The Movie Chhoti Si Baat

#11 Chhoti Si Baat (1976)

As the name of the movie Chhoti Si Baat suggests, the matter is tiny in expressing feelings. But the extremely shy and introverted hero of this movie finds it a huge task to do so, not only in his professional life but also personally.

Credit: https://images.app.goo.gl/iMHLVMfMUc46PsFA8

Plot

Directed by Basu Chatterjee and released in 1976, Chhoti Si Baat makes you laugh and smile. The story revolves around Arun Pradeep (Amol Paleker), who works in Jackson Tolaram & Company Pvt Ltd. This company has a history of its employees’ successful love stories. Arun is not immune to this tradition. At the bus stop where he catches his bus daily, he falls in love at first sight with Prabha Narayan (Vidya Sinha). A simple, smiling girl working in another company, Frank Loyd Pvt Ltd. She is aware of Arun’s feelings towards her. But enjoys teasing him and discussing his moves with her office friend, played by Nandita Thakur.

Arun hesitates to express his feelings for Prabha. To add to his misery, Prabha’s colleague Nagesh Shastri (Asrani) makes the matter worse. He overpowers Arun and intentionally impresses Prabha. Without missing a chance to humiliate Arun, he makes him feel inferior every time he is in front of Prabha.

Arun tries many times to win Prabha’s heart but in vain. He tries to impress her by purchasing a second-hand bike from a garage whose owner is played by C S Dubey. The owner, along with his cunning workers, cheats on Arun by selling him a damaged bike for Rs. 5000. When Arun gives Prabha a lift, after a short run, it stops working. Nagesh appears there, and Prabha unwillingly goes with him on his scooter.

Finally, Arun reads about a well-known man named Colonel Julius Nagendranath Wilfred Singh (Ashok Kumar). He is well known for guiding people and teaching them to tackle situations in life with wit and knack. He lives in Khandala, and his mannerisms are strange, like his name. Arun goes to him and asks for help.

The Twist

The colonel trains Arun with his knowledge and assures him of success in his love life. A completely new Arun returns with a bang. He is no longer the shy, timid and hesitant Arun. But a fearless, uninhibited smiling man, who impresses Prabha at the first meet itself. His confidence is not hidden from Nagesh, too, who is taken aback by Arun’s transformation. Arun plays tit-for-tat with Nagesh in many situations. When the colonel visits Mumbai, he is happy to see the change in Arun. When he meets Prabha, he likes her instantly. Along with the colonel, he also manages to get back his 5000 rupees from the fraudulent garage owner by reversing his trick on him. He also teaches one of his colleagues, Raman, and his peon a nice lesson by teaching them how to respect their seniors.

The Final Move

In his training with the colonel, Arun has learnt a trick to know if a girl has fallen for someone. He decides to try this trick on Prabha. As soon as the colonel knows this, he rushes to Arun’s house to stop him. He knows Prabha’s naive, honest nature and is sure of her love for Arun. But along with him, Nagesh reaches there, too. As soon as they enter Arun’s flat, the colonel is relieved that Arun has refrained from trying the trick on Prabha. Nagesh once again strives to separate Prabha from Arun by misleading her. But she silences him and catches Arun’s hand. The colonel advises them to get married. Arun and Prabha happily and willingly decide to marry.

By now, Nagesh learns that the two are inseparable and made for each other. The film ends with a desperate Nagesh climbing the green mountains of Khandla to reach out to the charming colonel for his help. The colonel accepts him as his student, and as they move inside, a happy couple departs from there in a taxi to start their happy married life. There is no need to mention who the couple is.

The purity of love

What I liked about this film was Arun and Prabha’s love for each other. Despite Arun’s timid nature, Prabha knows he is not a cheat. She patiently waits for him to express his love for her. The old and the transformed Arun never tries to play with Prabha’s feelings. When he decides to try the last trick on her, his conscience pinches him, and he refrains from acting upon his thoughts. He backs off at once, and Prabha realises he is the one. Hats off to every actor in this film for portraying the virtues of honesty, simplicity and confidence so simply and realistically.

Do watch it to revisit the golden era of Bollywood. See you soon with yet one more gem.

For more movies, click here 👇

https://blogbyhema.com/the-golden-era-of-the-movies/

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Chhoti Si Baat : Retro Gems

#11 Chhoti Si Baat (1976)