‘Confused product of a confused brain’: When Guru Dutt cast a spell over everyone – except one man

The film “leaves one confused because it is a confused product of a confused brain”, the reviewer complains. Also, “It is a picture which lacks coherence, a clear and cognizable theme and, consequently, any emotional appeal whatsoever.” Finally, the movie is “pretentious in tone and dull and confusing in effect”.

Many films have been misunderstood in their times, only to be given their due belatedly. And yet, the Filmindia magazine’s overwhelmingly negative review of Guru Dutt’s Pyaasa is confounding, especially since Pyaasa, despite – or more likely because of – its melancholic poet-hero and themes of rejection and disillusionment resonated strongly with audiences when it was released in 1957.

Pyaasa is now regarded as one of the greatest movies ever made. The celebration of Guru Dutt’s centenary – he was born on July 9, 1925 – will refocus attention on the eight features he directed. Pyaasa, starring Guru Dutt as the poet Vijay, who is cheated out of fame and accepted only by the sex worker played by Waheeda Rehman, will likely be recognised once again for the masterpiece that it is.

Guru Dutt’s penultimate movie is a staggering feat on all levels – the performances, SD Burman’s music, Sahir Ludhianvi’s lyrics, cinematographer VK Murthy’s beautiful compositions. Guru Dutt’s command over...

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