A long, meaningful innings
| In a career spanning nearly six decades, producer-director B.R. Chopra made an amazing variety of films and television serials. A tribute |
AHEAD OF HIS TIME B. R. Chopra
His was a soft voice which became animated when he reminisced about his early days in Lahore and passionate when he talked about his commitment to the art of film making. One of the most successful producer-directors of Hindi cinema, Baldev Raj (B.R.) Chopra who died in Mumbai recently at the age of 94 belonged to the category of Mehboob Khan, V. Shantaram and Raj Kapoor and richly deserved the Dadasaheb Phalke Award (1999) from the Government of India.
Chopra saab’s stupendous career which spanned nearly 60 years (starting with the 1949 flop “Karwat”) offered us an amazing variety of films — socially relevant, joyously entertaining, whodunits with an unusual twist and those that are stirringly patriotic. As head of B. R. Films which he started in 1955, Chopra saab produced 33 films, directed 18 and was also associated with some outstanding TV serials, of which ‘Mahabharat’ held the entire India under thrall.
Highlighting social issues
A scene from “Naya Daur”
During a 20 year association, I met him six or seven times and was amazed at his deep love for film making. He had the necessary background, having worked as a film journalist both in Lahore and in Bombay where the family migrated after Partition. Every time, his message was clear. “Films are for entertainment. But in a poor and divided country like India, they must do a little more, like highlighting some of our major social problems.” And how well he did it!
He was far ahead of his time. His most talked about film, “Naya Daur”, highlighted the man versus machine issue. As early as 1958, “Sadhana” focussed on the plight of prostitutes, while “Dhool Ka Phool” was about the plight of children born out of wedlock. “Dharam Putra”, which Shashi Kapoor regarded as one of his best films, did not click at the box office, but dealt with the important issue of national integration. After focussing on marital infidelity in “Gumrah”, Chopra saab in “Insaf Ka Tarazu” presented to us a heroine, Zeenat Aman, who was ready to take on her rapist and bring him to book.
Even as late as 2004, Chopra saab brought Amitabh Bachchan and Hema Malini together after several years to star in “Baghban” based on his own story on the disintegration of the joint family and its repercussions.
The themes were important. What was equally important was how he presented them. They were seldom preachy but had all the ingredients of successful commercial cinema. Again, ahead of his time, he gave us a songless court room drama “Kanoon”. He made two suspense films, “Ittefaq” (again songless) and “Dhund”, with a climax that left us gasping.
He realised the importance of good comedy, and the result? The unforgettable “Pati, Patni Aur Woh” and “Chotisi Baat”. “It is all okay to talk about the sanctity of marriage,” Chopra saab told me, smiling: “Do you deny that most males have a roving eye?”
Sanjeev Kumar, who according to Chopra saab was next to Dilip saab in acting skills, was ready to strip to his striped underpants and expose his bulging belly in a bathroom scene, one of the funniest in Hindi cinema. Chopra saab was keen to make a sequel to “Pati…”, but unfortunately, Sanjeev Kumar passed away and the idea was shelved. “I could not make the film without Sanjeev,” he confessed.
He tried many new techniques and most of them clicked in a big way. Despite his closeness to stars such as Dilip Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan, he felt good films could be made without big stars and proved it with films such as “Insaaf Ka Tarazu” and “Nikah”.
If the script needed dozens of big stars, Chopra saab didn’t hesitate to go ahead with the project. “Burning Train”, “Waqt” and “Humraaz” will vouch for this. Unlike other movie moguls, Chopra saab mostly favoured lesser known music director Ravi and promoted singers such as Mahendra Kapoor. Yet, B. R. Films invariably had outstanding music scores. “They suited my themes, and personally, I got along well with Ravi and Mahendra Kapoor. They knew what I wanted,” he explained.
Epic fascination
Why did he make the television blockbuster ‘Mahabharat’? “‘Mahabharat’ is part of Indian life,” he explained. “Second, the epic is packed with some of the most interesting stories that one can come across. Can any of our storywriters produce something like ‘Mahabharat’?” he asked.
The industry loved Chopra saab. His was the typical rags-to-riches story of a Partition victim. At 25, he was the sole breadwinner in a large family and was nearly bankrupt when his first film failed. So confident was Chopra saab about his knowledge and skills in film making that he was not deterred by failure, and went ahead. In the process, he not only achieved success but also became one of the most beloved leaders in the industry.
As Dilip Kumar said: “Chopra saab was warm, affectionate and approachable who cared for the welfare of everyone, including the spot boys on the sets. His education, upbringing and culture endowed him with a rare humanism which was reflected in the manner he made his films.”
V. GANGADHAR
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