attention to his ability, he indicated his brilliance through
his precise editing, unobtrusive camera placement and beautiful shot
compositions. His focus was the film’s story, therefore the audience was able
to identify with the characters and participate in their joys and sorrows. I
had the opportunity of interviewing Hrishikesh Mukherjee for the
 |
| Screen August 14, 1992 |
