Shoojit Sircar: Like Basu Chatterjee, I Always Wanted To Make Charming Films With Long Shelf-Life

Veteran filmmaker Basu Chatterjee breathed his last on June 4, 2020 in Mumbai. The celebrated director was known for helming classics like Manzil, Chhoti Si Baat, Baton Baton Mein, Khatta Meetha, Priyatama and many others.

The film fraternity came together on social media to mourn Chatterjee's demise. Many of them shared their fond memories of working with him.

shoojit-basu

Director Shoojit Sircar, who began his career as an assistant on the set of a Bengali series, Jodi Emon Hoto, which Basu Chatterjee was directing, revealed how he was inspired by the noted filmmaker, while speaking with Mid-day.

A Mid-day report quoted the director as saying, "Theatre actor Ruma Ghosh had got me the gig. For the first few days, I didn't know I was on a Basu Chatterjee set. When I finally saw him on the set, I told them I am ready to work for free."

Recalling his first interaction with Basu Chatterjee, fondly called as Basu da, he said, "We were shooting in Delhi's CR Park. I was watching the scene, and he kept shouting, 'Field e achho; bero eikhan theke' [You are in the frame, step out of it]. I didn't even know what a field was."

Shoojit recounted that as an assistant, his job was to get the director to and from the set. "I was also entrusted with arranging a bottle of soda for him every day after the pack-up," he told the tabloid.

Speaking about how the learning on the set was that of a lifetime for him, he said, "The first one you work with leaves an indelible impression on you. He was quick on the set, and like him, I don't waste time. He would never shoot beyond 6 pm. Also, his planning had an impromptu quality to it. I have heard stories about how he decided to shoot Rimjhim gire saawan when he saw the downpour. The shoot didn't have an elaborate planning, which is why its simplicity stands out."

The Gulabo Sitabo director said that he was inspired by the late filmmaker and added, "Baton Baton Mein and Rajnigandha are such lively films. He became a game-changer when he made Ek Ruka Hua Faisla. Like him, I always wanted to make charming movies that have a long shelf-life. When I shot with Moushumi di [Chatterjee] and Mr Bachchan for Piku, they were chatting about him. That's when I realised his legacy of movies cannot be recreated. Films don't always need to be about drama. Sometimes, the simplest stories leave the sweetest aftertaste."

Basu da, you will be missed by everyone!

ALSO READ: EXCLUSIVE: Actress Bindiya Goswami Remembers Basu Chatterjee & Her Enriching Journey With HimALSO READ: EXCLUSIVE: Actress Bindiya Goswami Remembers Basu Chatterjee & Her Enriching Journey With Him

ALSO READ: Amitabh Bachchan Remembers Basu Chatterjee: A Quiet, Soft Spoken And Gentle Human BeingALSO READ: Amitabh Bachchan Remembers Basu Chatterjee: A Quiet, Soft Spoken And Gentle Human Being

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