Page 18 - november 2021

Batein Sitaron Ki
Amol Palekar
EXTRAORDINARY IN ORDINARY
Though there have been a lot of comedy
movies with the moniker “Gol Maal” in
Bollywood, the original “Gol Maal” of
1979 remains a cult classic. Who doesn’t
remember Ram Prasad Sharma with a
thin stringy moustache and ultra-short
kurta, whose unadulterated Hindi exuding
righteousness is in stark contrast with his
twin brother Laxman Prasad Sharma who
emulates western ideology and modernism?
While watching the movie, we don’t care
that both the roles were played by one actor
or that the person behind these roles is an
unremarkable looking man of short height
and average built. The drama Amol Palekar
creates enthralls us for two-and-a-half hour
and has kept us entertained and laughing for
over four decades. Long before Amol Palekar
acted in Hindi movies, he was a well-known
Marathi theater actor and producer. In 1974,
he entered Bollywood with Basu Chatterjee’s
“Rajnigandha” followed by “Chhoti Si Baat,”
DesiPages
in 1975 and “Chitchor” in
1976: all low-budget movies
and box-office hits, making
Amol Palekar instantly the “boy
next door.” Amol Palekar’s
movies that were mostly directed
by Basu Chatterjee or Hrishikesh
Mukherjee belonged to the
genre of Middle Cinema. Unlike
mainstream Bollywood movies of
70s and 80s in which violence,
romance, dance, and drama
determined their box office
success, Palekar’s movies were
about the struggles of a common
man striving to find his space in
an overcrowded and fast-paced Mumbai.
In the end, these middle-class protagonists
who traveled in local buses and trains often
found what they desired, be it a house,
love, or job, just as Amol Palekar found
what he desired: his niche in Bollywood.
His roles created a deep impression on his
audience. His characters––some shy and
others extroverted, some naive and others
cunning––were so realistic and convincing
that the audience believed them and related
to their stories. Amol Palekar says that he
tries to make his characters as non-obtrusive
as possible. He wants the character to
be remembered and not himself––Amol
Palekar. Well, his wish has been granted. His
characters have budded off to carve their
own separate lives. Though one may not
remember much about Amol Palekar, one
can certainly not forget Ram Prasad Sharma
of “Gol Maal.”Originally a painter who has
studied fine arts in college, Amol Palekar
DFW | November 2021 VOL 33 | 18