Baton Baton Mein
My perpetual yearning towards nostalgia, took me to one of my all time favorite movie this weekend. Basu Chatterjee’s Baton Baton mein. For any one who has ever lived in Mumbai ( Bombay is those days), Baton Baton Mein is like a montage of their day to day life. It is based in the 70’s, the time before the city became a complete concrete jungle, when there was joy in every little aspect of life.
The movie begins in a small bandra house. A worried single mother, played by iconic Pearl Padamsee wants her beautiful young daughter Nancy (Tina Munim) to get married. Nancy, just went through a heart break, and is in no mood to give men another chance, enters Amol Palekar as’ Tony’.
The storyline is this simple. But the screenplay, is what does all the magic. The other characters are people, we have all known in our lives. Legendry actor David, as Tom uncle is the solution to every problem. ‘Sabby’, Nancy’s younger brother is everyone’s annoying younger sibling. There are nosy relatives and also prying friends. Basically, it is Life, of us all..
Tony and Nancy meet in a local train, The lifeline of Mumbai. The scenes shot in the local seem surreal. For a common Mumbaikar, Local train journey is the most mundane part of their everyday day life. It is fascinating how the director captured the most humdrum moments, and turned them into something this delightful. Then there is 70’s Bandra, something today’s generation has never seen. The happening suburb of present day Mumbai, seems like a different world altogether in the movie.
Baton Baton mein is a musical at heart. The music by Rajesh Roshan, is as intrinsic to the storyline, as any other protagonist . It gave us some of the most iconic songs , which seem like a breath of fresh air even today. Play a song from the album, for sure someone in your home will start humming along.
All in all, Basu Chatterjee has painted this beautiful picture of Bombay, and presented it to us in form this classic movie. If you love Bombay or Mumbai, as we call it today, you got to watch Baton Baton me.
Disclaimer: The above review solely illustrates the views of the writer.