![]() They’re as Gulzar lovingly describes, ‘ Do deewane shaher mein. High on romance, their starry-eyes seek to set up a nest, not in their currently stuffy chawl, but in an upcoming multi-storeyed building of ‘Andheri East’ next to the ‘Goldspot factory.’ ![]() ![]() The atmosphere is most believable with the faithful sound of typewriter filling the background and a staff that is alternately vain and dedicated.ĭr Shreeram Lagoo’s Mr Modi plays the middle-aged boss recuperating from a delicate heart condition.ĭonning bell-bottoms, partially unbuttoned shirts and printed cotton saris paired with a omnipresent red sling purse respectively, Sudip and Chhaya bond over cool nariyal pani and spicy bhelpuri, roaming around the sparsely populated Chowpatty beach and brand new Marine Lines bridge, watching the towering skyline of Bombay perched on a throne of rocks, soaking in the breeze exclusive to front-seaters of the classic red double decker, oblivious to the deafening factory alarm set out by industrial units, a booming reminder of this city’s once throbbing mill culture. His Sudip is a clerk, her Chhaya is a typist, and they both sit on adjacent desks in a cosy working space of six employees including an office attendant. Unlike Palekar’s Chhoti Si Baat or Baaton Baaton Mein, which too sets itself against the city’s brisk pace and everyday sights, the 1977 release isn’t steeped in feel-good humour but pragmatism, tons of it.īefore the film arrives to such solemn conclusions, Palekar and Wahab portray the gratifying side of realism with charming simplicity. If it acknowledges the sense of self-sufficiency the commercial capital offers, it also bluntly points out the disillusionment, indifference and loneliness it spawns. ![]() Gharonda presents a straightforward view of life in Bombay for an average middle class office-goer - the good, the bad, the ugly, the complete package. The ultimate goal, of course, for most of us is to belong and a home is its definitive realisation.Īdman, animator and filmmaker Bhimsain Khurana plays upon the idea and explores the consequences of taking short cuts to achieve this objective in his still relevant Gharonda starring Amol Palekar, Zarina Wahab and Dr Shreeram Lagoo.ĭr Shankar Shesh’s story, with a discerning screenplay and dialogues (co-written by Bhushan Banmali) by Gulzar, doesn’t limit its concerns to the grey areas of human behaviour or the technicalities of owning property in a rapidly expanding metro. Most of its service class inhabitants survive on hope, ambition and hard slog with a varying degree of priority towards each of these qualities. Most of the pages revealed his heartrending efforts to buy a house in Bombay (it wasn’t Mumbai then), the kind of problems and anxiety he experienced till it was finally ready for him to leave a crammed PG arrangement and move in.Įven today, his struggle resonates with many others who similarly strive to make a home on their humble savings without any backing or inheritance at their disposal.įrom outside, the City of Dreams appears glitzy and welcoming but it’s seldom easy. ![]() Sometime back I discovered a diary maintained by my father in the early 1970s. Today, we look back at Amol Palekar and Zarina Wahab starrer Gharonda (1977). In this series, we re-visit great Hindi film classics. ![]()
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