---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Remembering ‘Guide’---:
I must have been in my 6th grade or something in school when ‘Guide’ was released. I remember pestering my uncle to take us to Maratha Mandir to see the film. He had pulled out a book with the same title by R.K. Narayan and with the good intention of encouraging my reading habit which was still in comic-book stage, told me ‘Read this book and when you finish it, I will take you to this movie’. I too promised to read it. Neither I kept my promise nor he relaxed his condition. I grew up hearing the songs of 'Guide', but never got to read the book or see the movie till I was in college. I saw ‘Guide’ in its matinee re-run with friends after bunking lectures! I was neatly hooked by what I saw! The film had such a tremendous impact on me that since that time I would have seen it 4 or 5 times and still find it captivating!
I think a film can be reasonably judged by its first sequence. ‘Guide’ starts with Dev Anand getting released from prison. He sets to proceed to his home but then retreats thinking of the disgrace he would have to face amongst his own people. He starts walking on a different route. Full of remorse and self-pity, as he gathers his bundle and trudges along the unknown thorny path like a vagabond, the credit titles smoothly roll by and Burman-da’s voice booms setting the philosophical tone of the film –‘Kehte hain gyaani—Duniya hai paani—Paani-pe likhi likhaai—Hai sab-ki dekhi---Hai sab-ki jaani---Haath kisike na aayi—Kuch tera na mera—Musafir, Jaayega kahan?—Wahan kaun hai tera!’. The scene never fails to bring a lump in the throat . The opening song-sequence itself is a clear indication of a master-piece of a film unfolding! I can’t resist giving the link for this scene below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uG5t1eErbsU
R.K.Narayan is known for his down-to-earth humourous portrayal of simple characters usually revolving around day-to-day trials and tribulations of the common folk in a village named ‘Malgudi’. His novels like ‘Swami and friends’ are sheer delight to the young and old alike. ‘Guide’ must be one of his more serious works. The quizzical story of Raju, a common tourist guide given to common emotions like love, greed, jealosy etc being tossed over by destiny to the jail and then unwittingly evolving into a Swami-ji and being ‘cornered’ into fasting to death for the rains to come, is not simple RKN stuff! It covers the whole gamut of a man’s range of experiences from sin to spirituality! It was not the regular raw material for a film. RKN had made all his characters grey, complex and human, whether it was Raju the Guide or Rosy the dancer who rebels from her meaningless marriage (it is said that RKN loosely based this character on Kamala Laxman, wife of his brother and noted cartoonist R.K.Laxman) or Marco, the uncaring archeologist husband. They were not typical characters that would fit in the stereo-typed melodramatic films that were in vogue during the 60s. So Dev Anand deserves full credit for venturing into an unknown territory and making a critically acclaimed super-success film out of it. It appears that R.K.Narayan was not too pleased with the way Dev treated his story to adapt into a film. I remember RKN’s auto-biographical serial in ‘Illustrated Weekly of India’ where he talks of Dev’s relentless attempts to convince him (RKN) to part with his story for the film. It seems at every meeting while negotiating the deal, Dev promised him the moon and kept telling RKN that if his story is made into a film, then ‘the sky is the limit’! RKN continues wryly, ‘finally one fine day the sky came so low that you could pierce it with an umbrella top’! (It had also had an amusing caricature of Dev drawn by the inimitable R.K.Laxman).
It is not clear why RKN felt let down by Dev, but Dev Anand certainly did not disappoint the audience, because ‘Guide’ turned out to be one such rare cross-over film, quite ahead of its times in Hindi film history, that combined aesthetics and entertainment so perfectly in one glossy package. It was simply brilliant in all departments, be it screenplay or dialogues or direction or editing or photography or music or acting, you name it, ‘Guide’ was just great all over!
There are several hard-hitting scenes in the fim - Rosy (Waheeda Rehman)’s volcanic confrontation with her husband (Kishore Sahu's histrionicsmatching Waheeda’s stellar performance) in the cave is one of the most dramatic scenes I have ever seen in a Hindi film. The ironical climax of the film where Raju (Dev Anand) falls a victim of his own ‘Swamy’ image (thanks to a shawl donated by another swamy!) and goes into a reluctant fast-unto-death, (his dilemma when he sees a couple of bananas kept as ‘prasad’ is so palpable – Dev Anand was superb in the best role ever of his career!) and gives in to the belief of the villagers that he can actually bring rain to the village (he says to the interviewer, ‘Mujhe vishwas nahin hai, par inke vishwas-par mujhe vishwas ho gaya hai’!) and the last scene where he leaves his mortal body and realizes his ‘Atma’ etc. takes the film into a totally different spiritual dimension!
Music of ‘Guide’ – Well, it is a subject enough for a separate blog! Lyrics by Ace-Poet Shailendra, Voices of Lata, Rafi, Kishore and Burman-Da himself! Perhaps the ‘Guide’ would have lost his way to glory, if it had not been led so sensitively by the Great Burman-da’s music. ‘Wahan kaun hai tera’, ‘Kaantonse keenchke aanchal’, ‘Tere mere sapne’, ‘Piya tose naina lagi re’, ‘Din dhal jaaye’, ‘Saiyaan be-imaan’, ‘Kya se kya ho gaya’, ‘Allah megh de’ etc – Each song is a precious gem, bus ‘Gaata rahe mera dil’ aur aapka bhi!
And those marvelously fine song-sequences! As a sample, let me re-produce an extract of my earlier blog on ‘the best picturised song-sequences on Hindi screen’:
Kaantonse keenchte hai aanchal:
Rosy (Waheeda Rehman) has just rebelled away from a loveless marriage. Now she is emotionally free and wants to revive her passion for dance. She has a loyal escort Raju, the guide (Dev Anand), who takes upon himself the task of ‘guiding’ her towards her goals and happiness. Madame, suddenly unbottled from a repressed life is now all out for some fun like a little girl. She flaunts her ‘payal’s, walking through a crowded bazaar, and the embarrassed guide hides his face with the hat. She clambers on a truck’s back full of haystack, breaks the pots carried by passing women and breaks into dance with gay abandon precariously atop fort-walls, while the nervous guide tries to keep pace with the antics of his ‘mem-saab’ who is celebrating her new-found freedom - 'Aaj phir jeene-ki tamanna hai! Aaj phir marne-ka iraada hai'!
Vijay Anand had been always a master of unique song situations and picturisations . ‘Kaantonse keenchke—‘ is no exception. Full of unbridled energy, under his skillful direction, Fali Mistry’s camera follows a suppressed woman’s escape to liberation, set to S.D.Burman’s fantastic music and Lata’s lively rendering. That one was ecstatic viewing!
Re-live the magic of this song at the following link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgHEJYGjD9g&feature=related
Finally ‘Guide’ is a triumph of creativity for the ever-brilliant master craftsman, Vijay Anand! ‘Guide’ has ‘Goldie’s (as he was called) golden strokes of stylish, sensitive and subtle story-telling in every visual frame from start to finish! We can never ever have another director like Vijay Anand! (BTW we have to thank Dev Anand for not taking upon himself the task of directing ‘Guide’!)
Decades have passed, but I think ‘Guide’ must be literally a guide for film-makers aspiring to turn out a well-balanced entertaining classic! When it comes to modern Hindi film classics, the ‘Guide’ shall always lead ahead!
Congrats and Best wishes to Dev anand on his achievement at the Cannes!
S.V.Nathan.
Reply | | Report Abuse
Dear Shri S. V. Nathan Saab Alias Guide of 2008,
Ye to aap ne pura kamaal kar dikhaya. Wah! Wah! kya baat hai! Execellent Excellent Review!! Itna accha likhoge to mera kya hoga sulekha me. Isse accha to main nahin likh sakta Sulekha me! Ye padh kar dil pur bhar gaya purani yaadon se.
Execellent! Excellent. Your review of 'Guide' is beyond any words that I can express. Aap ne puraani yaaden phir se taaza kar di. Itni Taaza kar di ki mujhe thoda delay kar ke comment likh na padha. Because I had to match my comment at least to some extent the way you wrote.
While reading your post, it appeared to me that I was viewing 'Guide' once again. I had seen Guide in 1966 in third week after it was released sometime in May 1966 if I remember it right.
At that time I had just joined Mahaindra and Mahindra Ltd (at that time at Worli and now in Kandivali) as a Trainee Mechanical Engineer after I had just completed my B.E.(Mech). Along with my other Trainess friends from Mahindra and Mahindra who came with me to see the movie 'Guide' at Kohinoor Talkies in Dadar B.B.
After seeing Guide, we all had a spellbinding effect for weeks together, especially those sharp 3-way dialogues among Dev-Waheeda and Kishore Sahu.You have already pointed out quite correctly the technical superiority of Guide in every department of Film-Making. This movie is undoubtably once in Lifetime movie ever made.
Like you said thanks to Dev Anand for not diretcing the movie, nahin to movie ka poora baara baj jaata. Vijay Ananad (Goldie) was master craftsman in directing film, be it Teesri Manzi or be it Tere Mere Sapne. He was just superb. And while directing Guide, he balanced entertainment and art very accurately and turned the film into one of the most memorable one. And Sachin Da ka kya kehne. Vo to Master Musician pehle se the and when it came to giving music to Dev Saab's banner Navketan, Dada Burman came up with outstanding tunes be it Nau Do Gyarah or Tere Mere Sapne or Taxi Driver. SD came very close to Shankar-Jaikishen in giving quality and versatile music film after films. We all know that and I need not go onto it.
In Guide of all things, I loved the dialogues very much which were written very apt to different scenes and were just right. No more and no less. Just optimum.
Today after reading your blog, I went to a DVD store and bought a DVD of Guide for $5 (not bad)and saw it at home again. Song composition is simply brilliant. Especially that song sequence "Piya Tose Naian Laage Re" based on raga Khamaj by Dada Burman is the best Khamaj song ever composed in Hindi Films. Dada Burman, again composed another song in Tere Mere Sapne based upon same Raga Khamaj "Ta Thai, Ta Ta Thai, Ta Ta Thai Thai That" to which Hema Malini did full justice with a brilliant dance sequence. But this song although very melodious, was nowhere near "Piya Tose". I think while composing "Piya Tose" SD gave best of his lifetime. Initially, he composed Sthaayi and told his assistants to compose Antara while he went out to eat his favorite "PAAN". When he came back and listened to what mess his assistants had made in composing Antara, he immediately discarded Antara and composed his own antara within few minues as stunned assistants watched. Hats Off to SDB, Nobody ever will be born like SDB again.
Nathan Saab, Aap bahut accha likh te ho. I will not be surprised after reading your blogs, some Film Producer might offer you money to write a script for Bollywood. And if that happens then please do not forget to call me to give music to his film. I will appreciate your recommendation.
Once again Brilliant Write Up. Hat Off to you Nathan Saab! Aisehi acche acche Blog likh te rahiye aur sub sulekhites ka dil khush karate rahiye.
Salaam Aap ke sabhi Blogs Ko Salaam,
Kiya Ham Pe Jaadoo, Asar Ko Salaam,
Ko Salaam, Ko Salaam, Ko Salaam, Ko Salaam
Your's Musically,
Dr. Kamath
Reply | | Report Abuse
Dear Gopal-ji,
Thank you so much for the positive response. Yes, 'Guide' was a little long like many other classics of Hollywood or Bollywood, but I didn't find it boring at all. It seems the top 10 list of both of us would closely match. Both 'Guide' and 'Tessri Kasam' would be in my list as well. Few others that would qualify for my top 10 list would be 'Anand', 'Madhumati' and 'Rajnigandha' (the 'pleasant'-est Hindi film ever made, which neither jerked a tear nor made one laugh out loud, but kept one relaxed and smiling throughout!)- BTW all the three had music by Salil Chaudhry.
Regards,
Nathan.
Reply | | Report Abuse
Hi Nathan,
What a marvellous write-up about the film 'Guide'! You would beat film-journalists hollow. I too regard Dev Saheb's role in it as his best ever although I have not known/seen all his films. Waheeda herself played the role of a life time. The songs are sheer gems. I rate this movie as one of the top ten in Hindi cinema. Unfortunately, it was slightly too long. Inane movies get repeat shows on TV channels but this one hardly ever. Many of the modern youngsters may have seen 'Gone with the wind' but not 'Guide', a pity. Raj Kapoor and Waheeda similarly floored me in Teesri Kasam, another memorable movie, one of the top ten as per me.
I happened to be with Dev saheb at a function 5 years ago. I met Waheedaji in Taj Art gallery 10 years ago and chatted with her. Memorable moments for me.
Congrats for this lovely blog.
vs gopal
Reply | | Report Abuse
Pyaare Sablu-ji,
Aap to 'Guide'-ke naamse-hi 'emotional' ho gaye! Aap jaise kalaakar-ko aise 'emotional' hona hi shobha deta hai!! I know how passionate you are about Burman-Da's music. So when I was writing the para about 'Guide's music, you had immediately come to mind and I was imagining your reaction! Lekin Sablu-ji, Yeh maana ki aap Kishore-Da ke bade 'fan' hain, magar Guide'-mein Rafi Saab-ke ek nahin, teen teen sone-jaise gaanon-ka nazar-andaaz karna kahan-ka insaaf hai'?! Just joking, I know you are equally crazy about Rafi's songs as well!
To ek sachhe kalaakar-ko is na-cheez-ka salaam aur dil-se shukriya!
Nathan.
Reply | | Report Abuse
Thank you Sivaram-ji for your warm and sincere appreciation. You are right about Dev Anand. His directorial ventures 'HRHK' and even 'Des Pardes' were reasonably entertaining, but after that I have lost count of how many flops he made! It is puzzling from where he gets the energy (and finance too) to go on making umpteen movies without caring the least about the result! A true 'Karma-yogi'?! As soon as one film flops, he proceeds to make another flop! But you have to salute the man! His enthusiasm and energy at his eighties is something astounding! He has already 'threatened' to make another movie and make it reach the Cannes as well! He deserves all the best wishes for that elusive super-hit!
Regards,
Nathan.
Reply | | Report Abuse
Dear Keshav,
Thank you so much for the compliment!
I guess RKN was upset with the 'cinematic compromises' being made on his story or about the monetary compensation or both! Of course, Vijay Anand did more than full justice to the novel, but then two minds don't think alike, especially if they are creative!
Thank you for bringing to my attention Marco's profession! It was a slip of the key-board on my part. I have made the correction in the blog.
BTW I note that you are Navi Mumbai-te. We could have passed by each other, as I was commuting from my home at Chembur to my ex-office at Sanpada for five long years.
Let's bump into each other more at sulekha.com
cheers,
Nathan.
Reply | | Report Abuse
Thank you Kala BN for the response! Yes, 'Guide' was a 'complete' film in all respects and has a timeless appeal!
Regards,
Nathan.
Reply | | Report Abuse
Dear pavementfreud,
Thank you so much for visiting my blog and responding!
Hope to be in touch with you again,
Nathan.
Reply | | Report Abuse
Thank you doc sundeep for your comments! 'Din dhal jaaye' is indeed one of Rafi's best, but I do like immensely the other two Rafi numbers too from 'Guide', the sweet 'Tere mere sapne' and the bitter 'Kya se kya ho gaya'. The latter one holds a strong repeat value for me because I had not heard the song till I saw the film for the first time, and following seamlessly back-to-back with Lata's 'Sainyya be-imaan' the song with its imaginative setting was like an unexpected 'bonus'.
Regards,
Nathan.
Reply | | Report Abuse
- 1
- 2
Displaying 1 - 10 of 17 Blog Comments