About film " PYAASA"

 Satya Prakash 's POV

The film states the history of society of world.Therefore, film must be made sensitive , pertinent to on-going situations of the society. The film maker is a sociologist too, who senses the very structure of society and crafts the characters in given milieu that becomes the locations , set-up .

The great director Guru Dutt had made such an awesome film that has been calibrated as "ALL-TIME GREATEST FILMS" by various film institutes and magazines of the world. The film " PYAASA" has been made in 1957 in "Black & White" era of developing Indian Cinema, just ten years after Indian Independence.

Indian society is now free with developing democracy in despotic state of Feudalism where love of woman  is confined as commodity or love kneels down because of male domination or because of security of life. Whatever the society was prevailing, has truly been canvassed on moving screen by the characters and director.

Frustration in youth was growing. Society is transitioning towards capitalism, destroying the old-aged profession, replacing them with Industrialisation of India. In such a situation, art becomes a means of earning. The poetry and other forms of art and the artists are made the part of the "World of sale and purchase".

The film "PYAASA" denotes such a society that is leading towards catastrophe that blows all human emotions and relations. Guru Dutt is not only the director but he is also a protagonist of the film along with his two love ladies  Gulabo ( Waheeda Rahman) and Meena( Mala Sinha) .These two women have different characters. Gulabo is a prostitute who has great admiration of the poetry composed by Vijay ( Guru Dutt) and she finally gives her jewellery to Publisher Mr. Gosh  for publishing the poetry of Vijay after  his suicide on Railway Track. Meena was a love lady in college but for her secured and comfortable life, she gets married to a rich man  like Gosh. This heart-wrenching event sharpens his poetry with pathos ,dabbling in love in turmoil water.

The published poetry establishes the failed and struggling poet Vijay who is no more in the world but he is alive in a hospital and gets stunned to hear his piece of poetry on Radio and he gets berserk to say of it to the doctors and nurses and the such a bizarre situation takes him to a mental asylam where he is not recognised as Vijay by his friends Shyam and Gosh( . With the help of his friend Abdul Sattar ( Johny Waker), Vijay flees from Mental asylum and he reaches home where his both bothers do not recognise him as brother. Both the mouth of brothers have been shut by offering share of the profit from the sale of Vijay's poetry.

At  his obituary ( Death memorial Day), Vijay appears on the stage. The publisher Gosh , friends and relatives of poet Vijay is recognised for more temptation. Vijay feels stunned to see these hypocrisy of his brothers and friends.
However, Vijay hates such obnoxious relation in such a growing dog-fight-world where all human emotions are being shattered. At a conclave for his honour , Vijay denounces such relation and tells the world that he is not real Vijay.The crowd gathered get berserk and start pelting upon him.

Shyam who has been friend of poet since childhood, makes Vijay understand but he runs away from there because of mad mob. Vijay is pullled into a hall by Meena who suggests him why he is doing this. He must embrace this fame and he must go away from the hypocrites. Vijay senses Meena, saying that he has no problem with his brothers and friends, he has problem with such a barbarous system that makes the people inhumane.

Vijay moves away with his love lady Gulabo to begin a new life.

Guru Dutt is a transcending film maker and his all the films are too. The film "PYAASA" is still a mirror of struggling poets and artists who get victim of barbarity of system.Indian Society has not so far changed.It is still inhumane with big morphological( outer) changes in various fields of human life but all the developments have made the huge human lives miserable.

There is a question being tabled before the film makers of Bollywood or Indian Cinema as to why such an aesthetic movie is not being produced today.  

The British monthly Film Magazine " SIGHT & SOUND" has rated 160 th films inthe category of "All-Times Greatest Films " in 2002. In 2011  Time Magazine has declared it as one of the top 10 romantic movies of all time. 

S D Burman has composed its music. Music and songs are so pertinent to the scenes of the film.

This film boils pot of neurons in various aspects of life like social, political thought, love and romance.The film "PYAASA" churns the sensitive person to be more creative for society.

I salute to the eminent film maker Guru Dutt.