Joy Ride on a Train

Baaton Baaton Mein is an ode to the joys and everydayness of life. Basuda paints a snapshot of two Christian families — the Perreiras and the Braganzas — with true-to-life brushstrokes. Tina’s Nancy,in her blouses,long skirts,midis and tunics,is the quintessential pretty girl next door. Palekar plays Tony with a straight bat and a goatee — his look inspired by cartoonist Mario Miranda. Nancy’s violin-obsessed younger brother Sabby (Ranjit Chowdhary) could very well be my younger brother. Uncle Tom (David Abraham),with his twinkling eyes and pearls of wisdom,is a family member you and I have encountered. Some of Uncle Tom’s advice for young ones is legendary. Sample this: “19-20 ki umar mein kya sangeen nahin hota? Naak pe ek muhasa nikal aaye toh sangeen… saree ka matching blouse na mile toh sangeen maamla… Sunday ko church mein koi khaas aadmi nazar naa aaye toh bas jeena bekaar.” As the self-appointed cupid in the Nancy-Tony love story,David is endearing. Basuda remembers his joie de vivre on the sets. “David always had a wisecrack to share. During the train sequence in which he exchanges letters with Amol,he came up to me with a very serious expression and said,‘I hope woh letters hi hain!’”

Then there is the phenomenal Philomena Aunty played with gusto by the wonderful Leela Mishra. Note her disdain towards Tony when she comes to know that he is yet to pop the question to Nancy. Don’t miss the umbrella that Philomena Aunty carries,the big thela she lugs around or the oft-repeated line,“Bas abhi chali jaungi”. Mishra apparently was overjoyed by this role since it afforded her a chance for a makeover. “She willingly cut her hair short,whitened it and chose her own flowery dresses. She was excited to see herself presented differently on screen,” says Basuda.

And,of course,The Mummy. As Rosie Perreira,Pearl Padamsee was born to play Nancy and Sabby’s mommy-with-a-mission. She wants to find a good Christian boy for Nancy. She likes Tony but she doesn’t like the fact that he earns only Rs 300,compared to Nancy’s Rs 700. When she learns that after three months,Tony’s salary will be Rs 1,000,her eyes light up,and she runs to make coffee for him. Incidentally,Padamsee made her big-screen debut with Basuda’s Khatta Meetha in 1977. “I saw her in a children’s play. She was very talented. She was like an elderly Amrita Singh,” says Basuda. In an earlier interview,Padamsee had revealed that when she got a phone call from Basuda’s office informing her that the filmmaker wanted to meet her,she retorted,“Yes,so would Cecil B DeMille!” On the other side,Tony has to battle his overbearing mother played by Piloo Wadia. She’s quite a militant woman but nicely balanced by Tony’s understanding father played by Arvind Deshpande.

Baaton Baaton Mein is also Basuda’s love letter to Bombay,especially suburban Bandra. The film opens with montages of Bandra’s Hill Road (not to miss the Elco Market),the Mount Mary Church and Bandstand. The romance of the local trains adds to the vibe of the film. There are at least six to seven instances of characters talking about catching the 8.50 local or the 9.10 local. “When I was working,the field of action was Churchgate. I used to commute daily from Borivali to Churchgate on the locals. I used to get many ideas there and so I thought of doing a story that starts in the trains. As a filmmaker,I’ve always liked to make films about things I’ve seen or experienced,so this one was right up my alley,” says Basuda. In order to keep it all real,he shot in real trains during the peak hours.

It’s all real and it’s all in good fun.

harneet.singh@expressindia.com