Page 53 - Seniors Today - May21 Issue

of a man who reforms from a ruffian to a
straight, but fall right into a madcap hunt scholar under the influence of the kindly Dr
for stolen diamonds singing. The funny Shukla (Ashok Kumar).
duo then decide to help the daughter (Saira
Banu) of a man framed by the villain for Khatta Meetha (1978): In this charming
a murder he did not commit. The film is
fast-paced fun, with the two senior actors
having the time of their lives, singing,
dancing, clowning and fighting.

Garm Hava (1974): Balraj Sahni played

Basu Chatterjee film set against a Parsi
backdrop, Ashok Kumar is a widower who
cannot manage his household of three sons,
Pearl Padamsee is a widow who is strapped
for cash to raise her four children. Well-
meaning friends advise the two of them to
marry, which first causes clashes between
many dignified senior parts, none as great the two sets of offspring, and later the
as Salim Mirza, in MS Sathyu’s powerful coming together to stand up to a bully who
film set during the Partition, in which tries to evict them from their home.
gentle senior tries to keep his family and
his business together, as violence and Shaukeen (1981): Today, it seems horribly
communal strife engulfs the nation. As
members of his family migrate to Pakistan
cut off ties with him, he decides to stay back
and struggle to reclaim his life.

Arjun Pandit (1976): Sanjeev Kumar
played older parts when he was still in his
romantic hero phase, and was such a good
actor, that he ended up playing father to sexist, but Basu Chatterjee’s film about
his contemporaries. In one his forgotten three old men looking for a no-strings fling
films, Arjun Pandit, directed by Hrishikesh at least acknowledged the sexual needs of
Mukherjee, he played the eponymous role seniors. Ashok Kumar, Utpal Dutt and AK

SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #23 | MAY 2021 53