Hrishikesh Mukherjee (30 September 1922 – 27 August 2006) was an Indian film director, editor and writer. He is regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers of

Indian cinema The Cinema of India consists of motion pictures produced in India, which had a large effect on world cinema since the late 20th century. Major centers of film production across the country include Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Ko ...

. Popularly known as ''Hrishi-da'', he directed 42 films during his career spanning over four decades, and is named the pioneer of the 'middle cinema' of India. Renowned for his

social film A social film is a type of interactive film that is presented through the lens of social media. A social film is distributed digitally and integrates with a social networking service, such as Facebook or Google+. It combines features of web video, ...

s that reflected the changing middle-class ethos, Mukherjee "carved a middle path between the extravagance of mainstream cinema and the stark realism of

art cinema An art film (or arthouse film) is typically an independent film, aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience. It is "intended to be a serious, artistic work, often experimental and not designed for mass appeal", "made primarily f ...

". He is known for a number of films, including ''

Anari Anari may refer to: Films * ''Anari'' (1959 film), a Bollywood film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee * ''Anari'' (1975 film), a Bollywood film directed by Asit Sen, starring Shashi Kapoor, Sharmila Tagore and Moushumi Chatterjee * ''Anari'' (1 ...

'', ''

Satyakam ''Satyakam'' is a 1969 Indian drama film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, based on a Bengali novel of the same name by Narayan Sanyal. The film stars Dharmendra, Sharmila Tagore, Sanjeev Kumar, and Ashok Kumar. The film was scored by Laxmikant ...

'', '' Chupke Chupke'', '' Anupama'', '' Anand'', '' Abhimaan'', '' Guddi'', ''

Gol Maal ''Gol Maal'' () is a 1979 Indian Hindi-language comedy film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee and written by Rahi Masoom Raza and Sachin Bhowmick. It was produced by N. C. Sippy, with music by R. D. Burman. The film won several awards and was pr ...

'', ''

Majhli Didi ''Majhli Didi '' is a 1967 Bollywood film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, based on the Bengali language story, ''Mejdidi'' (Middle Sister) by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, which was earlier filmed in Bengali in 1950 as ''Mej Didi (1950 film), M ...

'', '' Chaitali'', '' Aashirwad'', ''

Bawarchi ''Bawarchi'' (translation: ''The Chef'') is a 1972 Indian Hindi musical comedy-drama film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee starring Rajesh Khanna and Jaya Badhuri with Asrani, A.K. Hangal, Usha Kiran and Durga Khote in supporting roles. This w ...

'', ''

Khubsoorat ''Khubsoorat'' (transl. Beautiful) is a 1980 Indian Hindi, Hindi-language comedy-drama film, directed and produced by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, co-produced by N. C. Sippy with dialogues written by Gulzar. The movie stars Ashok Kumar, Rekha, Rakesh R ...

'', ''

Kissi Se Na Kehna ''Kissi Se Na Kehna'' () 1983 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. It stars Farooq Shaikh, Deepti Naval and Utpal Dutt. Synopsis Kailash Pati, a very devotional widower, lives a retired life spending tim ...

'', and ''

Namak Haraam ''Namak Haraam'' () is a 1973 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. The music is by R.D. Burman, the screenplay by Gulzar, and lyrics by Anand Bakshi. The film stars Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan. It also star ...

.'' He also remained the chairman of the

Central Board of Film Certification The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) is a statutory film-certification body in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of the Government of India. It is tasked with "regulating the public exhibition of films under the provision ...

(CBFC) and of the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC). The

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...

honoured him with the

Dada Saheb Phalke Award The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India's highest award in the field of cinema. It is presented annually at the National Film Awards ceremony by the Directorate of Film Festivals, an organisation set up by the Ministry of Information and Broadcas ...

in 1999 and the

Padma Vibhushan The Padma Vibhushan ("Lotus Decoration") is the second-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "exceptional and distinguished service" ...

in 2001. He received the

NTR National Award The NTR National Award is an annual award presented by the Government of Andhra Pradesh to recognize people for their lifetime achievements and contributions to the Cinema of India. The NTR National Award is an honorary Nandi Award in the honour ...

in 2001 and he also won eight

Filmfare Awards The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Hindi-language film industry of India.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were first introduced by th ...

Early life and background

Hrishikesh Mukherjee was born in the city of Calcutta in pre-independence India (now

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

) to a

Bengali brahmin The Bengali Brahmins are Hindu Brahmins who traditionally reside in the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent, currently comprising the Indian state of West Bengal and the country of Bangladesh. The Bengali Brahmins, along with Baidyas and ...

family. He studied science and graduated in chemistry from the

University of Calcutta The University of Calcutta (informally known as Calcutta University; CU) is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate State university (India), state university in India, located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Considered ...

. He taught mathematics and science for some time.

Career

Mukherjee chose to begin working, initially as a cameraman, and then film editor, in B. N. Sircar's New Theatres in

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

in the late 1940s, where he learned his skills from Subodh Mitter ('Kenchida'), a well known editor of his times. He then worked with

Bimal Roy Bimal Roy (12 July 1909 – 8 January 1966) was an Indian film director. He is particularly noted for his realistic and socialistic films such as ''Do Bigha Zamin'', ''Parineeta (1953 film), Parineeta'', ''Biraj Bahu'', ''Devdas (1955 film), D ...

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

as film editor and assistant director from 1951, participating in the landmark Roy films ''

Do Bigha Zamin ''Do Bigha Zamin'' () is a 1953 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Bimal Roy. Based on Rabindranath Tagore's Bengali poem " Dui Bigha Jomi", the film stars Balraj Sahni, Nirupa Roy in lead roles. Known for its socialist theme, it is c ...

'' and ''

Devdas ''Devdas'' ( bn, দেবদাস, transliterated as ''Debdās'') is a Bengali romance novel written by Sarat Chandra Chatterjee. The story pivots a tragic triangle linking Devdas, an archetypal lover in viraha (separation); Paro, his forbidden ...

''. His debut directorial venture, '' Musafir'' (1957), was not a success, but he persisted and received acclaim for his second film ''

'' in 1959. The film, crew and cast won five

, with Mukherjee only losing the Best Director Award to his mentor, Bimal Roy. In the following years he made numerous films. Some of his most notable films include: '' Anuradha'' (1960), ''

Chhaya Chhaya or Chaya ( sa, छाया, Chāyā, shadow' or 'shade) is the Hindu personification and goddess of shadow, and a consort of Surya, the Hindu sun god. She is the shadow-image or reflection of Saranyu (Sanjna), the first wife of Surya. C ...

'' (1961), ''

Asli-Naqli ''Asli-Naqli'' () is a 1962 Hindi film produced by L.B Lachman and L.B Thakur. The film is directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee and stars Dev Anand, Sadhana, Leela Chitnis, Anwar Hussain, Sandhya Roy and Keshto Mukherjee. The film's music is by ...

'' (1962), '' Anupama'' (1966), '' Aashirwad'' (1968), ''

'' (1969), '' Guddi'' (1971), '' Anand'' (1971), ''

'' (1972), '' Abhimaan'' (1973), ''

'' (1973), '' Mili'' (1975), '' Chupke Chupke'' (1975), ''

Alaap ''Alaap'' ( lit. Prelude) is a 1977 Indian musical drama film produced by Hrishikesh Mukerjee and N.C Sippy and directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. The film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Rekha, Asrani, Farida Jalal, Om Prakash and Manmohan. The music ...

'' (1977), ''

'' (1979), ''

'' (1980) and ''

Bemisal ''Bemisal'' (English: ''unparalleled'', or, ''unprecedented'') is a 1982 drama film produced by Debesh Gosh and directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. The film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Vinod Mehra, Raakhee, Deven Verma, Aruna Irani and Om Shivpuri. Th ...

'' (1982). He was the first to introduce

Dharmendra Dharam Singh Deol (born 8 December 1935), also known mononymously as Dharmendra, is an Indian actor, producer and politician who is known for his work in Hindi films. Known as the first " He-Man" of Bollywood, Dharmendra has worked in over 301 ...

in comedy roles, through ''Chupke Chupke'', and gave

Amitabh Bachchan Amitabh Bachchan (; born as Amitabh Shrivastav; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor, film producer, television host, occasional playback singer and former politician known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of the most succe ...

his big break with ''Anand'' in 1970, along with

Rajesh Khanna Rajesh Khanna () (; born Jatin Khanna; 29 December 1942 – 18 July 2012) was an Indian actor, film producer and politician who worked in Hindi films. He is called as the "First Superstar of Hindi cinema", he consecutively starred in a record ...

, he also introduced

Jaya Bhaduri Jaya Bachchan (''née'' Bhaduri; born 9 April 1948) is an Indian actress and politician. She is a member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha from the Samajwadi Party, serving four terms since 2004. Known primarily for her work in Hindi and Bengali ...

Hindi cinema Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

in his film '' Guddi''.Remembering Hrishikesh Mukherjee
''

Hindustan Times ''Hindustan Times'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper based in Delhi. It is the flagship publication of HT Media, an entity controlled by the KK Birla family, and is owned by Shobhana Bhartia. It was founded by Sunder Singh Lyall ...

'', 26 August 2008 Having worked with his mentor,

as an editor, in films like ''

Madhumati ''Madhumati'' is a 1958 Indian Hindi-language paranormal romance film directed and produced by Bimal Roy, and written by Ritwik Ghatak and Rajinder Singh Bedi. The film stars Vyjayanthimala and Dilip Kumar in lead roles, with Pran and Johnny ...

'', he was much sought after as an editor as well.

Later life

Mukherjee was honoured with the

Dadasaheb Phalke Award The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India's highest award in the field of cinema. It is presented annually at the National Film Awards ceremony by the Directorate of Film Festivals, an organisation set up by the Ministry of Information and Broadca ...

by the

, in 1999. Mukherjee was chairman of the

and of the National Film Development Corporation. He was also awarded the

, the second highest civilian award for his contribution to Indian cinema by government of India in 2001 . The

International Film Festival of India The International Film Festival of India (IFFI), founded in 1952, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. Held annually, currently in the state of Goa, on the western coast of the country, the festival aims at providing a common pla ...

honoured him with a retrospective of his films in November 2005. He holds the distinction of working with almost all the top Indian stars since independence of India in 1947. His last film was ''

Jhooth Bole Kauwa Kaate Jhooth Bole Kauwa Kaate () is a 1998 Indian Hindi comedy film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. The film stars Anil Kapoor, Juhi Chawla, Amrish Puri, Reema Lagoo, Anupam Kher and Sajid Khan (director), Sajid Khan. The film was the last film of H ...

''. Since his original hero

Amol Palekar Amol Palekar (born 24 November 1944) is an Indian actor, director and producer of Hindi and Marathi cinema. Career Palekar studied fine arts at the Sir JJ School of Arts, Mumbai, and commenced his artistic career as a painter. As a painter, he ...

had grown old he had to cast

Anil Kapoor Anil Kapoor (born 24 December 1956) is an Indian actor and producer who works primarily in Hindi films, besides television and international films and television. In a career spanning over 40 years as an actor and since 2005 as a producer, Kapo ...

. He has also directed TV serials like ''Talaash''.

Death

In later life, Mukherjee suffered from chronic

kidney failure Kidney failure, also known as end-stage kidney disease, is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney failure is classified as eit ...

and would go to

Lilavati Hospital The Lilavati Hospital and Research Centre is a private hospital located in Bandra, Mumbai, India. The hospital was established in 1978 by the Lilavati Kirtilal Mehta Medical Trust. History In 1978, Kirtilal Manilal Mehta—a diamond m ...

for dialysis. He was admitted to Lilavati Hospital in

early on Tuesday, 6 June 2006 after he complained of uneasiness. Mukherjee died few weeks later on 27 August 2006.Hrishikesh Mukherjee is dead
''

The Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest ...

'', 27 August 2006.

Personal life

Mukherjee was married and has three daughters and two sons. His wife died more than three decades before him. His younger brother Dwarkanath Mukherjee helped write the screenplay for many of his films. He was an animal lover and had many dogs and sometimes an odd cat at his residence in

Bandra Bandra (Indian English, æːɳɖɾa also known as Vandre (Help:IPA/Marathi, �aːn̪d̪ɾe is an upscale coastal suburb located in Mumbai (Bombay) area of the Konkan division, Maharashtra, India. The suburb is located to the immediate nor ...

, Mumbai. He was staying with only his servants and pets in the last phase of his life. Family members and friends would visit him regularly.

Awards

* 2001:

by the Government of India * 2001:

* Rashtriya Kishore Kumar Samman from the Government of Madhya Pradesh for 1997-1998 ;

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba ( Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 ...

Golden Bear The Golden Bear (german: Goldener Bär) is the highest prize awarded for the best film at the Berlin International Film Festival. The bear is the heraldic animal of Berlin, featured on both the coat of arms and flag of Berlin. History The winn ...

: Nomination: '' Anuradha'' ;

* 1956:

Filmfare Best Editing Award The Filmfare Best Editing Award is given by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films. Superlatives Most Awards * Sreekar Prasad – 4 * Hrishikesh Mukherjee – 3 * Raj Kapoor – 3 * Sanjay Verma – 3 ...

: ''Naukari'' * 1959: Filmfare Best Editing Award: ''

'' * 1970:

Filmfare Best Screenplay Award The Filmfare Best Screenplay Award is given by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films. Superlatives ;Most Awards *Salim–Javed – 3 *Basu Chatterjee – 3 *Rajkumar Hirani – 3 *Mani Ratnam – 2 *V ...

: ''

Anokhi Raat ''Anokhi Raat'' () is a 1968 Hindi film produced by L. B. Lachman and L. B. Thakur and directed by Asit Sen. The film stars Sanjeev Kumar, Zaheeda Hussain, Aruna Irani, Keshto Mukherjee and Parikshit Sahni. It has music by Roshan. The film ha ...

'' * 1972:

Filmfare Best Movie Award The Filmfare Award for Best Film is given by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films. The award was first given in 1954. Here is a list of the award winners and the nominees of the respective years. Eac ...

: '' Anand'' shared with N. C. Sippy * 1972: Filmfare Best Editing Award: ''Anand'' * 1972:

Filmfare Best Story Award The Filmfare Award for Best Story is given by ''Filmfare'' as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise a writer who wrote a film's story. List of winners 1950s * 1955 Mukhram Sharma – '' Aulad'' * 1956 Rajinder Singh ...

: ''Anand'' * 1981: Filmfare Best Movie Award: ''

'' shared with N. C. Sippy * 1994:

Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award – South The Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award is given by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards South ceremony. Recipients Notes References General * Specific External links 55th Filmfare Awards South Winners {{DEFA ...

(1994) ;

Kerala State Film Awards The Kerala State Film Awards are the film awards for a motion picture made in Kerala. The awards started in 1969 by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala and since 1998 the awards have been bestowed by Kerala State Cha ...

* 1970:

Kerala State Film Award for Best Editor The Kerala State Film Award for Best Editor winners: References External links Official website< ...

: ''

Priya Priya may refer to: * Priya (given name), a given name of Indian origin * Priya (actress) Karpagavalli better known by her stage name Priya is an Indian actress who worked on South Indian movies. She was a prominent lead actress during the ...

'' * 1974: Kerala State Film Award for Best Editor: '' Nellu'' ;

National Film Awards The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorat ...

1957 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1957th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 957th year of the 2nd millennium, the 57th year of the 20th century, and the 8th y ...

: Certificate of Merit for Third Best Feature Film in Hindi – '' Musafir'' *

1959 Events January * January 1 - Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 - Lunar probe Luna 1 was the first man-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reached the vicinity of E ...

: President's Silver Medal for Best Feature Film in Hindi – ''

'' *

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...

: President's Gold Medal for the All India Best Feature Film – ''Anuradha'' *

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

: President's Silver Medal for Best Feature Film in Hindi – '' Anupama'' *

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Januar ...

: President's Silver Medal for Best Feature Film in Hindi – '' Aashirwad'' *

1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...

: President's Silver Medal for Best Feature Film in Hindi – ''

'' *

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extrem ...

: President's Silver Medal for Best Feature Film in Hindi – ''Anand'' *

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...

Notable films

Films as director

Films as editor, writer or assistant director

TV serials

*''Hum Hindustani'' (1986) * ''Talaash'' (1992) *''Dhoop Chhaon'' *''Rishte'' *''Ujaale Ki Or'' *''Agar Aisa Ho Toh''

References

External links

*
Hrishikesh Mukherjee
at

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Mukherjee, Hrishikesh Bengali Hindus Bengali film directors Film directors from Kolkata University of Calcutta alumni 20th-century Indian film directors Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan in arts 1922 births 2006 deaths Deaths from kidney failure Hindi-language film directors Dadasaheb Phalke Award recipients Kerala State Film Award winners Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts Producers who won the Best Feature Film National Film Award Directors who won the Best Feature Film National Film Award

Early life and background

Career

Later life

Death

Personal life

Awards

Notable films

Films as director

Films as editor, writer or assistant director

TV serials

Further reading

References

External links