Two strangers sit in awkward
silence. She, prim in a neatly draped saree and he, unshaved in unkempt kurta. They
stare at the soapy, bubbled water in a bucket in front of them. Their eyes meet
and move away. To break the silence, he quickly picks up a packet of detergent powder, and states the obvious,
“Chamko."
She responds mechanically, "
kapdo ke liye behtareen sabun, baar baar lagataar, Chamko kapdo mein chakachaundh
chamak lane ke liye.."
He joins in,"khushbudaar, jhaagwala Chamko"
This is the most hilarious
scene of two people attracted to each other and trying to connect the best way
they know. A detergent powder helps break the ice and how! This became an
iconic moment of the film Chashme Buddoor, written and directed by Sai
Paranjpye in 1981.
This small charming romantic
comedy warms our heart for reasons other than the story. The story is simple
but as fresh as a clean towel washed with Chamko powder. It is the detailing in
their absolutely ordinary, daily lives that makes this film very special.
Three young, unemployed men:
Siddharth,Omi and Jomu share a room in
Bombay. They live on numerous packets of shared cigarettes. This is the only
source of their joy in their humdrum life in a four wall room covered with
posters of half naked women, a fantasy shared by two of them, Omi (Rakesh Bedi,)and
Jomu(Ravi Baswani,hilarious debut.Siddharth (Farroque Sheikh) is the other extreme.
He has a few pictures of Gandhi on 'his' wall'. The only time he displays
passion is when he talks about reading Economics books with the enthusiasm of a
James Hadley Chase fan.
When the three run out of
cigarettes, they share leftover cigarette butts. The local supplier, Lallan Mia
(Saeed Jaffery, irrepressible)has a roadside store with the once common slogan
written on it, "Relax! Have a Charminaar.".The friends are a bit too
relaxed about paying their unpaid bills piled over months. Every time Lallan
Mia demands payment, they sweet-talk him into bumming off more cigarette
packets out of him. The exchange over their mounting debts also reflects
bonding, humour and warmth; a reflection of Sai Paranjpye's amazing treatment
of her characters and screenplay.
Lallan Mia's
constant demands for payment sounds more like a doting dad willing to
let go. A small moment between Lallan Mia and Siddharth reveals our hero's secret.
He hopes that some day he will meet a girl who will ask him to stop smoking. That
will be his last cigarette.
In contrast,Omi and Jomu
spend all their time loafing around on a bike, looking for
girls.."shikaar", whistling at them, thinking of ways of wooing them
with lost handkerchieves and failing at it. There couldn't be worse losers than
them. Yet, Paranjpye shows them in such a way that they come across as innocent
and harmless and totally likeable even when they try to ruin their friend's
budding romance in a fit of jealousy.
It is this slow
transportation into the world of these friends, the gentle romance between Siddharth and Neha (Deepti Naval) over coffee
and Tutti Frutty icecream; an old ,loving grandmother(Leela Misra) struggling
up the stairs to the untidy bachelors' pad, staring at poster pinups, picking
up Playboy magazine accidentally and simply saying, "Bhagwaan ki ek
tasveer to laga lete";the simple and honest conversations that tug at the
heart and make you laugh at the same.
The simplicity of the script
is topped by brilliant performances by each and everyone makes this a movie a memorable
experience. That includes the waiter who serves coffee to the two lovers and
also heralds the interval in way that leaves you chuckling. Deepti Naval who
looks simply divine in her debut film, is forever etched as Ms Charming Chamko.
Music and lyrics continue to
tell the story instead of interrupting it. The motorbike for which Neha always waits, is lovingly used
in a song "kaali ghodi dwaar khadi" by lyricist,Indu Jain.
Watch the digitally restored
Chashme Buddoor for this beautiful blend of Charminaar and Tutii Fruity, a
flavour of friendship, romance and comedy that stays and lingers forever.
Chamko is the cherry on top.
Its a delight to read this post because this movie deserves all of this and more. The simplicity and truthfulness of the script cannot but mesmerize in the true sense of the word and how. Cheers to a refreshing post.
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