Monday, January 26, 2009

A "Guide" for everyone..

GUIDE – one of my all time favorite movie. It’s not simply a movie but a flawless work of film art; I would say this movie is the soul of Indian Cinema, and remarkable masterpiece of ambitions, romance, love, betrayal, sacrifice, downfall as well as redemption. Guide focuses on what happens when a tourist guide takes up with an ex-dancer who has been abandoned by her archaeologist husband. First he guides her at different tourist places and then in her dancing career, as a result she becomes a star. Soon after her stardom, Raju falls into bad habits, drinking and gambling. Eventually, he is arrested for forging Rosy s check and sent to jail. He gets out and starts a new life… wanders alone in remote desert effected village where, he is taken as a holy man. He forced to keep a fast for the villagers who believe that his fast will bring rain. Rain comes but Raju-The Guide dies.
I have seen many more movies of Dev Anand and Waheeda Rehman, but somehow I felt that Guide was the best ever role performed by these two ace actors of Hindi Cinema. S D Burman's heart taking music and Vijay Anand's vision have made this film a landmark for Indian Cinema. This movie has it all – talented actors (Dev Anand, Waheeda Rehman & kishore Sahu), breath-taking music composed by Late Sh. S. D. Burman a top quality direction by late Sh.Vijay Anand. The film is based on the book "The Guide" by R. K. Narayan, India's best known author.
At very first hand Vijay Anand was horrified when he read the script, he was more concerned about the image of country abroad. Hence, he refused twice but Dev Anand his younger brother was so adamant and sure about the success of this movie that in his third attempt he made Vijay agreed.
The only disa
ppointing fact of the movie is that S.D. Burman did not win the Filmfare award for his master piece. Still I can proudly say that Guide is a Hindi movie, made in India. Based on Indian story, and does not owe anything to the west or Hollywood… on a contrary the English version of the movie directed by Ted Danielewski was a big disaster.
This is a thought provoking movie for viewers as well as Indian film fraternity. It’s a textbook for acting,film direction, editing, lyric writing, and music.
'Guide' one of my favorite Hindi classical film and I'll recommend everybody to see it..