While the hindi cinema celebrates the macho tattooed metrosexual hero who puts on a six pack abs as easily as he would put a face pack, somewhere lingers the need to put a common man as a hero too. Someone who is shy, decent, has a heart of gold and still wins the heroine’s heart. Someone who won’t mind losing a few battles in the process of winning the war. Even in the 1970s, while the angry young man phenomenon was at its zenith, losing was considered a stigma, there was a someone who walked into a room, unheard and unnoticed. He personified the’seedha saadha bechara’ category of people we meet in our daily lives(Sadly, now that category of people has vanished even from our real lives.) His name was - Amol Palekar.
Think Amol Palekar and you are inundated with his innocent smiles, untucked striped bush-shirts, bell-bottomed trousers and maybe a pair of slippers instead of a pair of well polished shoes. I confess I haven’t watched a few of his not so popular movies. But a ’Rajanigandha’, ’Chhoti si baat’, ’Chitchor’, ’Gharaunda’, ’Golmaal’, ’Baaton Baaton mein’ and’Naram Garam’ are enough to ignite a parched soul. Perhaps Amol Palekar was waiting to donn the more prestigious chair of producer-director in spite of being such a successful non-conformist hero in the 70s. Again, I am ignorant about his marathi theatre and cinema pedigree. But, for now, lets just concentrate on his landmark roles in hindi cinema.
Many consider his’double’ role of Ramprasad Dashrath Prasad Sharma/ Laxman Prasad Dashrath Sharma in ’Golmaal’ as his best. It was mind boggling how he managed to transform himself into each of the characters who were supposed to be poles apart in the movie. Retaining the obedient and honest get up of Ramprasad, he held his own against a stalwart like Utpal Dutt(except maybe in the final climax scene!). At the same time, notice him play the Laxman Prasad Dashrath Prasad Sharma with equal penchant and attitude. But what really touched my heart were his roles in movies like’Rajanigandha’, Chitchor’ and’Chhoti si Baat’. Basu Chatterjee should be credited with giving hindi cinema its real hero who wasn’t larger than life.
I liked his pairing with Vidya Sinha. Notice in ’Chhoti si Baat’, how Arun(Amol Palekar) misses grabbing a seat in BEST bus while Vidya Sinha guffaws. When she gets down, Arun follows her, only to turn around when she discovers him following her. Who wouldn’t fall in love with such a buddhu and bechara? But only if you hadn’t got an adversary who is the mean and cunning type(Asarani). The transformation again of Arun in the training school of Ashok Kumar who teaches him the art of being confident and defeating his adversary in his own game.
’Baaton Baaton Mein’ had Amol in a different role of Tony Breganza. Here again, although he wasn’t a duffer like Arun in’Chhoti si baat’, he still was shy and reticent. An obedient but reluctant son in a christian household whose mom is hell bent on getting him the right girl. Tina Munim played his lady love. The mushy love story had very poignant moments as well as great music by Rajesh Roshan.
By 80s though, Amol Palekar had realized that maybe his kind of roles were becoming obsolete. The social structure of the society was changing. Younger heroes were emerging and it was time Amol devoted himself to his another avatar of producer-director where he again made a mark with equal finesse.
I still do not miss the re-runs of his old movies whenever they appear on TV. They make me nostalgic. They make me smile and laugh. But above all, they make me feel a winner.