Friday, February 18, 2005

When so much is talked about "crossover" films and path breaking cinema these days, I often reminisce about decades ago when one movie had the quality which would forever put them into the "path breaking" circuit. Guide by Vijay Anand was certainly one of those.

Released in 1965 it was based on a popular novel of the same name by R K Naraynan. It starred Dev Anand (as Raju Guide) in what can easily be called his career's best, Waheeda Rehman, Kishore Sahu (in a brilliant cameo), and Leela Chitnis in the lead roles. Music by S.D. Burman is one of the best-remembered scores.

Guide was a showcase of so many master talents. The brilliant strokes of direction are very evident, a great story told by a master storyteller. Dev Anand's performance is peerless and Waheeda Rehman appears to be a true goddess of Indian Screen.

The story revolves around Rosie/Nalini (Waheeda Rehman) a dancer trapped in a loveless marriage with a much older archeologist, Marco (Kishore Sahu) who has no interest or time for his much younger and vibrant wife and the Guide he chooses to escort him in a hill station (Dev Anand). A hapless Rosie is plagued with loneliness and contemplates suicide, just when she catches the compassion and love from the Guide. He teaches her all the beautiful meanings of a free spirited life. 'Aaj Phir Jeene Ki Tamana Hai' she sings in wild abandon atop a hay stacked truck throwing this clay pitcher which falls and breaks, capturing a moment in Hindi filmdom which I would say best captures the freedom of spirit.

Raju/Rosie fall in love and start living together (a live-in relationship in 1960's), but you hardly notice that because it seems like the most natural thing to have happened in the story. Marco does not care less and just lets her go. Raju realises Rosie's love for dance and her immense talent at it, and tries to harness it for her sake. His business acumen combined with Rosie's (now Nalini) talent make her a star and the couple very rich and in the limelight. The catch however is that Nalini on paper is still Marco's lawfully wedded wife and Raju and she are still living in sin. Long schedules, performances and celebrity lifestlye manage to tear Raju and Nalini apart. Misunderstanding creeps in and when Marco resurfaces, Raju with a pang of jealousy forges Nalini's signature and makes sure they never come face to face. However, fate catches up, the misunderstandings become a divide, and finally Raju goes to jail for this mistake.

Nalini however realises all this a tad too later, when she goes to receive him on his scheduled day of release from prison, she find's he's already let off 6 months back. Nalini and Raju's mother who at some point had octracised Raju now look for him desperately, but by now Raju has become a Guru (by default) in a far off village, and is on a fast (again by default) to bring rain in the arid region.

By the time the two women reach him he has already set himself on the immortal path that has no return. People of the village have immense faith in him and refuse to think beyond him, for them he is God, a Mahatma and he will bring them rain. True to his spirit of making others wishes come true he just prays to his God and the fast is real. In a superb climax, rain does come and so does his end.

This film had a range of emotions, a mother-son, husband -wife, lovers, guru-follower relationships very well tapped. Camera work was exceptional 'Tere Mere Sapne' the song is like a class on great shot taking (the whole song had 4 shots, and relied on conveying the message thru expression), Dev- Waheeda chemistry was extraordinary, the songs were brilliantly choreographed especially the 'Piya Tose Naina lage Re' which is one of the most colourful and vibrant dance sequence ever done. Each song is memorable, each scene a joy to watch and each character so unique and true. Each character is a true shade of grey, there is no good-man, bad man just a real man in the film. That's what makes the film endearing!

One can watch this film over and over again, and fall in love with it all over again. Even when I watch it now, I cannot say it belongs to a certain decade but it has this timeless quality. Everything about the movie is ace. If I were to suggest a text book in film making it would have to be Navketan's Guide.

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