Over the years, many filmmakers have left a lasting impact on the vast canvas of Indian cinema. And many more continue to do so even today. Some of the most critically acclaimed films belong to the Golden Age of Indian Cinema (1948-1965) and thereafter in the 1970s-80s. We saw filmmakers with different styles of storytelling co-exist and create beautiful films that spread across a range of topics. On one hand, we had Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Basu Chatterjee, who brought out the beauty of the middle class in their stories. On the other hand, Raj Kapoor and Bimal Roy made films that had a mass appeal. One of my favourite filmmakers of this era is Sai Paranjpye.
Even today, her film, Chashme Buddoor (1981) has a mass following. Most of her films blurred the lines between art and commercial films. However, her critically acclaimed films, Katha and Disha, fall into the pure art film category.
In addition to films, she has worked across various media including writing, radio, theatre, and television. She has produced some amazing books, plays and films for children throughout her career.
Let us look at the life and times of the iconic Sai Paranjpye, closely.
Mulancha Mewa
Growing up without friends and siblings can be tough. The same was true for Sai, as she had no siblings or friends when she was little. However, her vivid imagination and creativity kept her busy. She would spend hours on her rocking horse, as quoted by her on The Culture Cafe by AMV , imagining about magical creatures such as Ogres, Princess, Prince and more. People often expressed concern for her. One night Sai’s mother asked her to tell a bedtime story.
And, she devised an interesting story on sadhus with blue beards. When her mother asked about the story, she replied it was her’s. Then, her mother asked her to narrate another one and so she did. That was the undoing. Her mother got to know of her imaginative thinking. Thereafter, she made it a rule for Sai to write three-four pages every day. After some time, her mother collected those pieces of stories and got them published. So, at 8 years Sai Paranjpye published her first book, “Mulancha Mewa” meaning Sweets For Children. It was a storybook for children.
Maha-Russian
In a recent interview with Ashoka University Sai Paranjpye called herself, “Maha- Russian”. She was referring to her Maharashtrian and Russian roots. The story goes that her mother went to Cambridge University to study Mathematics following the footsteps of her maternal Grandfather MR. R P Paranjpye. However, after completing the course, she wanted to explore more of Europe before returning to India. As she was exploring Europe she landed a job at International Labour Organisation (ILO) in Geneva. There she met Sai’s Russian father who was a painter by profession and married him.
She credits her creativity to her father. However, her Maharashtrian upbringing, along with the deep knowledge of Sanskrit Shlokas had a cultural impact on her. And that’s why she considers herself more Marathi than Russian: “Maha Russian“.
All India Radio, Pune
Sai’s professional journey started as a radio anchor at All India Radio, Pune right before the final exams of her last semester. She was the host of a children’s show called, “Baal Udyana”. People lovingly referred to her as “didi” or “tai“. She would also write plays and once a week would host a live show. But, the toll of preparation on the part of the kids and the efforts put into it did not justify airing it once a week.
So, she along with her colleague Arun Joglekar, who she married later, established the Children’s Theatre group in Pune. Sai would write Marathi and plays and direct them. It became quite popular among the locals then.
National School of Drama and Film and Television Institute Of India
Thereafter she pursued drama and enrolled at the National School of Drama(NSD) in New Delhi. She was amongst the first batch of students and was trained directly under Ebrahim Alkazi, the father of Modern Indian Theatre.
After NSD, she returned to Pune and worked as an acting and dialect teacher at the prestigious Film and Television Institute Of India (FTII). She worked there for a year. In her free time, she read screenplays and educated herself about filmmakers like Fellini, Chaplin etc.
Doordarshan, Delhi
She was amongst the 6 pioneers of Indian television producers who were trained by Mr. Humphry Brown of BBC on the nitty-gritty of television and the technicalities around it. Other famous people who were trained alongside her included P Kumar Vasudev(Dir– Hum log), and Habib Tanveer amongst others.
She worked at Doordarshan for 8 years and produced content for TV in predominantly three formats: Tele-films, Documentaries and Shows. Her significant projects on television included Raina Beeti Jaye, Dhuan-Dhuan, and Ados-Pados. Raina Beeti Jaaye and Dhuan-Dhuan were precursors to Sparsh and Chame Buddoor, respectively. Her first TV documentary was “The Little Tea Shop”. It was 11 minutes in duration. It won the Asian Broadcasting Union Award in Tehran, Iran.
Sparsh
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When you direct a film for the first time, it is a thrill, a dream come true moment. It is often laden with bittersweet memories and never a cakewalk but an enriching experience through and through. When Sai Paranjpye was scripting Sparsh, she had thought of Tanuja and Sanjeev Kumar as the main leads. They did read the dialogues. But, Shabana Azmi and Naseeruddin Shah replaced them.
Sparsh is a beautiful juxtaposition of a blind man and a young widow’s worlds. Sparsh beautifully shows us the acceptance of a widow in the world of people who cannot see but rather see or perceive the world differently. Paranjype, in this film, through Kavita(Shabana Azmi) and other elements, helps us connect with Anirudh (Naseeruddin Shah) and his world.
The story is not as simple as it is real. The opening sequence of the film has a flute playing in the background which later, as the scene progresses, we find is a kid playing it from his bed. And Anirudha asks him to go to sleep. The scene changes our perception from an outsider to an insider in Anirudha’s world. Another scene is where Kavita buys a saari with a texture rather than choosing one based on design or colour for him to perceive. There are many such instances in that film.
There were a few hiccups that Sai faced during the production of the film. First, the producer was reluctant to grant enough budget to the film. The film was completed on a shoestring budget. Next, the sound quality of the film suffered, as without a decent budget even basic sound effects such as dubbing and noise cancellation were impossible. There are some scenes in the film where the audio flaws are extremely noticeable.
And lastly, after the film was complete, the producer was not ready to release it. Sparsh and its cast and crew waited for three years before it hit the theatres. Upon its release the film became a critical and commercial success. It was widely appreciated for the authenticity of Anirudha’s character. It won the National Award for Best Screenplay and Best Hindi Film in 1979. Naseeruddin Shah won the National Film Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role the same year.
Chashme Buddoor
The film was declared a hit within 5 days of its release and stays relevant even today. In all its simplicity, the comedy film shows actors going about their lives and their choices in complex situations. We laugh because we find it funny. Neither they are trying to deliberately make you laugh nor fall in the category of slapstick comedy.
“Chashme Buddoor is not an ad film on Delhi. It is my love letter to Delhi.”
It is set in the scenic backdrop of New Delhi in 1970-80s. Lush greenery and beautiful architecture only add to Siddharth (Farooq Sheikh) and Neha’s(Deepti Naval) blossoming love. When Siddharth’s friends, Omi and Jai, find out about them they on the pretext of saving Siddharth almost end his relationship with Neha. Lallan Miyan– the man with the main character’s energy– appears throughout the film as a guiding light. To date, it remains an unparalleled marvel in the cinematic universe. And I am not going to ask you,”Have you watched Chashme Buddoor(1981)?” Rather I want to know how many times have you seen it?
Katha
If you’re familiar with the story of the hare and the tortoise, you will instantly connect with this film. We can’t help but relate to the authenticity of the characters and the chawl life. This was the second film after Sparsh by Sai to win a National Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi in 1982. The songs of the film stand out and intrigue us. While Naseeruddin Shah’s character, the tortoise, is called as Rajaram Purshottam Joshi. Farooq Shaikh’s character, the hare, had some negative shades and Sai named it Bashu Bhatt. Purportedly, after producer Basu Bhattacharya for he delayed the release of Sparsh for three years.
Disha, Choodiyan, Saaz, and other notable work
Other notable works of Sai Paranjpye include: Choodiyan, Saaz, Disha, Paapeha, Bhago Bhoot, Jadoo Ka Shankh and Sikandar.
Interestingly, Sai had originally cast Dharmendra and Shabana Azmi as a lead pair in her film Bichcho. Everything was well until Dharmendra realised the filming style of Paranjpye was different. Dharmendra was disappointed as Paranjpye refused to shoot his close-up reaction shots to Shabana Azmi’s dialogue. He thought that she was favouring the heroine and gradually lost interest in the project. And Sai dropped the film altogether.
The beauty of her work is that she dares to think different and experiment. She did not typecast characters. For example, there is nothing in common between the sensible Siddharth of Chashme Buddoor and the sly hare Bashu Bhatt of Katha. However, Farooq Sheikh played both the characters.
She has made films across various genres that range from comedy to social and cultural issues.
The evil in her films is a social evil and rarely a person with malicious intent. The good and bad people oscillate between various shades of grey. And that is why they feel relatable and not like evil, scheming sadists hell-bent on the destruction of life or goods. Many of her films have a social message, especially films like Sparsh, Suee, and Papeeha.
But the common threads that weave magic in her films are:
-Supporting characters: Every supporting character in Sai’s film has a pivotal role in building a narrative. They don’t merely exist as props used and discarded at a whim. Take Lallan Miyan, for example, he is the guiding light to the three friends. Showing up multiple times throughout the film. Or, Saaz, the Psychiatrist contributes perfectly to the non-linear timeline of the film.
-Fantasy world, Flashback and Dream sequences: Film is a story on celluloid, essentially. So, these fantasy, flashback(Sparsh, Chashme Buddoor) or dream sequences (Katha), are like stories within the main story from the character’s point of view. They contributing to the main story in a minute way by helping us know the dreams and desires of a character and understand it better.
-Casting classical artists in her films: Sai Paranjpye included classical artists Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Zakir Hussain, and Mallika Sarabhai in her films.
She won many awards and accolades throughout her career for exceptional work. Her film Choodiyan(1992) won the National Award for Best Film on Social Issues.
She also received Padma Bhushan in 2006 by then President of India, A PJ Abdul Kalam in recognition of her artistic talents.
“Wherever I go I am never allowed to forget that I am a woman filmmaker. This can get quite exasperating….To the eternal question that I am plagued with — what is the main disadvantage of being a woman director — my answer is: being endlessly harangued with this very question.”
Children’s Film Society of India (CFSI)
In all these years, Sai switched back and forth from one medium to another. But, in every media she’s produced quality plays, books, movies for children. Even during her All India Radio days, she had gained immense popularity as “tai”. She produced many more films for children when she was appointed the chairperson of the Children’s Film Society of India (CFSI). These include Jaadu Ka Shankh and Sikander, amongst others.
A Patchwork Quilt: A collage of my creative life
Sai published many books and plays throughout her career. She’s written the screenplay and dialogues of her films. But, do you know that she translated Nasseruddin Shah’s memoir: And Then One Day, in Marathi? On top of it, she won the Sahitya Academy Award for it. Thereafter, she decided to translate her Marathi memoir: Sai, into English. And, at 81 Sai published her autobiography, A Patchwork Quilt: A Collage of My Creative Life.
True to its name the book has a warmth that radiates from the enriching life and work of Sai stitched together. Her scope of work extends well beyond the scope of this article. We feel that between Mulanche Mewa and A Patchwork Quilt, we’ve covered quite a lot, for now.
“I am a first-class writer and a second-class director.”
National Film Archives of India(NFAI), Pune is screening Sai’s films from March 21st to March 23rd, 2025.
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If you are lucky, you can meet Sai Paranjpye there. Or, you can choose to watch Chashme Buddoor, Saaz, Sparsh and Katha on Amazon Prime Videos.