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.
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."