Language: Hindi
Genre: Drama/Musical/Romance
Cast: Guru Dutt, Waheeda Rehman, Rehman, Mala Sinha
Direction: Guru Dutt
Music: S.D.Burman brings together the legendary Mohd. Rafi, Geeta Dutt and revolutionary lyricist Sahir Ludhianvi for an ensemble of songs unparalleled in Indian music.
Reasons to watch: Guru Dutt, Excellent soulful music, superb social satire.
Reasons not to: This movie is too mature for the urban yuppies, and quite long – approximately three hours.
Story: Vijay (Guru Dutt) is a poet whose life is haunted by miseries. His brothers hate him for his failure to make money, his lady-love dumps him for a rich man and no one is ready to publish his poems. In course of his life he encounters his ex-girlfriend Meena (Mala Sinha) from college who is married to a big publisher Mr. Ghosh (Rehman). He ends up working for Mr. Ghosh as a servant, but Mr. Ghosh is interested in confirming his wife’s infidelity. He also encounters a prostitute named Gulabo (Waheeda Rehman), who is enamored with his poetry and falls in love with him. His misfortunes continue when a beggar’s body is taken for his, and he is declared dead, while in the mean time he lands in a horrible Mental Asylum. Gulabo goes to Mr. Ghosh to get Vijay’s poems published. Mr. Ghosh, relieved that Vijay is gone, prints the poems to make a fortune. The poems become a rage amongst the people and Vijay becomes a hero. In a function to honor Vijay’s achievements posthumously, Vijay reappears and what follows is a gripping climax.
Climax Handling: The climax is dark and brutal, sending emotions for a whirlwind.
Points: Classy acting by the trio of Waheeda Rehman, Rehman and Guru Dutt, Excellent lyrics and a realistic portrayal of human psyche.
Rating: 9/10
Comment: Rated as one of the top 100 movies of all times and top 10 reader’s choice movies by Time Magazine, this movie is a masterpiece and has a great cult following.! A MUST WATCH.
