I saw Pyaasa appear in Time Magazine's list of the Top 100 films of the 20th century. The only other Indian entry was (predictably) Satyajit Ray's Apu Trilogy. My interest in Guru Dutt was piqued. It seems (along with, to some extent, Raj Kapoor) he was amongst the few film-makers of his time who could be appreciated as an auteur. One can (as many have) view this film as highly autobiographical. And it is not a bad film. I hate to add the age-old qualifier "by Indian standards" but it is required here. Dutt and Ray films might be apples and oranges, but clearly Ray's work can compete with foreign auteurs, whilst Dutt can as best be seen as the closest Bollywood came to generating a cross-over talent.
Anyways, about the film itself, it has some stellar performances, not least by Dutt himself. Johnny Walker provides his trademark comic relief, as does Tun Tun. The female leads are alright, and the supporting cast (Rehman and Mehmood especially) adds much to the film. The song sequence Dutt portrays (decrying prostitution) while drinking is a tour de force. The fluid camera movements that pepper the length of the film are marvelous. The last act of the film, however, is highly derivative of Preston Sturges' "Sullivan's Travels", and seems to drag on longer than it should.
Ultimately, I am impressed enough to seek out more of Guru Dutt's work, including "Kaaghaz Ke Phool" and "Sahib Biwi aur Ghulam".
Anyways, about the film itself, it has some stellar performances, not least by Dutt himself. Johnny Walker provides his trademark comic relief, as does Tun Tun. The female leads are alright, and the supporting cast (Rehman and Mehmood especially) adds much to the film. The song sequence Dutt portrays (decrying prostitution) while drinking is a tour de force. The fluid camera movements that pepper the length of the film are marvelous. The last act of the film, however, is highly derivative of Preston Sturges' "Sullivan's Travels", and seems to drag on longer than it should.
Ultimately, I am impressed enough to seek out more of Guru Dutt's work, including "Kaaghaz Ke Phool" and "Sahib Biwi aur Ghulam".