By Jagmohan Singh Barhok
हम आप की आँखों में, इस दिल को बसा दें तो
हम मूँद के पलकों को, इस दिल को सज़ा दें तो
हम आप की आँखों में, इस दिल को बसा दें तो
22 February is #witness to the release of Guru Dutt’s #Classic “Pyaasa” in 1957 featuring Mala Sinha, Guru Dutt, Johny Walker, Waheeda Rehman, Shyam, Leela Mishra & Kumkum. The film received #lukeworm reception but managed to pick up later becoming the #Third highest grossing film of the year after “Mother India” & “Naya Daur”. Interestingly, it was the first major film of Waheeda Rehman. The film, though, failed to win any Award of excellence initially, received wider nay international recognition & reception decades later.
The story of the film revolves around a poet whose poems reflect the realities of life but no publisher shows interest in his creations for they lack romanticism & titillation as results of which he is forced to stumble every where. He is despised, looked upon with disgust & disdain & his poems are ridiculed. Even his brothers make a mockery of him.
In this backdrop he meets a prostitute – Gulabo ( Waheeda Rehman), with morally positive traits & also his former classmate Meena (Mala Sinha) who is now wife of a known publisher Ghosh (Rehman) .Gulabo finds in him an honest & straightforward human being & begins to love him. How she secretly helps him to get his poems published, get recognition, and their romantic relationship form part of the story. The dream sequence picturized on Meena & Vijay (Guru Dutt)is indeed peerless & reminiscent of works done by Raj Kapoor in some of his films. Meena’s husband is a suspicious & hot-tempered person who keeps an eye on his wife’s movements. The film shows how friends and relatives turn away when the weather is not fair and how all enemies become friends when it is advantageous or convenient to. The film is a poetic #Gem.Waheeda Rehman as a silent lover is lovely & adorable. Mala Sinha does play her job admirably, too. Guru Dutt, as a disillusioned, insulted poet is simply outstanding.
Fed up of the social shams, double standards & greed for money Vijay decides to get away from the treacherous world to live a life of his own finding comfort & solace in Gulabo.
Although the film was set in the backdrop of Calcutta, the shooting was done in Bombay. Dilip Kumar was approached to play the lead but he refused since had had already done many films of similar nature highlighting tragedies of life. Resultantly, Guru Dutt himself played the role. Dilip Kumar later regretted missing the opportunity..
Dutt’s direction could well be said excellent as he looked into or paid attention to the minutest of details in various sinews of filmmaking thereby bringing out a masterpiece, musical, & engaging classic.
The film was later restored & digitally remastered in order to improve the previously recorded quality of the sound or images before it was sent to the International Film Festival in 2015 to compete with other #Classics from all over the world.
