Chhoti Si Baat
| Chhoti Si Baat | |
|---|---|
 Film Poster | |
| Directed by | Basu Chatterjee |
| Written by |
|
| Screenplay by | Basu Chatterjee |
| Based on | School for Scoundrels by Robert Hamer |
| Produced by | B. R. Chopra |
| Starring | Amol Palekar Vidya Sinha Ashok Kumar Asrani |
| Cinematography | K. K. Mahajan |
| Edited by | V N Mayekar |
| Music by | Salil Chowdhury |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | B. R. Films |
Release date |
|
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
Chhoti Si Baat (translation: A Small Matter) is a 1976 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film directed by Basu Chatterjee. The film stars Amol Palekar, Vidya Sinha, Ashok Kumar and Asrani, and was a financial success.[1] and also earned six Filmfare nominations and a Filmfare Award for Best Screenplay for Basu Chatterjee [2]. The film is a remake of the 1960 British film School for Scoundrels.[3]
As with other Basu Chatterjee films, popular Bollywood actors briefly appear as themselves. Dharmendra and Hema Malini (whose mother Jaya Chakravarthy helped produce the film) appear for the song Janneman Janneman, while Amitabh Bachchan plays himself in another scene. He is dressed in costume from Zameer, the film poster for which is visible at some of the bus stop scenes. B.R. Chopra is the producer for both Zameer and Chhoti Si Baat.
Plot
Arun Pradeep (Amol Palekar) is a timid supervisor at a Bombay accounting firm who is routinely taken advantage of by his colleagues and faultlessly reprimanded by his superiors. One morning at a bus stop, he sees Prabha Narayan (Vidya Sinha), an independent young woman who works at a private firm on his transit route, and becomes infatuated with her. He trails her from a distance on her daily commute, being too anxious to speak to her and believing he has gone unnoticed. Prabha is, however, fully aware of his interest and waits for him to approach her.
Later, Nagesh Shastri (Asrani), a self-assured colleague of Prabha's, begins courting her by offering her rides on his scooter and dominating her attention. Arun watches from the sidelines. He is also duped into purchasing a defective motorcycle in an attempt to match Nagesh. His subsequent efforts to gain an advantage through astrology, tarot cards, and various fraudulent godmen advices prove equally futile.
Arun travels to Khandala and seeks the help of Colonel Julius Nagendranath Wilfred Singh (Ashok Kumar), a self-appointed confidence coach who helps lovelorn young men. Colonel Singh devises a programme of instruction designed to help build Arun's self-assurance. Arun returns to Bombay a transformed man and sets about winning Prabha's affections in earnest.
Cast
- Amol Palekar as Arun Pradeep
- Vidya Sinha as Prabha Narayan
- Ashok Kumar as Colonel (retd.) Julius Nagendranath Wilfred Singh
- Asrani as Nagesh Shastri
- Nandita Thakur as Deepa
- R. S. Chopra as Secretary of Col. J. N. W. Singh
- Rajendra Nath as Maunibaba
- C. S. Dubey as Gurnaam Dubey (garage owner)
- Komila Virk as Colonel Singh's assistant
- Manmohan as self (for "Jaaneman Jaaneman")
- Dharmendra as self (for "Jaaneman Jaaneman")
- Hema Malini as self (for "Jaaneman Jaaneman")
- Amitabh Bachchan as self
Soundtrack
All lyrics are written by Yogesh; all music is composed by Salil Chowdhury.
| No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Jaaneman Jaaneman Tere Do Nayan" | K. J. Yesudas, Asha Bhosle | 5:11 |
| 2. | "Na Jaane Kyon Hota Hai Yeh Zindagi Ke Saath" | Lata Mangeshkar | 3:12 |
| 3. | "Yeh Din Kyaa Aaye" | Mukesh | 3:05 |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Filmfare Awards | Best Film | B. R. Chopra | Nominated | [4] |
| Best Director | Basu Chatterjee | Nominated | |||
| Best Screenplay | Won | ||||
| Best Actor | Amol Palekar | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actor | Ashok Kumar | Nominated | |||
| Best Performance in a Comic Role | Asrani | Nominated |
References
- ^ "Box Office 1975". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 13 February 2012.
- ^ "Filmfare Awards Winners". Filmfare. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
- ^ Gupta, Trisha (23 January 2018) [2015-08-28]. "Working it out". The Hindu Businessline. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ^ "Best Screenplay Award". Filmfare Award Official Listings, Indiatimes. Archived from the original on 29 April 2014. Retrieved 28 April 2014.