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Basu Chatterjee (Bengali: বাসু চ্যাটার্জ্জী; born 10 January 1930) is an Indian film director and screenwriter. Through the 1970s and 1980s, he became associated with what came to be known as middle cinema or middle-of-the-road cinema, with filmmakers such as Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Basu Bhattacharya, whom he assisted in Teesri Kasam (1966). Like their films, his films also dealt with light-hearted stories of middle-class families often in urban settings, focusing on marital and love relationships, with exceptions such as Ek Ruka Hua Faisla (1986) and Kamla Ki Maut (1989), which delved into social and moral issues. He is best known for his films Us Paar, Chhoti Si Baat (1975), Chitchor (1976), Rajnigandha (1974), Piya Ka Ghar (1972), Khatta Meetha , Chakravyuha (1978 film), Baton Baton Mein (1979), Priyatama (1977), Man Pasand, Hamari Bahu Alka, Shaukeen (1982), and Chameli Ki Shaadi (1986), which was his last commercially successful movie.
Early life
Basu Chatterjee was born in Ajmer, Rajasthan, India.
Career
Chatterjee started his career as an illustrator and cartoonist with the weekly tabloid Blitz published in Bombay (now Mumbai), by Russi Karanjia. Here he worked for 18 years, before he changed career paths to filmmaking, when he assisted Basu Bhattacharya in the Raj Kapoor and Waheeda Rehman starrer Teesri Kasam (1966), which later won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film. Eventually, he made his directorial debut with Sara Akash in 1969, which won him the Filmfare Best Screenplay Award.
Some of his best films to be critically acclaimed are Sara Akash (1969), Piya Ka Ghar (1972), Us Paar (1974), Rajnigandha (1974), Chhoti Si Baat (1975), Chitchor (1976), Swami (1977), Khatta Meetha, Priyatama, Chakravyuha (1978 film), Jeena Yahan (1979), Baton Baton Mein (1979), Apne Paraye (1980), Shaukeen and Ek Ruka Hua Faisla.
Other lesser known films included Ratnadeep, Safed Jhooth, Man Pasand, Hamari Bahu Alka, Kamla Ki Maut and Triyacharitra.
He also directed big stars in his simple films, but in completely different never before seen roles of these actors. He directed Vinod Mehra in Us Paar with Moushmi Chatterjee, Jeetendra with Neetu Singh in Priyatama, Dev Anand with Tina Munim in Man Pasand, Rajesh Khanna with Neetu Singh in Chakravyuha (1978 film), Dharmendra with Hema Malini in Dillagi and Amitabh Bachchan in Manzil.Of them, only Chakravyuha (1978 film) with Rajesh Khanna and Manzil with Amitabh Bachchan were not successful at box office, but were critically acclaimed at the time of their release and have developed cult classic status over the years.
He has also directed many Bengali films such as Hothat Brishti, Hochcheta Ki and Hothat Shei Din.
He directed the TV Series Byomkesh Bakshi and the popular Rajani (TV series) for Doordarshan both of which were successful TV serials . He was a member of the jury at the 10th Moscow International Film Festival in 1977. Chatterjee is a member of the International Film And Television Club of the Asian Academy of Film & Television. He had his retrospective as part of the Kala Ghoda Art Festival Mumbai in February 2011.
His daughter Rupali Guha is also a film director. Her first Hindi film Aamras, released in September 2009, a coming of age film involving four schoolgirls. Rupali's next film, the Bengali film Porichoi, with Prosenjit Chatterji, dealt with an estranged father-daughter relationship. She also produced TV serials under the Filmfarm banner. Her serials included Tumhari Disha, Rakhi, Dil Se Diya Vachan and Do Dil Bandhe Ek Dori Se for Zee TV, Kashi for NDTV Imagine, Uttaran and Ishq Ka Rang Safed for Colors TV and Perfect Pati for &TV.
Awards
- 2007: IIFA Lifetime Achievement Award
- 1992: National Film Award for Best Film on Family Welfare - Durga
- 1991: Filmfare Best Screenplay Award – Kamla Ki Maut
- 1980: Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie – Jeena Yahan
- 1978: Filmfare Best Director Award – Swami
- 1977: Filmfare Best Screenplay Award - Chitchor Nominee
- 1976: Filmfare Best Screenplay Award – Chhoti Si Baat
- 1975: Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie – Rajnigandha
- 1972: Filmfare Best Screenplay Award – Sara Akash
