What Sooraj Barjatya wanted to do with Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon, Basu Chatterjee had achieved in Chitchor

Chitchor released in 1976. (Photo: Express Rachives)

Chitchor establishes its female protagonist Geeta as a simple but feisty woman who is more concerned about her exam results than being married. Her family expects her to fall in love with Palekar’s character and while Geeta isn’t the kind who would do as instructed, her affection towards him takes form after they start spending some time together. Unlike her Kareena Kapoor counterpart decades later, Geeta doesn’t submit to her fate. She doesn’t speak much but when she does, it counts. In a significant scene, Geeta walks out of her house because she has decided that she will only marry the man she loves. As her sister and mother try to emotionally blackmail her to stay, Geeta looks ahead and announces, ‘Phaisla ho chuka hai (It has been decided)’ as she is the one who has made the decision.

The tone of Chitchor is quite in line with Basu Chatterjee’s other works like Rajnigandha and Piya Ka Ghar. Amol Palekar, who had established himself as the hero of the middle class, is at his relatable best here as he sheepishly professes his love to Geeta and is visibly heartbroken when he finds out that she might get marry someone else.

Revisiting Chitchor recently was a strong reminder of how a filmmaker like Sooraj Barjatya, who believed in going big even before it was considered a sure shot formula for success in Bollywood, made a simple story by Subodh Ghosh into an extravagant film that was decorated with needless CGI, and felt more dated than its 1970s version. It is yet to be seen what Uunchai has to say about the evolution of the director but one can be certain, that the souring experience of Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon will not be forgotten for years.