Paying Tribute – Guru Dutt

It has become standard practice during weekends to watch a couple of movies at home – nice quality family time and entertainment. Since our circumstances do not permit us to go out often, we’ve bought quite a lot of our favorite movies and movies we’d like to see.

Last weekend was Guru Dutt weekend for us. We watched Aar Paar, Mr & Mrs 55 and Pyaasa. And of course, we just continued to listen to the songs in an almost obsessed way. All of us love old songs at home – even Vidur loves them and sings them – and these, in particular are somewhat all-time favorites. Not just the songs – but the memories of the first time we heard them, the joy of watching these movies in 70 mm theater after standing in queue with friends,(those were the days when cable TV had yet to make an impact in our lives), the company we went with – and so many little things that make up that wonderful sense of nostalgia we like to bask in.

So – I decided to share a song from one of the greatest and most profound movies of all time – “Pyaasa” (1957) (Thirsty). But a little background about the outstanding Guru Dutt, first.

Guru Dutt is an acknowledged “great”. Born (in Bangalore) way ahead of his time (July 9, 1925 – October 10, 1964) he is an amazingly sensitive and talented director, producer, actor and storyteller. His movies are brilliantly artistic with beautiful songs and lyrics. His movies went full house even when re-released – even in Germany, France and Japan! In fact, we cannot talk of world cinema without talking about of Guru Dutt.

Pyaasa is Guru Dutt’s real masterpiece. It tells of the thirst for love, for recognition, for spiritual fulfillment. Superb performances by all the artists in the movie are combined with a story that you can identify with, in today’s world. Story synopsis is at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyaasa

Here’s one of my favorite songs in the movie: “Yeh duniya agar mil bhi jaaye” – Mohammed Rafi, as usual is a treat with his fabulous voice range. Sit back, listen, feel – and ENJOY.

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Cheers!

Vidya