Guru Dutt’s much acclaimed Pyaasa is widely accredited of being a honourable departure from the formulaic fare of that period. While at the helms Pyaasa indeed harbours a deep spiritual revelation that denounces materialistic pleasure, at the same time that view is very lopsided, anachronistic, and partial and thus the entire experience is nothing more than 2 hours of repetitive sorrow, largely reflective of the despondent and dejected psyche of the director.
The story is marvellous: A rejected poet, Vijay(Guru Dutt)lost in this materialistic world of ignorant and selfish people who only value material pleasures and only support people who have money. In this world, Vijay has no place, his blessing is his beautiful expression of poetry for which he thirsts for recognition and fame. Yet this blessing becomes his grief, none are interested in his talents, non care about him. To them, he is a nobody, a loser with no future. His brothers disown him. His college girlfriend, Meena(Mala Sinah) disposes him for monetary security from a rich publisher.His brothers kick him out from his own home. In this world of selfish people, a prostitute, Gullabo(Waheeda Rahman) is his only well-wisher and one that falls in love with him. When Vijay learns of his mothers death and reaches his threshold of tolerance, he decides to commit suicide on the train tracks. When he goes to commit suicide he encounters a beggar shivering in the cold at the station. He gives him his coat and proceeds. The begger follows him(I still don’t knot why) but his foot gets caught in the tracks, while incoming is the train. Vijay attempts to save him, but is unable too. The begger is killed, but badly disfigured, with only a coat and a note inside to identify him. Thus everyone thinks Vijay has killed himself. Gullabo wanting to tribute Vijay, gives all her savings to a publishing house to publish his works. The publishers wanting to exploit the tragic life of this poet, publish his works. His works are published and become a ravishing success all over. Later, the publishers learn that Vijay is still alive, but locked up in a mental asylum for claiming he the author of the book, but the publishers refuse to recognise him to maintain that he is still dead. Further more, they bribe his brothers not to recognise him either. To Vijay’s aid comes his friend(Johnny walker) who helps him escape from the asylum. Then Vijay turns up at an assembly where a huge congregation is gathered to tribute his works, and here, he denounces this selfish and materialistic world with his final recitation and proceeds to continue the rest of his life with Gullabo in a spiritual reunion.
Whereas the story sounds remarkable, it all falls apart, mostly because of the earlier portions of the film.
The treatment is a long, overdrawn and subjective plot of repetitive sorrow of the protagonist and his tendency to express his discontent with poetry. This repetitive hammering drives the film to the point of becoming unwatchable at times. Thus I would not recommend Pyaasa to a majority of cine goers, as its basically a chronicling of the misfortunes of a rejected poet. The message of the film to denounce all materialistic pleasures is a rather naive and a delusional falsified reality. Materials are a human necessity. Without money, we cannot have shelter, nor food nor basic entertainment that make life interesting. While in Pyaasa, the main protagonist is homeless, starving and dejected, due to the very fact that he has no financial support. Further more, we also have to express sympathy for Vijay and resent for Meena, where in fact her reasons for leaving him were justified. Why should she throw away her future, to run astray with a homeless, that is adamant on poetic expression, when clearly the world does not want poetic expression. If you were her; what would you do?
Another scene that enraged me was where Vijay is refused services by a restaurant. It is engineered in such a manner, that we are suppose to sympathise with Vijay and feel resent for the owner. However the owner is doing his job. If he starts feeding the poor, then how is going to support himself and his family? Did Guru Dutt bother to explain this? Nope. He wanted us to resent the owner, and he emphasises these intentions by making the owner’s character unlikable.
Contradictory to the type of praise Pyaasa has garnered of being largely none commercial, the commercial elements are in fact, present, and both irritating. Some of the songs are itemised, take for instance a dream sequence song in the clouds, and a typical song played by the jogan in the background in another number. Also present is a detachable comedy angle provided with the presence of Johnny Waker, which also accounts for one song that could have been deleted - although definitely hummable.
There are some noticable loopholes in the script worthy of mention.
The climax in the auditorium:
As soon as the lights are turned off, the people run hectic as if war sirens have been signaled. Come on folks, its only the lights, like you’ve never had a power shortage before?
Vijay discovers his mother has passed away
When Vijay discovers his mother has passed away, without no explanation, his next appearance is at a brothel with friends, feeling as dejected as usual. Yet the initial emotions the instant he learns of her death are hastly looked over and quite abruptly cuts into the next scene.
Performances are outstanding from most characters, in particular Guru Dutt who excels as the dejected Vijay, it appears that this character was his own portrayal. Waheeda Rehman peforms like a classic starlet and Mala sinah is also competent.
Production quality is poor, marred mostly with bad sound and editing. Picture is black and white and largely dark and speckled.
Pyaasa covers all those darker shades of life, from prostitution, a lamenting loved one, greed, treachery, disownment, while not wasting one moment to provide the argument for material living too. Thus a film that is quite naive and idealistic, that portrays a dark reality of life and the people that live in it.
I would have much appreciated a more balanced and objective outlook, even if it was still dark. At least an attempt at creating more vivid and three dimensional characters, as opposed to characters that only compliment the protagonist whim’s and desires. While this maybe recognised as Dutt’s finest work, I would argue, it is one of his weakest. I much prefer ’’Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam’’ and ’’Kagez-ke-phool’’ to this.
In 1957 another film, Mother India, was released. It went on to the Oscars. It was tragic, but celebrating at the same time. It had a dozen songs, but each song had meaning at the same time. It was long, but engaging at the same time. It had many characters, but each character was alive at the same time. It was old, but technically impressive at the same time. In all factions of film-making, Pyaasa is a largely inferior product to Mother India and at many times becomes redundant, that I had to forward it. Yet to be fair to Pyaasa I watched it again, because I was largly at conflict with the views of the film, upon seeing it again, I appreciated it more and understood more of the artisitry of the emotions. I applaud the attempt, the performances, some of those wonderful songs and the beautiful lyrics, but for the film and the maker, I recommend antidepressants and perhaps a crucial lessons from Mother India - ’’If we have come to this world, we will have to live, even if life be poison, we will still have to drink it.’’