Chhoti Si Baat

Basu Chatterjee's 1976 Hindi film follows a timid accountant in Bombay. Arun sees Prabha at the same bus stop every morning and cannot speak to her. When the confident Nagesh appears, Arun enrols in a course: training in self-assurance and courtship. The film belongs to the strand of Indian cinema known as middle cinema. There is no large event, few songs, and the locations are the real streets of Bombay. The humour comes out of everyday embarrassment and the characters are not exaggerated. The instructor played by Ashok Kumar supplies the most enjoyable section; his tactics work while suiting Arun's character not at all. Amol Palekar became the best-known face of this kind of role. Who it's for: those who like seventies Indian middle cinema and quiet romantic comedy. Who it's not for: viewers expecting production on a Bollywood scale; this film is small and everyday.