Chhoti Si Baat

2022-05-31T11:21:14Z

123.201.213.10:

{{short description|1976 film}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2015}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Chhoti Si Baat
| image = Chhoti Si Baat.jpg
| caption = Film Poster
| director = [[Basu Chatterjee]]
| producer = [[B. R. Chopra]]
| writer = [[Sharad Joshi]], [[Basu Chatterjee]] (dialogue)
| screenplay = [[Basu Chatterjee]]
| story =
| based_on =
| starring = [[Amol Palekar]] [[Vidya Sinha]] [[Ashok Kumar]] [[Asrani]] [[Dharmendra]] [[Hema Malini]]
| music = [[Salil Chaudhury]]
| cinematography = [[K. K. Mahajan]]
| editing = V N Mayekar
| studio = [[B. R. Chopra|B. R. Films]]
| distributor = B. R. Films
| released = {{Film date|1976|01|09|df=y}}
| runtime =
| country = India
| language = Hindi
| budget =
}}

'''''Chhoti Si Baat''''' ({{translation|A Small Matter}}) is a 1976 [[Hindi]]-language [[romantic comedy]] [[coming of age]] film directed by [[Basu Chatterjee]]. Considered one of the best Hindi [[comedy films]] of the 1970s, it is a nostalgic favourite for its quirky take on pre-hypercongestion [[Mumbai|Bombay]]. The film became a box office hit.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat%3D181%26catName%3DMTk3NQ%3D%3D |title=Box Office 1975 |work=Box Office India |access-date=2012-02-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020122136/http://boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=181&catName=MTk3NQ%3D%3D |archive-date=20 October 2013 |df=dmy }}</ref> and also earned six [[Filmfare]] nominations and a [[Filmfare Award for Best Screenplay]] for [[Basu Chatterjee]].<ref name=filmfare>[http://deep750.googlepages.com/FilmfareAwards.pdf Filmfare awards nominees and winners]</ref> The movie is plagiarized from the 1960 British movie ''[[School for Scoundrels (1960 film)|School for Scoundrels]]'', almost scene to scene..<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/blink/watch/working-it-out/article7587102.ece |title = Working it out - The Hindu BusinessLine}}</ref>

It also established [[Amol Palekar]] as having an uncommon comic talent for playing mousy characters, a role he would go on to repeat several times in his career. As with other Basu Chatterjee films, moviestars have small cameos playing themselves: [[Dharmendra]] and [[Hema Malini]] (whose mother Jaya Chakravarthy helped produce the film) are in a movie-within-a-movie for the song ''Janneman Janneman'', while [[Amitabh Bachchan]] plays himself in another scene, where he seeks advice from [[Ashok Kumar]]'s character. He is dressed in costume from [[Zameer (1974 film)|Zameer]], whose film poster is prominently displayed at the bus stop scenes in ''Chhoti Si Baat''. [[B.R. Chopra]] is the producer for [[Zameer (1974 film)|Zameer]], just as he is for ''Chhoti Si Baat.''

== Plot==
''Chhoti Si Baat'' is a romantic comedy about a painfully shy young man Arun Pradeep ([[Amol Palekar]]), who lacks self-confidence and fails to stand up for his convictions, in the process letting all and sundry walk all over him. One fine day he comes across Prabha Narayan ([[Vidya Sinha]]) at the bus stop en route to work and finds [[love at first sight]] for her. Lacking enough courage and unsure if his feelings are reciprocated, he pines for her from afar and follows her around, at a safe distance (or so he thinks). Prabha, fully aware of his affections, secretly relishes his discomfort, while waiting for him to make the first move.

While Arun is hopelessly stuck, in comes the suave, brash Nagesh Shastri ([[Asrani]]), a colleague of Prabha's, and emerges a serious rival for her attention. It does not help that he appears to be miles ahead of Arun in the "race" and is all that Arun is not: He is gregarious while Arun is shy, he is confident and boastful, while Arun is besieged with self-doubt, he is smooth, while Arun is awkward, he is street smart, while Arun's naïve, and he is assertive while Arun is timid. Plus he owns a scooter and ensures that he has opportunities to offer Prabha a ride, while Arun can only look on. A gullible Arun, trying to match Nagesh with a motorbike of his own, is conned into buying a dud, further embarrassing him in front of Prabha. He seeks salvation in astrology, tarot cards, and dubious godmen only to land with egg on his face.

In desperation, he finally turns to Colonel Julius Nagendranath Wilfred Singh ([[Ashok Kumar]]) of [[Khandala]], who has made it his mission to assist those in love find their true destiny. Colonel Singh agrees to help Arun and thus begins the turnaround as Singh begins to mould Arun into a mature, confident young man through meticulously designed lesson plans, peppered with philosophy and "hands on" training. A "born-again" Arun returns to Bombay with a distinguished swagger, brimming with newly discovered self-esteem, ready to take on the world and win over Prabha.

==Cast==
{{Cast listing|
* [[Amol Palekar]] as Arun Pradeep
* [[Vidya Sinha]] as Prabha Narayan
* [[Ashok Kumar]] as Colonel Julius Nagendranath Wilfred Singh
* [[Asrani]] as Nagesh Shastri
* Nandita Thakur as Deepa
* [[Rajendra Nath]] as Maunibaba
* [[C. S. Dubey]] as Gurnaam, garage owner
* Komila Virk as Col. Singh's assistant
* Farooque as Shorty
* Manmohan as villain in song " janeman janeman"
* [[Sujit Kumar]] as Villain in a song "Janeman Janeman"
* [[Dharmendra]] as Guest, in a song " janeman janeman"
* [[Hema Malini]] as Guest, in a song " janeman janeman"
* [[Amitabh Bachchan]] as Guest appearance
* [[Zarina Wahab]]
* Rajan Haksar
* Devendra Khandelwal
* Monty
}}

== Soundtrack ==
{{Track listing
| collapsed =
| headline =
| extra_column = Singer(s)
| total_length =

| all_lyrics = [[Yogesh (lyricist)|Yogesh]]
| all_music = [[Salil Chaudhury]]

| title1 = Jaaneman Jaaneman Tere Do Nayan
| extra1 = [[K. J. Yesudas]], [[Asha Bhosle]]
|length1 = 5:11

| title2 = Na Jaane Kyon Hota Hai Yeh Zindagi Ke Saath
| extra2 = [[Lata Mangeshkar]]
|length2 = 3:12
| title3 = Yeh Din Kyaa Aaye
| extra3 = [[Mukesh (singer)|Mukesh]]
|length3 = 3:05
}}

==Awards and nominations==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Award
! Category
! Recipient(s)
! Result
! Ref.
|-
! rowspan="6"|[[24th Filmfare Awards|1977]]
| rowspan="6"|[[Filmfare Awards]]
| [[Filmfare Award for Best Film|Best Film]]
| [[B. R. Chopra]]
| {{nom}}
| rowspan="6"|<ref name=filmfare/> <ref>{{cite web|title=Best Screenplay Award |url=http://recipeguide.indiatimes.com/awards2001/ex_screenplay.htm |publisher=Filmfare Award Official Listings, [[Indiatimes]] |access-date=28 April 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140429080308/http://recipeguide.indiatimes.com/awards2001/ex_screenplay.htm |archive-date=29 April 2014 |df=dmy }}</ref>
|-
| [[Filmfare Award for Best Director|Best Director]]
| rowspan="2"|[[Basu Chatterjee]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Filmfare Award for Best Screenplay|Best Screenplay]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Filmfare Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]]
| [[Amol Palekar]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor]]
| [[Ashok Kumar]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Comic Role|Best Performance in a Comic Role]]
| [[Asrani]]
| {{nom}}
|-
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb title|id=0072777|title=Chhoti Si Baat}}
* [http://www.gomolo.com/chhoti-si-baat-movie-cast-crew/4651 Chhoti si baat detailed star cast and crew]

{{Basu Chatterjee}}
{{B. R. Chopra}}

[[Category:1970s Hindi-language films]]
[[Category:1976 films]]
[[Category:Indian films]]
[[Category:Indian romantic comedy films]]
[[Category:1970s romantic comedy films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Basu Chatterjee]]
[[Category:Indian films with live action and animation]]
[[Category:Films scored by Salil Chowdhury]]
[[Category:Films set in Mumbai]]
[[Category:1976 comedy films]]

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Chhoti Si Baat