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Pyassa is the result of sheer acumen of Director Guru Dutt. Right from the first scene where Vijay is lying in a garden and a flower falls on him and his mind is resounded with poetical words, film goes ahead with perfect grip of director on the subject. Each frame is well defined. When Vijay finds that source of his poetry is crushed by a careless human being, his poetry filled with happiness suddenly takes a sad turn. He stands up and we see a hole in the back pocket of his trouser and it suggests very well about his economical conditions.
This is the beauty of Guru Dutt that he takes no time in setting the tone of his film. Audience become familiar with the conditions of the main character within 3-4 minutes of the film. Another important aspect of direction of Guru Dutt in the film is that he has given importance to every character whoever has been included in the story. Guru Dutt is the leading man of the film and he is surrounded by two leading ladies but camera is not obsessed with these three characters only and it covers the emotions of other character as well.
Language of Vijay is just perfect. Though he gets sadness like Devdas but he has been given wit and rebellion spirit of Mirza Ghalib also. He has not tasted much failure and rejections yet and when he reaches to a publisher he has shining of hope in his eyes and an optimistic curiosity in voice and he asks,” Meri nazmen parhee apne, apne risale mein chhapiyega unhe (Did you read my poems, will you publish them in your newspaper?)
When publisher rejects his work and ridicules his poetic wisdom and asks that if he has read Mir and Momin? Vijay says with anger in his voice,” Unhe bhee parha hai aur Josh aur Faiz ko bhee jo aapki samajh se bahar hain”( I have read them along with Josh and Faiz also, whose works are beyond your comprehension)Publisher is living with the fame of old master poets only and he is unable to see contemporary greats and Vijay hints towards this only. This happens all the time and people don’t recognise talents in present time. Its not like this that Ghalib and Mir were praised a lot in their time and they lived a rich life. Its difficult for common people to accept contemporary geniuses because they talk advanced matters, which are beyond the understanding of common people.
Vijay has been given very apt dialogues to show his razor sharp wisdom and Guru Dutt says those dialogues with perfect timing and style.
When this rude publisher becomes angry and says” Agar aap shayar hain to mein gadha hun (If you are a poet then I am a donkey)?
Vijay instantly replies, “Agar aap apnee tarif mein na bhee kuch kehte to bhee mein apko pehchan jata (If had not used adjective in your praise even then I would have identified you)

Poets are not managers and hence vulnerable. If they learn manipulations to live luxuriously in this business oriented world then their poetry will not be a true poetry but a compromised one and though we come across these poets who do compromises, still there are few unfortunate who love their poetry more than the mere desire to survive among greedy people. This is world’s attitude which sends these creative geniuses back again and again in to their own shelves and often they start living in solitude, which is though must also for their creative nature but they need acceptance also from the world and when they get repetitions of rejection, mockery etc their soft hearts get wounded and they renounce this world. Some die, some go away from the people and some do compromises and leave their creative work and become involved in petty businesses with which world of common men runs.
Society often treats well geniuses after their death only so author of the film, puts emphasis on this point and when a beggar is died, to whom Vijay had given his coat, its understood that Vijay has been died because there was a page in the pocket of coat having Vijay’s name and a poetry.
Director’s brilliance is reflected in the way of presenting this sad story. But its never monotonous because life is never filled with a single colour or shade only. Like life, film is having different shades. Like four weathers, phases come in the film and often different phases are so beautifully intermingled with each other that audience are not allowed to live with a single emotion for long. If sadness is concentrating too much then it is balanced by comical character of Sattar Bhai, played so beautifully by Johny Walker.
Even Vijay’s character does not show submission to sadness initially and he is able to fight against the system and market. He does not chew his words before rich publisher, Ghosh or other old publisher. Without fear he says to Ghosh with full sarcasm in his voice,” Nausikhiye kee bakwas le ja sakta hun, (May I take away nonsense writings of an amateur)?
Film shakes the audience to the extent that wake up foolish and selfish society towards genius people and learn to treat them with respect, learn to recognise their talents at right time else they also have so big self respect that may leave your society which curses living persons and adores their statues. Vijay, when standing at the stage and he is at the threshold of getting everything, name, money and respect, sees foolishness of this recognition from foolish crowd and declares himself that he is not that Vijay, for whose sight this crowd has been gathered. He kicks the sleeping, selfish society and refuses the requests of his old lover, Meena who requests him to declare that he is the original Vijay. She suffers from the guilt that she had left Vijay because he was poor and unemployed and now she wishes to make him a successful person because by this only she can feel good that she also did something for her old lover. This is her atonement. But Vijay is in no illusion now. He has come beyond any kind of illusion and he is ready to go on an unknown journey where he does not know what lies in the future. But he is ready to start his journey and in this decision Gulab joins him and holds his hands. This is unconditional love. World rejects Vijay, and love in the personal life is the only therapy with which a sensitive mind like Vijay can survive.
——-
Don’t we see such cases in real life? We are still living in that era which is shown in the film. Did we not do same thing with a genius called Dr Vasishtha Narayan Singh? He did not have support of his wife and family and ultimately he had to go to mental asylum or he was sent there. Cruel world did not treat him well and greedy people exploited him in asylum also and its reported that many were engaged in stealing his mathematical papers, he used to write in his room there.
When we will be sensible enough to recognise the talents? Pyasa leaves us in astonished state. Vijay does not do suicide he simply rejects this world and its sick norms where merit gets no respect.
Its also strange that in real life world especially developing nations like India do not give much to scholar and poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan but give everything to his actor son Amitabh Bachchan. World bows down before glamour only. Cant we send cursing to this pathetic attitude to bring the balance in the world?
People did not wake up even after watching Pyassa and hence we found Vasistha Narayan Singh after 40 years of Pyassa in same state.
—–
When a brilliant writer who understands cinema unites with a brilliant director who has vast vision about cinema then only a film like Pyassa happens. Pyassa travels ahead with micro details and if audience is conscious then what happen in the life all is there in Pyassa in one way or other.

Those who belong to category of haves, they sing “Hum Pee bhee gaye chalka bhee gaye ( We not only drank but spilled out also) and they feel good on this extravaganza. And those who are economically poor but rich in wisdom and talent, sings

Jaane woh kaise log the jinke pyar ko pyar mila
Humne to jab kaliyaan maangi kaaton ka haar mila
(Who were the people whose love got equal response;
When I desired only buds, I got a garland of thorns)
Khushiyon Kee Manzil Dhundhee to Gam Kii Gard Milee
Chaahat Ke Nagame Chaahe To Aanhen Sard Milee
Dil Ke Bojh Ko Dhundhalaa Kar Gayaa Jo Gamakhaar Milaa
Hamane To Jab …
(When searched destination of happiness, I got dust of sadness
When desired songs of desires and affection, I got cold sighs
Made, more diffused and heavy, burden of my heart when met with the source of my sadness
When I desired only buds, I got a garland of Thorns)
Bichad gaya har saathi dekar pal do pal ka saath
Kisko phursat hai jo thaame diwanon ka haath
(Fellow-travellers left me after staying with me for some moments;
who has the leisure to hold hands of a man of passions)
Isako Hee Jeenaa Kahate Hain To
Yun hee Jee Lenge
Uff na Karenge Lab See Lenge
Aansuu Pee Lenge
Gam Se Ab Ghabaraanaa Kaisaa, Gam Sau Baar Milaa
Hamane To Jab …
( If this is called living a life
Then I will also live like this
I wont complain and will sew my lips
Will drink my tears
Why to fear of sadness, when I get it so often
When I desired buds, I got garland of thorns)

Guru Dutt has used flashbacks at most appropriate places and editing is so fine that audience feel as if they are also entering in to other scenes recalled by the character.

One of the finest scenes in the film is where Vijay is standing before the mike in a festival arranged at his old college and he sees his old lover Meena and becomes disturbed. She is also disturbed to see him. Both are passing thorough the emotions and memories of their common past but along with these parts of that scene, camera goes to a gentlemen sitting in a row behind the Meena. He finds Meena is somehow disturbed and this actor so brilliantly steals the scene from everyone with his silent reactions. He has no dialogues there and only through his facial expressions he is able to convey his changing emotions. This is actor Rehman (Playing Mr. Ghose in the film). He outshines everybody in this wonderful scene. Though no word is spoken in that scene but audience get to know very well what is happening and Guru Dutt has maintained this subtlety and justice to each character throughout film.
Vijay recites a sad poem there. Vijay did not know Meena became married after she left him.
Tang aa chuke hain kasham-e-kashe jindangi se hum
Thukra ne de jahan ko kahin bedili se hum
Hum ghumjada hain laye kahn se khushi ke geet
Denge wahee jo payenge is jindagi se hum
Ubhrenge ek bar abhee dil ke valvale
Mana ki dab gaye hain ghum-e.jindagi se hum
Lo aaj hamne chhorh diya rishta-e-umeed
Lo ab kabhi gila na karenge kisi se hum”
[Struggles of life have gone on my nerves
I fear I may reject this world callously
I am a sad person from where I can bring songs of happiness
I can give only that that I get from the world
Yearnings of my heart will come again on the surface
I accept I have been suppressed with the sadness in the life
Today I leave any connection with the hope
Nowonwards I wont complian to anyone]

Meena becomes more disturbed and Ghose is more curious and his doubts are increased. When Vijay comes outside he is confronted by Ghose who asks if he does any work and Vijay replies that he is searching some work. Ghose ask him to meet him in his office.
Next day when Vijay reaches there with the hope that Ghose is a publisher and may publish his poems but Ghose is interested only to know his past during college time. When he is confirmed that Vijay was a college student when his wife was also studying there, he puts an offer before Vijay that he should work at his publishing house.
Pyassa is a film to watch fine nuances. Guru Dutt’s head remains almost upside whenever he talks and this is maintained through out the film whether he is passing through depressive phase or not, which reflects inner self respect of a poet.
Pyassa is the film from where scenes can be taken out as still shots and they look like live paintings. Still frames of the film are able to talk to the watcher.
If Dev Anand should be known to make him available at the windows then Guru Dutt should be known to frame him at the doors. Pyassa alone has many scenes where Guru Dutt is standing in such a way that he gets background of open door and the song “ye Dunia agar mil bhee jaye to kya hai” is fully in the backdrop of a door. Light is coming through the door and people gathered in the auditorium see Vijay in his silhouette.
Film works with symbols and this scene is symbolic to the crucifixion of Jesus. Vijay is standing in same pose, with his hands resting on two sides of the door and whole crowd is watching him. Guru Dutt’s way of saying that “Yet another sensible person is being crucified by the foolishness and callousness of crowd” !
Some people ridicule the metaphor which is sometimes used when come across a wonderful film or parts of the films where we give similes that this is like poetry on celluloid. Major part of Pyasaa is example of what is poetry on celluloid. This is poetry because you watch it many times and with every new watching you go deeper and you see many new interpretations which had not occurred to you in previous watching.
Pyassa brings poetry on the screen right from the first scene where Vijay is lying on the ground in a garden and a flower falls on him and he removes his hands from his eyes and sees the flower and poetry starts sprouting inside him. With the budding poetry inside him audience also go on a poetic journey for next 2 minutes.
Ye hanste hue phhool, Ye mehka hua gulshan
Ye rang aur noor mein doobi huyee rahein
Ye phulon ka ras peeke machalte huye bhanware
(These smiling flowers, This sweet smelling garden
These paths filled with colour and aura
These Bees, dancing after enjoying the nectar of flowers)
Vijay is filled with joys of life and he is enjoying the liveliness of nature but soon world creeps in and a man’s careless walking crushes the bee. Vijay is sad and sensitive poet inside him is hurt.
Mein doon bhi to kya doon tumhe, aiy shokh nazaaron
Le de ke mere paas kuch aansoo hai kuch aahen
(If I wish to give, what should I give you, O Beautifull surroundings?
I have been left only with some tears and some sighs)

Just watching of this scene, till he walks ahead and stops near a tree, is sufficient to describe what “poetry on celluloid” means. This scene is the Summary of the film also. Vijay’s fate is going to follow the fate of that Bee. Cruel world is going to crush the sensitive poet residing inside him. He is enjoying the life while he creates the poetry and next moment, people are ready to destroy him.

Vijay has seen Meena before also but he avoids her but in the elevator she meets him. Again Director has become kind of a poet here. They are standing side by side and Vijay sees her reflection on the wall of elevator chamber. Camera works fantastically in this scene. Her reflection is of a dreamy happy woman with so much life in the eyes. What best than to have a dreamy flashback song at such juncture? Hence a duet “ Hum Apki Anakhon mein Is dil ko basa lein to”
In the flashback, while Vijay is dreaming this song, Meena is disturbed because she had decided to come out of her relationship with Vijay. She has written a letter and when Vijay comes back in the senses he finds the letter which Meena has left behind.
Song, Hum Apki ankhon …. fully expresses the emotions of both the characters.

Again scene in the elevator is not monotonous in any way and contains deeper meanings. When elevator reaches at ground floor then Meena realises and says,” Ohh I had to go upside” !!!!!
Vijay comes out and Iron gates of elevator fall down and Meena is shown in a trap, which she has chosen herself. While Vijay walks ahead with his freedom.
With that single dialogue of Meena and with that single scene where She is shown to be trapped in the elevator chamber, director says much about her life and her decisions in the film.
Now is this not poetry on celluloid? Film is full of such scenes. You see them and they carry you somewhere higher and deeper in meanings and you enjoy the taste of poetry in the moving visuals.
Vijay is civilized and caring towards others, who are, knowingly unknowingly, busy in hurting other’s feelings. Vijay does not hurt anyone. He is not even revengeful. He faces rejection, ridiculing from the world. He is mocked by the foolish people who are busy in their petty business and think they can control the world because they have some money to count at the end of the day. They cant touch the sensitivity and liberal attitude of Vijay. Vijay is poor but he knows the importance of giving to needy. When he finds a shivering beggar he gives his torn coat to him.
Vijay is not a poet limited to only one kind of taste or vision as newspaper editor understands when he says,” You have been hankering after hunger and unemployment only and poetry has to be related with love, liquor and so many other soft things”.
Vijay says instant poem when his friends provoke him to say something extempore and he sees Meena and says,
“Jab hum chalein to saya bhee apna na sath de
Jub tum chalo, zameen chale asman chale
Jab hum ruken saath ruke sham-e-bekasi
Jab tum ruko, bahar ruke, chandni ruke“
[ When I walk then even my shadow does not accompany me
When you walk, earth and sky move along with you
When I stop, helpless evening stops with me
When you stop, spring and moonlight also stop]

Meena has rejected him and his love because he is poor and unemployed. Vijay does not steer away from the realities and he writes poetry of realities though he can write poetry of any kind.
Vijay does not show any frustration to Meena and he says he is not even angry with her though he was disappointed with her ways. He says you left me for a luxurious life and you have everything now but you are not happy. He still treats her with respect. He gives her advice that she had done wrong to him when she left him because he was poor and now by contacting him again she is doing wrong to her husband.
Ghose is a businessman, who understands profit only. He has shallow ideology when he finds Meena and Vijay inside his office he tries to malign Meena and says there is no difference between her and a prostitute. She is her wife but he has no respect towards her. She has no liberty even to express her feelings. On the other hand Vijay, treats even a prostitute with full respect and his behaviour generates self respect in Gulab. He even does not feel any hitch to say that she is his wife, while saving her from a policeman.
Ghose threatens Meena that he will sack Vijay immediately and he will see if Meena gets any pain or not. Its understood that Vijay’s job is taken away. Here comes the genius of a master director. In the very next scene we find someone is thrown out of the car. Its Gulab. Two lives are keeping pace with each other!
Ghose’s animal behaviour sends Meena away from him and she feels that her love towards Vijay has been revived again. Vijay’s humanly behaviour generates love in the Gulab towards him. Ghose is jealous of Vijay’s talent and he is insecured after knowing that his wife used to love Vijay who cant arrange a job for him. He has a mission to demean Vijay in front of Meena so that he can satisfy his envious feelings. Vijay is spreading love in the society and people, like Ghose, Vijay’s brothers and friends, are spreading hate, intrigues, doubts, meanness, etc in their surrounding. And society rejects Vijay and regards Ghose kind of businessman!
This is the cause that mankind has been involving in thousands of wars in same numbers of years and still people are fighting because corrupt, opportunist and cunning people are given more importance because they know how to manipulate and genuine people have to follow the path and destiny of Vijay. Some do suicide and some become recluse and live life in their seclusion away from this petty world. Though this tendency is spread everywhere but its very dangerous in fields like arts and science because these fields simply deserve merits. People who join these fields don’t expect such cunningness because they are not well versed in the give and take behaviour. When someone enters in to the business he is well prepared that he has competition with equally cunning people and hence no or less heart breaks are there. That’s why Vijay’s friend says to Ghose that till now he saw profit in being with him but now Vijay is hot property and so now he finds more profit in being with Vijay. He joins another publisher who earlier had rejected Vijay’s poetry.

But in the crowd of these cunning men, soft souls like Vijay are badly crushed. Vijay’s monologue before Meena in the end of the film is heart breaking. That’s a truthful monologue coming straight from the heart of the writer who wrote those dialogues and Guru Dutt delivers it with highest possible impact. When he says that he cant get peace in this world and he wishes to go far from where he wont have to go more far, then that’s the ultimate disillusionment of a genuine creative genius from the crowd of sheeps called humanbeings.

Pyasaa removes the gap between so called art film and commercial film. Its both. It has class and it has wider appeal. When filmmakers make utterly boring films and say that this is pure art and audience don’t have intelligence to understand the film then they show their ignorance because fault is in their way of presenting the story on celluloid and those filmmakers who say false excuses that people don’t want to watch class films hence they make formula films then they also ignore the success of class films like Pyassa. Both kind of filmmakers wish to impose their own limited understanding on the audience and hence excuses.
Songs go in tandem with the plot and tone of the film. Meena and Vijay play hide and seek with each other’s wishes in “Hum Apki Ankhon mein ….”
Film transcends the time and indicates towards the general behaviour of the people. Vijay is fighting against all odds but still he has inner strength to keep his consciousness intact. But when he finds that only person, who loved him without any selfish reason, his mother, is died then he is broken and succumbs before the cleverness of his friends who almost compel him to drink alcohol. He is unable to bear the mental tension and he drinks.

Dissociation of energy happens inside him and Ala Devdas, he is on path of self destruction for a while but while watching dance of a woman with his friends, he listens crying of a child and he finds that dancer is not allowed to attend his child then he regains his consciousness and leaves the place. He is not an activist but a poet but he tries to save a woman but is thrown away by oppressors. Is this a false scene given in a film? It does not happen in life? It happens!

Some 48 years after the Pyassa, leftist Journalist Ram Sharan Joshi writes his confessions in a column “Self acceptances” in a famous magazine that during Emergency when he was following underground life in Chhatisgarh, his friend took him to a poor place and they both selected a young woman. Woman’s father or father in law, was sitting outside of the hut, coughing continuously. First his friend went inside and appeased his physical hunger and when Joshi ji went inside he saw that barely a 2-3 months old child was lying in the hut. He got some hitch but still physical hunger was more powerful than the inner awareness but when he got mother milk in his mouth while sucking her breasts, he felt shame and came in to senses. He gave money to woman and came out.

This happens and has been happening. Poverty is compelling people to follow inhuman activities. It compels women to fall in to prostitution where they lose all their self respect. Though Pyassa is a film but it is very close to real life and this makes it as one of the greatest films ever made in India.

Vijay is not superman that can save women from goons and after getting defeats in his physical efforts he handles it with his poetical skills. Till now his disillusionments were somewhat personal but from now onwards he gets disillusionments from all corners of life and he starts seeing futility of prevalent societal arrangements and way of working. Anyway, having seen disgusting realities, Vijay under frustration, shame, helplessness, finds catharsis in his angry poetry only and he throws questions to the people who run the country, to those who feel false proud.

Yeh kooche neelaam ghar dilkashi ke
ye lutate hue kaaravaan zindagi ke
kahaan hain, kahaan hain muhafiz khudi ke
jinhen naaz hai hind par woh kahaan hain
(Love is being sold in these galleries, looting of the carvan of life is going on; where are they, the self claimed custodians ? where are they, those who feel so proud on the country?)
Woh ujale darichon mein paayal kee chhan chhan
Thakee haaree saanson pe tabale ki dhan dhan
Yeh berooh kamaron me khaansi ki Than Than
jinhen naaz hai hind par woh kahaan hain
(There in the lighted places, rings the sound of ankle-bells; slow tired breathing is suppressed by the sound of beats of the tabla; In the soulless rooms sound of coughing echoes ; where are they, those who are so proud of country?)
zaraa is mulk ke rahabaron ko bulaao
ye kuche ye galiyaan ye manzar dikhaao
jinhen naaz hai hind par unko laao
jinhe naaz hai hind par woh kahaan hai
(Just call the Rulers of this country; show them these places, gallereys, and sights; bring those, who are so proud of country; where are they, those who are so proud of India?)
ye mahalon, ye takhton, ye tajon ki duniyaa
ye insan ke dushman samaajon ki duniyaa
ye daulat ke bhukhe rivaazon ki duniyaa
ye duniyaa agar mil bhi jaaye to kya hai
(This world of palaces, This world of thrones and monuments;
this world that has societies, that is enemy of humanity; this world which has customs, hungers for wealth; what will I get even if I get this world?

jalaa do, jalaa do ise, phunk Daalo ye duniyaa
mere samne se hata lo ye duniyaa
tumhaari hai tum hi sambhalo ye duniyaa, ye duniyaa …
(Burn this, blow away this insane world; take this world away from my sight, This world is yours, you only take care of this world, this world
what will I get if get this world?)

He feels that he does not exist for the world. He says this to Gulab, Ab to maan bhee nahin rahee, phir mein yahan kyon hun, kisliye hun, kiske liye hun (Now as mother is also no more why I am living, for what, for whom). He leaves sleeping Gulab and soon he is declared as dead.

Gulab, a true lover of Vijay, gets a mission to get published his poetry and he goes to Ghose’s office. There she meets Meeta, who tries to buy Vijay’s poetry. As Vijay is no more and can provide no harm to his personal life, so Ghose’s business acumen takes possession and he publishes Vijay’s poem. Live Poet Vijay was rejected from all over and poetry of a dead poet becomes best sellers. Now Vijay’s work is gold mine and Vijay’s friend, who has some poems of Vijay with him, comes to sell his work. Vijay’s brothers who always had cursed Vijay’s love for poetry, come to demand a share in the profit.

Guru Dutt had made three thrillers, Bazi and Jaal with Dev Anand and Baaz where he himself had played the lead role. Two thrillers were written by him. He had produced CID also with Dev Anand in the lead role and Pyassa was his almost first serious social drama based film, but he did not leave his liking of thrillers and thus audience see that Vijay is not died but lying ill, in a hospital.
Vijay is not suicidal but he possesses too high self respect. When Meena talks about lost love, he stops her by saying that she had left him to get an easy going life. He stops her advances. He does not accept offers given by same world, which had rejected him for years. He is not interested in living on pieces of breads thrown at him. He kicks away the offers of greedy world and goes to the person who, he thinks, loves him unconditionally. He asks her to come along with him and she happily aggress to it and both walk ahead having hands in hands and elope behind the mysterious future!

Music of SD Burman fantastically supports the film. There is no unnecessary use of orchestra and instruments are played only in the case of ultimate need. If Guru Dutt touches heights in the direction then Sahir Ludhianvi provides high quality lyrics. Can there be any evaluation in terms of money if we consider words penned by Sahir? When he gives words to Vijay,
Ye Dunia agar mil bhee jaye to kya hai.
Or before that when poet Vijay wishes to wake up his fellow countrymen and asks “ Jinhe naaj tha hind par wo kahan hain”
With this song Director and lyric writer wish to connect film with the contemporary realities. They are doing a job which a serious writer or a poet does and tries to shake sleeping people of his era. And such factors give heights to Pyassa.
If detailed screen play of the film is released or a script is prepared which contains everything included in the film then this will be high class literature.
VK Murthy’s camera simply lives and rather enhances the impact of cinematic vision of Guru Dutt on the screen. Film has amazing light arrangement also. Both camera and light have been used very intelligently and they enhance the technical impact of the film.
* * * *
Why Pyassa remains one of the most socially relevant film because it touches the very disease with which our society has been suffering. A poet like Muktibodh dies early at the age of 47, because of utter poverty. Revolutionary poet Dushyant Kumar dies (suicide?) at the age of 42 only. And there are many such examples.

Guru Dutt had approached Dilip Kumar to make him ready to play Vijay. But Dilip Kumar was passing through the after effects of playing Devdas and many other roles of a doomed lover and he was so deeply involved in his roles that they had affected his real life and psychologists of England had suggested him not to do tragedy roles and hence he was trying his hands in comedy. So he denied Pyassa and Guru Dutt took the challenge to play Vijay himself and did full justice. No doubt if Dilip Saab could have done the film then film could have got some different heights because then master Director Guru Dutt could have been able to devote full energies in direction only but as an actor also he adds to the quality of the film.
Waheeda Rehman, Mala Sinha, Rehman, Johny Walker; Mehmood, Kumkum, Leela Mishra all were in the hands of a very good director and thus gave their one of the best performances.
——
If someone says great films are not made in hindi cinema, show him Pyassa. If someone says songs are odd parts of hindi films, if possible show him Pyassa so that he knows how songs can be used and how music is essential part of Indian life. Its a story of poet so songs look natural and Guru Dutt has inserted his beautiful imagination in picturisation of the songs.
Pyassa is a classic because it does what a good piece of literature does. It does not only raise questions before audience and put them under scanner but it provides high degree of entertainment also. And this is the best example of good cinema. Cinema should be “what Pyassa is”.

Pyassa is a classic example of responsibility of a filmmaker/director which he must have towards society. Here Director dons the role of a writer/poet and tries to awaken the sleeping society and that too in a highly appealing way.

What if Dushyant Kumar had written his following famous poem before the Pyassa

ho gayee pir parbat see pighalanee chaahiye
is himaalay se koee gangaa nikalanee chaahiye

(Sadness has become like a mountain and now this ice should melt
Some Ganga should emerge out of this Himalaya
Today this wall shakes like curtains
But point was this only that foundation should be moved
At every road, in every street, In every city and every village
Dead bodies should walk with their hands moving
Only chaos is produced this is not my motive
My efforts are to change this scenario
If not in my heart then in your heart,
it does not matter where fire is lit but fire should be lit)

Then Guru Dutt could have used this poem in the last scene in the background when Vijay walks away with Gulab.

Filed Under  Movies, Review , Teaching Film-making

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