Raju (Dev Anand), just out of jail, is ashamed to face his mother, so he wanders into some village, hungry & tired. Someone offers him food thinking Raju is a holy man [he is wearing a saffron scarf] he doesn’t bother to correct them. Situations become such that he finds himself being hailed as a holy man.
Flashback: Rosie (Waheeda Rehman) daughter of a temple dancer was married to a old archeologist Marco (Kishore Sahu), in an attempt to give her a respectable life. Once they visit Raju’s village & he persuades them to take him as their guide. One night Rosie catches Marco with some other woman & dejected she tries to commit suicide. Raju saves her & encourages her to leave Marco, pursue her interest in dancing & lead a life of her own. He also confesses that he loves her & would be with her forever. Encouraged by Raju & feeling the same for him, she leaves Marco & lives with Raju. People in villages start objecting to this ’live-in’ relationship yet Raju is firm on his decision to stand by Rosie & he fights with his friends & even his mother.
Raju becomes Rosie’s manager, forgetting about his own work as a guide. With his help & her talent Rosie becomes a star, making them rich. Raju settles into the comfortable life & gets hooked to drinking & gambling. This affects their relation. When her husband Marco tries to woo her back, Raju starts feeling insecure & he forges her signature. They have a disagreement & Raju leaves her. Soon his forged signature is discovered & misunderstanding him Rosie doesn’t stop the police from arresting him. Soon Rosie realises her mistake & meets Raju in jail, promising to wait for him. Instead she meets Raju’s mother, they console each other & wait to hear from Raju.
Raju now become a very known holy man, where with his ’’holy tactics’’ he helps the village to acquire its own school, hospital & also a postal service. Once he narrates a story his mother had told him, about a holy man who had kept a fast for twelve days to bring rain to a parched land. When such a drought hits their village, they turn to Raju, begging him to fast for them. Poor Raju !!! his acting has now become life-threatening for him. Initially he is very reluctant to keep this fast & also tries to run away from the village but seeing the faith all the villagers & even children have in him, Raju is touched & goes through a emotional change. Everyone is keen to see this sadhu who is fasting to bring rain. Raju is visited by thousands of devotees & these also include his mother & lover Rosie. As the 12th day comes near Raju starts believing that this is a task assigned to him by god. Even though he is weak with hunger, he remains fasting, which is threatening to kill him. On the 12th day the rains come & the whole village is jubilant, dancing wildly while Raju dies of starvation........
The Performances :
Dev Anand is the life & soul of Guide This is the best role of his filmi career. One cannot imagine any other actor playing the role of Raju Guide. . I remember, as a kid watchg him sing Jiyaa O , in the film Jab Pyaar Kisise hota hain & thinkg he was the most handsome man on earth. My dad said he imitated a foreign actor Gregory Peck but even when I saw Peck’s movies, there was no denying that Dev Anand had a charm of his own. Even in an era that belonged to Raj Kapoor & Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand was the only ’romantic’ hero who had made a place for himself, forming the trio that had dominated Indian cinema since the fifties. With his good looks & fun-filled, yet meaningful films this ’evergreen hero’, has ensured a very special niche in the public mind. [However, after Swami Dada, I stopped watching his movies :)]
Waheeda Rehman is beautiful, elegant, dances like magic & a great actress too ! So many qualities are rarely found in one actress. For Waheeda, the role of Rosie didn’t seem to be much of a challenge, she was so natural playing her role here that one ceases to see Waheeda & can see her only as Rosie.
The film is enhanced richly by the performances of all the supporting actors particularly Leela Chitnis & Kishore Sahu.
The Director :
Dev Anand’s brother, Vijay Anand, directed this film. Making a film on the subject of ’’live in’’ relationship in 1960s was a very bold step & the film way ahead of its time.
The Music/Songs :
Aaj Phir Jeene ki Tamanna,
Tere Mere Sapne Ab,
Din Dhal Jaaye,
Gaata Rahe Mera Dil,
Piya Tose Naina Lage Re,
Mohse Chhal Kiye Ja,
Kya se Kya Ho Gaya,
Allah Megh De,
Wahaan Kaun Hai Tera *
The music was by S.D. Burman, who needs no introduction for his contribution to Indian film industry. The film has Burman’s greatest work, each song has beautiful music that remains in our mind even after so many years. ** S.D Burman sang the best song in Guide ’’Wahaan Kaun Hai Tera Musafir Jaayega Kahan’’ Can anyone forget this song?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PS: due to MS 8000 charac limit, I’d to re-edit the earlier review & make it much shorter ! THANX for reading :)