Film director Pradeep Sarkar, who sensitively adapted Saratchandra’s coy romantic novel into an elegant 1960s love story in ‘Parineeta’ (2005), and who gave crucial career breaks to a bunch of aspiring talents in his earlier adman avatar, passed away early on Friday. He was 67.

The film director was admitted to the ICU in Mumbai’s Lilavati hospital on March 22 with complications, including pneumonia, arising from a viral fever. The hospital’s CEO, Lt Gen Dr V Ravishankar, told TOI that Sarkar was a patient of chronic kidney disease needing regular dialysis.

Kolkata-born and Delhi-bred, Sarkar moved to Mumbai in the late 1990s making his feature film debut as a director with ‘Parineeta’ at the advanced age of 50. Collaborating with producer and fellow screenplay writer Vidhu Vinod Chopra, he transported the story’s setting from early 20th century to 1962 Calcutta where the modish genteel listened to sultry jazz in smoke-filled nightclubs. Sarkar, who had earlier assisted Chopra in ‘Mission Kashmir’ (2000), captured the bhadralok sensibility of the time, framing scenes of love with playful tenderness.

Not all his films worked. But Sarkar returned to form with the thriller ‘Mardaani’ (2014) with a woman protagonist cop (Rani Mukerji) at its gripping centre. Even ‘Laaga Chunari Mein Daag’ (2007) and ‘Lafangey Parindey’ (2010) were peopled by women of resolve. All three films were produced by Bollywood’s premium banner, YRF films.

Sarkar was a gold medalist from Delhi College of Art. The national capital was his early karmabhoomi. In the mid-1980s, he was a key figure in Delhi’s advertising world. “Pradeep was a creative engine of the agencies he worked for. Trained as an art director, his visualization was excellent. He had a sense of spectacle and constructed elaborate audio-visual shows," recalled television producer Siddhartha Basu. Sarkar and Basu collaborated on several shows, including ‘Quiz Time, Season 3’ (1988).

Young talent was mentored and encouraged by Sarkar. Filmmaker Shoojit Sircar (‘Vicky Donor’) said that Sarkar had given him his first break. “Getting to direct an ad film independently was a big thing. It was an ad for Dettol during the 1998 football World Cup,” he recalled.

Fashion photographer Atul Kasbekar posted that Sarkar had given him “early significant breaks”. “For taking big chances on a newcomer I will be eternally grateful,” he wrote.

And ‘Parineeta’ “introduced’ Vidya Balan in a Bollywood feature. Speaking to yourstory.com in 2021, composer Shantanu Moitra recalled that Sarkar gave him his break as a composer when he was a client servicing executive. On a particular night when there were no musicians or composers around, Moitra was asked to come up with a tune. And he composed the Uncle Chips jingle — Bole mere lips, I love Uncle Chips — on a mahogany table in a jiffy.

In the mid-1990s, when music videos mushroomed on television, Sarkar directed a bunch of first-rate videos underlining his visual sense and his felicity with storytelling. Indi-pop band Euphoria’s perky debut video, ‘Dhoom Pichak Dhoom’, was shot on the ghats of Benaras and captured the temple town’s vivacity and generous heart. The more evocative, ‘Maeeri’, underlined his gift for emotional storytelling. Shubha Mudgal’s, ‘Ab Ke Saawan’s’ music video reflected his Bengali sensibility; the visuals and the song being perfect synergy with each other.

Sarkar was passionate about his work. “Some people call it being a workaholic, but I say, ‘Yeh nasha hai, peshaa nahin (It is an addiction, not an occupation)’’’, he said in a 2011 interview. The film director was also very methodical. "Before shooting ‘Parineeta’, he did a complete audio board of the story,” Basu said. From all accounts, Sarkar had a great sense of humour. “I would just laugh whenever we were in conversation,” Sircar said.

Sarkar also loved food and drinks. "Bhey (lotus stem) ke pakode at Nairoji Nagar was one of his favourites,” Basu said. Sircar remembered how they would often fight on the sets but always make-up over good food. “Our last phone call was, ‘Shoojit why don’t you and me together direct the next film.’”

That was not to be.

(With inputs from Malathy Iyer)

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