‘Rajinigandha’ director Basu Chatterjee dies in his Mumbai home

Veteran filmmaker Basu Chatterjee, known for his relatable, light as soufflé brand of cinema with films such as "Rajnigandha" and “Chitchor”, died on Thursday following age related health issues. He was 93.  Chatterjee, who is survived by his daughters Sonali Bhattacharya and Rupali Guha, died in his sleep at his Santacruz residence. "He passed away peacefully in his sleep in the morning. He hadn’t been keeping well for quite a while due to old age problems and died at his residence. It's a great loss for the film industry," Ashoke Pandit, president of the Indian Film & Television Directors' Association (IFTDA), told PTI.

The last rites of the filmmaker, who blazed a middle-of-the-road trail in the 1970s and 1980s, were performed at the Santacruz crematorium. "Only family members were present... around 10 people, including both the daughters and sons-in-law. I was there because I wanted to be part of his journey," Pandit said.

Many people in the film industry and outside condoled the death of the director, who placed the middle class and its everyday joys and struggles at the centre of his cinematic world. "In the passing of Shri Basu Chatterjee, the world of entertainment has lost a living legend. He will be remembered for his masterpieces like 'Khatta Meetha', 'Rajnigandha', 'Byomkesh Bakshi', 'Rajani' among others. My condolences to his family and friends," President Ram Nath Kovind said on Twitter.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi remembered Chatterjee as a filmmaker whose cinema touched people’s hearts. "Sad to hear of the demise of Shri Basu Chatterjee. His works are brilliant and sensitive. It touched people's hearts and represented the simple and complex emotions, as well as struggles of people. Condolences to his family and innumerable fans. Om Shanti," he said. Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu said Chatterjee's light-hearted films depicted various facets of the urban middle class. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said, "Saddened at the demise of legendary film director and screenwriter Basu Chatterjee. He gave us gems like 'Chhoti Si Baat', 'Chitchor', 'Rajanigandha', 'Byomkesh Bakshi', 'Rajnigandha' among others. Condolences to his family, friends, fans & the entire film fraternity.

Chatterjee began as a cartoonist in a tabloid but changed his career path after assisting Basu Bhattacharya in the Raj Kapoor-Waheeda Rehman starrer “Teesri Kasam”. The two Basus along with Hrishikesh Mukherjee formed the Hindi cinema triumvirate whose ethos lay firmly in the middle class and its day-to-day struggles at a time when most of Bollywood was focused on larger-than-life stories of angst and tragedy led by Amitabh Bachchan.   Chatterjee's cinema was progressive for the times, unhurried and a slice of everyday life -- about conversations over cups of chai and romances blossoming in public buses, trains and office buildings.

Actors like Vidya Sinha, Amol Palekar and Zarina Wahab were the stars that were favoured by Chatterjee to tell aspiring stories of the middle class. Bachchan appeared in just one of his films –"Manzil" (1979), a poor-rich romance set against the backdrop of Mumbai,. Sending his prayers and condolences, Bachchan described Chatterjee as quiet, soft spoken and gentle. “… his films reflected the lives of middle India… a sad loss..,” he said on Twitter.

"Basu Chatterjee moves on. For me very few see the lighter side of life like he did. All his films have a smirk on their faces. I'm a big fan. and I have 'Kahaani 2' to prove it," said “Kahaani” director Sujoy Ghosh said. Shabana Azmi, who worked with Chatterjee on three films, also expressed her deep sadness. "A prolific filmmaker, he was the pioneer of what came to be regarded as middle of the road cinema. I was fortunate to have done 3 lovely films with him 'Swami', 'Apne Paraye' and 'Jeena Yahan'. All lifelike characters. RIP," she said.

Some of his best known works are "Us Paar", "Chitchor", "Piya Ka Ghar", "Khatta Meetha" and  "Baton Baton Mein". The filmmaker passed away less than a week after the death of lyricist Yogesh Gaur, who penned many popular songs in Chatterjee’s films, including “Rajinigandha Phool Tumhare” and “Na  Jaane Kyun”. Gaur died on May 29.

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