| 30.09.1922 * | |
| Place of Birth | Kolkata (West Bengal) |
| 27.08.2006 † |
Hrishikesh Mukherjee started his career in films as an editor. In the late 1940s he began to work with Bimal Roy, for whom he worked as an editor and as an assistant director. Roy's influence on Mukherjee can be watched best in Majhli Didi, which - like many of Bimal Roy's films - is an adaption of a literary work by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay. In Sanjh Aur Savera starring Meena Kumari and Guru Dutt this influence is also visible. Yet, Mukherjee's very first film as a director is a forgotten, but very important movie. Musafir is an episodic film telling three stories. Its making is unique and Mukherjee was far ahead of his time.
The influence of Bimal Roy and Ritwik Ghatak can be seen as well as Mukherjee's close connection to Bengali cinema. One of the female lead roles is played by the Bengali film diva Suchitra Sen. In the early 1970s Hrishikesh Mukherjee turned towards making movies in a more popular and commercial style. His Anand is not only among the unforgettable classics of 1970s Bollywood, but also the film that made Amitabh Bachchan a star (in his second movie!). Mukherjee's subtle narrations about personal relationsships peak in the Amitabh and Jaya starrer Abhimaan.
In the late 1970s Mukherjee turned towards comedy. His Golmaal is the most outstanding parody film of its time and still and important reference for filmmakers today. In 1980 Mukherjee brought actress Rekha to fame with his Khubsoorat, a film with witty dialogues and perfect song picturization.
Mukherjee's last film was Jhoot Bole Kauwa Kate. He passed away in 2006 aged 84. As a director he remains the most important link between early post-independence cinema and modern Bollywood. He has influenced many contemporary India directors such as Sanjay Leela Bhansali or Kalpana Lajmi. He remains among those persons in the Indian film industry, who always struggled for a high quality popular cinema.