Hi Baba,” begins the video. “Happy birthday.

“Today is 15th August 2023. You were born in 1983. You’re 40 today… When I was 40-42, my life revolved around a small child. You. I took care of you, took you to school, went down to play with your friends, put you to bed. Then I’d go and put my father to bed, come back to you early in the morning before you woke up, sleep with you. Got you ready, took you to school again… My life centred around you, I was so happy. I’d have been happy if you’d not grown up…”

But dad couldn’t stop Ayan Mukerji from growing up and doing a duty reversal. “What I did for you at 40, you do for me today, for an 83-year-old man,” went on Deb Mukerji. “You look after my blood pressure, my creatinine, my food, my habits, you stopped my drinking also which was a bad thing you did,” he mock-admonished, the drinking bit typical of the spirited S. Mukherjee family he was born into.

“In your busy schedule,” dad continued, “you take me and your mother for a cruise, you take us to Kashmir, you give time to us…

“I’m very grateful to your mother for giving birth to you Ayan, my son…

“The greatest moment of my life is when I tell people that I’m Ayan Mukerji’s father or Ayan Mukerji is my son…”

This is a 40th birthday video that filmmaker Ayan Mukerji will watch on loop and treasure forever.

When his dad Deb Mukerji slipped away on Holi, it was a fitting day to bid farewell to such a colourful man.

As always, Ayan was by his side, making calls, answering messages, informing friends that it would take a while for the hospital to release his body because he had a pacemaker which had to be removed. He even attempted coordinating a car to bring senior family friends like Moushumi Chatterjee to the funeral. Being Holi, most drivers had taken a holiday.

It was also fitting to have a prayer meet celebrating the life of Deb Mukerji at Filmalaya, their family studio, the once bustling shooting venue now somnolent most days. But as spiritual songs filled the studio with soulful music, the screen kept Deb alive with visuals of him with a variety of people, the stage bedecked so tastefully, a tea-time counter opposite the entrance. Ayan was more than a filmmaker busy with the epic-size War 2 that stars Hrithik and NTR Jr. If Ayan knew how to care for his dad till the end, he also knew how to give him a perfect farewell.

Deb Mukerji, articulate, friendly, always available for a chat. It was he who’d update me on the Hrishikesh Mukherjee-Shakti Samanta-Gulzar-S. Mukherjee-Ashok Kumar connections that went back by over half a century. Deb takes with him reams of stories left unshared. Om Shanti, Deb, I’m glad I knew a man like you.

While the Wake Up Sid, Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani and Brahmastra trio of Ayan, Ranbir Kapoor (with his new grown moustache) and Karan Johar (with his new skinny look) are always by one another’s side, the latter two knew just how it felt to lose a parent. It brings them closer, in a way.

But life goes on and Karan proved it when he paid tribute to his dad Yash Johar by flagging off the trailer of Akaal, his first feisty Punjabi venture, on the same day as Deb’s prayer meet which also happened to be Karan’s mom Hiroo’s birthday and that of his closest business partner Apurva Mehta. It was Karan who’d made the first move to bring S.S. Rajamouli and cinema from the south to a wider Hindi market with Baahubali. Ten years later, he’s bringing Punjabi cinema to centrestage with Gippy Grewal’s passionately packed warrior drama.

This week, JioHotstar, the OTT platform, is also streaming Kanneda, a thriller around the Sikhs of Canada.

With cinema attempting to unify different regions, it’s the right time to say, “Sat Sri Akal” (God Is Truth) across India.