Many of us in Marcellus come from homes where machismo does not go down very well with any of our family members. Hence, we are a little bewildered by the recent spate of Bollywood movies whose machismo seems to be aimed at a generation which has grown up with its head inside a mobile phone. At Marcellus, the star we identify with the most with is Amol Palekar in his role as Arun Pradeep in Basu Chatterjee’s 1976 hit movie, Chhoti Si Baat.
Triya Gulati of The Print explains why Chhoti Si Baat remains a landmark movie in Indian cinema:
“In the 1976 film, Arun Pradeep (played by Amol Palekar) is an ordinary man who hesitates to utter even two lines in front of the woman he likes, Prabha Narayan (Vidya Sinha). He is shy, awkward, and painfully self-conscious.
This simple premise — a man trying to express his feelings to a woman he loves — becomes the foundation for the story as well as the title. After all, it was just ‘Chhoti Si Baat’, a small matter. Rather than lavish sets and dramatic twists, the love story unfolds with an understated middle-class relatability.
Chatterjee’s directorial sense deserves credit here. The bus stops, crowded offices, and cafes of Mumbai are woven into the story instead of serving as mere backdrops. Whether it’s his fantasies of a date at a fancy coffee shop or the BEST bus he takes to work, each setting says something about Pradeep’s internal life and social realities…”
For those who have not been fortunate enough to watch Chhoti Si Baat, the second half of the movie revolves around Arun’s personality upgrade courtesy Colonel Julius (Ashok Kumar). Triya Gulati writes:
“Beneath all the humour lies a meaningful message. That confidence is not an inherent trait. It is something that is cultivated. The film suggests that personal growth often requires stepping outside the comfort zone, even if it feels unnatural or forced at first.
One of the film’s, and the filmmaker’s, greatest strengths is restraint. There are no dramatic confrontations or grand declarations of love. Emotions are conveyed instead through small gestures, pauses, eye contact, and expressions.
The film challenges the conventional notion that a man must be dominant, aggressive, and fearless to be worthy of love.
Arun’s journey is not about becoming someone else but about finding confidence within himself.”
Restraint in modern India – in this age of rage, of social media, of ostentation – holds great promise. It might even become a new superpower as Arun discovers in the climatic scene of Chhoti Si Baat.
If you want to read our other published material, please visit https://marcellus.in/blog/
Note: The above material is neither investment research, nor financial advice. Marcellus does not seek payment for or business from this publication in any shape or form. The information provided is intended for educational purposes only. Marcellus Investment Managers is regulated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and is also an FME (Non-Retail) with the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) as a provider of Portfolio Management Services. Additionally, Marcellus is also registered with US Securities and Exchange Commission (“US SEC”) as an Investment Advisor.
