Perfect cast and a good story

A Masterpiece!

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Within a few minutes into the movie, every middle class guy will relate to every bit with their life. You have a crush on a girl of your dreams, and you cannot think of any possible way to woo her. On top of that there is another guy who is getting way ahead in the race. And he even got a bike ! (How cool is that !!)This film captivates you from the start. With its slow pace and awesome background score you'll never know when it ended. And you crave for more of it in the end.All leading actors shine brightly. And Ashok Kumar is a piece of cake to watch.

The harsh truth of this cruel world is that simpletons lag behind in the race of life due to ditto traits of themselves. To win in the different races of life and get better of the opponents, a person has to shed the tag of being a simpleton and acquire the tag of being smart. Smartness counts everywhere, even in love. And that's the message of this comedy of the seventies.Chhoti Si Baat (trivial thing) is the story of a shy accountant - Arun (Amol Palekar) who is not smart and just too simple to find things his way. In the office of his company, his subordinates do not listen to him. His boss is not very happy with him. In his colourless life, his fascination towards Prabha (Vidya Sinha) is the only thing which enthuse him. She works in a neighbouring office (in Mumbai) and Arun loves her in his heart, seeing and deliberately coming across her in the most mundane situations of life. However his shyness and simplicity blocks his path whenever he has to express his feelings to her. Prabha knows it and discusses these things with her colleague, Deepa (Nandita Thakur). The shy and hesitant advances of the boy are a source of fun for Prabha. She likes him and wants him to express himself. Now comes the twist in the tale.Arun faces a rival for Prabha's companionship and love in the form of Naagesh (Asrani) who is oversmart more resourceful than Arun and now, our hero, i.e., Arun is struck by the fear to lose the bet called Prabha to Naagesh. The competition with annoying and irritating Naagesh, compels him to commit some silly errors and get cheated by a motor workshop owner. Finally, he takes a month long leave from his office and moves to Khandala where Col. JNW Singh (Ashok Kumar) lives whom he expects to play his troubleshooter. Col. Singh is not only a love-Guru but also a personality development expert. Under his tutelage and guidance, Arun's personality is groomed in the right direction. Now he is ready to take upon his rival, Naagesh as well as win his lady-love, Prabha.Here, in Mumbai, Prabha has got restless by not seeing Arun for so many days. That reveals that she also loves him but being a girl, has been expecting the boy to initiate the things. Arun's return fills her with joy. Now a smart and renovated Arun not only outwits Naagesh but also the cheating motor workshop owner, paying him and his gang in the same coin and sets the undisciplined subordinates in the office also right. Prabha is glad to see the change but she is apprehensive of his true intentions now. Col. Singh also arrives at Mumbai to check where this love-story is heading and whether his tuition has indeed helped Arun or not. In the climax, Arun does not go exactly according to the coaching of Col. Singh (which was not required also) and wins Prabha over through his original self only.This movie scores at several places and provides a feelgood experience to the watcher. It's a movie which most of the middle class Indians can relate to. It's a comedy but not meant for generating laughs only. It touches a chord in the viewer's heart at many places. While watching, the viewer effortlessly gets attached to Arun and starts praying for his ultimate success.This movie tickles, entertains and inspires all at the same time. The climax is toned down but it's always been the style of Basu Da to keep a low profile climax in his movies. Entertainment prevails throughout and there is no boring moment in the movie. It appears to be the love story of any ordinary youth and hence a layman can relate to it. It was made when the term Rom-Com was not used in the cine-circles. But it's an excellent rom-com with a perfect mix of comedy and romance. It's the simplicity prevailing in every nook and corner of this movie that goes deep into the heart of the viewer.Amol Palekar had mastered the art of playing a straightforward and simple hero having boy next door looks during the seventies and created his own fan-following. Chhoti Si Baat is one of his such kind of movies only with the role being a tailor-made one for him. He makes the viewer get attached to his smiles and sadness and his triumph in the end appears to the viewer as his own triumph in the battle of life and love. Vidya Sinha was the perfect choice for the girl next door kind of roles due to her simple middle class looks and natural acting in such type of roles. Asrani is marvellous like always. However the show-stealer is Ashok Kumar, the seniormost actor of Bollywood during that era. The script-writer and dialogue-writer have immensely helped this seasoned actor in delivering a memorable performance.Yogesh beautiful lyrics of high literary quality have been strung in heart-soothing melodies by Salil Choudhary. The best song is the title track - Na Jaane Kyun Hota Hai Ye Zindagi Ke Saath (Lata). Jaaneman Jaaneman Tere Do Nayan (Asha and Yesudas), Ye Din Kya Aaye Lage Phool Hanse (Mukesh) etc. are also unforgettable ones for the melody and literature lovers alike.The filmmakers of today can learn a lot from this classic rom-com as to how to make neat and clean family movies containing stories of laymen. I opine that a lady may lose her heart to a simpleton but she wants her man to be a simpleton for herself, not for the world because she can never tolerate the love of her life losing out to the others in different spheres of life.

Chhoti Si Baat is for me the ultimate romantic comedy of those times - simple, funny and totally charming. Basu Chatterjee was an amazing talent. Like Hrishikesh Mukherjee, he used to make films that reflected the lives of people from the middle-class. Everything in this film is kept simple and contributes to its authenticity, including dialogues, characters, sets, props and costumes. Chatterjee brilliantly captures the world of Arun, an ordinary and rather insecure fellow who is deeply in love with a young and beautiful girl named Prabha. The story follows Arun's trials and tribulations and his later attempts to get her through the help and guidance of a love-guru, when another guy enters the picture. It's amazing how the viewers are given a chance to witness and experience every thought, yearning and disappointment that the character of Arun is going through, and yet the movie remains consistently humorous, lighthearted and comic.I think that's what makes both the film and particularly the character of Arun so easy to relate to. I think everyone has been at some point secretly in love and could not express his feelings. And clearly this would not be so believable without Amol Palekar's great portrayal. Palekar's comically melancholic performance is wonderful. He never tries to do more than required or over-express his deep feelings. And yet it is always understood. This is easily one of his best. Vidya Sinha is beautiful and ever so graceful that it's easy to understand why she is the love interest here. Asrani is not the type of guy who would really look like a serious rival who could undermine one's confidence, but he is inevitably funny and suitably annoying. Ashok Kumar is just outstanding in a role which is quite different from his usual ventures. As the witty and kind Colonel Julius Nagendranath Wilfred Singh, he is hilarious, likable and memorable.Some of the film's scenes are still remembered today, including the sequences showing Arun daily following Prabha on her way to her workplace. The lively streets of the yet-unconjested Bombay are efficiently shot and are nostalgic to look at. The scenes involving Arun and the love-guru Julius are of the best moments in the film, while Arun's transformation afterwards and his renewed interaction with Prabha is incredibly entertaining. Salil Choudhury's soundtrack for the film is beautiful. In another evident attempt to keep the film realistic, the songs are not visualised as one would expect in a Hindi film. The songs either play over montage sequences ("Na Jaane Kyun" and "Yeh Din Kyaa Aaye") or appear as part of a film the characters go to see in the cinema (the wonderful "Jaanemann"). In either way, they express the characters' state of mind brilliantly. Overall, Chhoti Si Baat is one classic gem to remember. Go now.

The year was 1975 and Bollywood was enjoying with a lot of masterpices like Deewar,Chupke Chupke,Mili,Sholay,Juli,Aandhi. In the midst of all them a film was released which might not get that much attention but which is equally deserving called "Choti si baat".I remember watching that movie for the first time on TV when I was in my 10th standard but i din't able to see the complete movie So, recently (after 10 years) i downloaded and watched it again and came with the Conclusion -> "Choti si baat" is perhaps the best Comedy movie of that(70's) decade and What makes it Class apart is it's simplycity. It masterfully tells one of the most important stories of the 70's which is about middle class.I normally do not write about movies and I do not think movie like this should be critiqued.it should just be appreciated. Choti si baat is the most impressive movie by the director "Basu Chatterjee" his other movies like "Rajnigandha" "Manzil" and "Ek ruka hua Faisla" that also shows his directional sensitivity. But this is a movie which speaks more than it scripts. It tells us more than its characters narrates the story.Choti si baat is set to give the audience an intimate look at the very soul of Arun's Character.Ashok kumar is fantastic as Col. Julius Nagendranath, You cannot think of any other actor in this role.Asrani is also very impressive and according to me this is his finest performance. Vidya Sinha was better in Rajnigandha but it does not mean she is not Good in this, She Performed the character of Prabha very well.But it's actually Amol palekar who set aside everyone in the acting department,he played the role of Arun exceptionally."Choti si baat" tells us how a man decided not to live like a Coward. The music of the movie is its another strongest part. I don't remember how many times I have watched this movie since then but each time is an experience in itself.Choti si baat belongs to the genre of movies which gives you more than what you expect in the 120 minutes.