SYNOPSIS

Pyaasa/ ETERNAL THIRST - 29 Oct 2008 6.30pm - Director:Guru Dutt - 1957/B&W/Romance/146′/urdu

Plot: Unemployed Vijay is the youngest in his family consisting of his widowed mom, and two brothers. His passion is poetry - frowned upon by his brothers - who want him to find gainful employment instead. He takes to drinking, gets into trouble with the law, disowned by his brothers, ends up at a brothel and befriends a prostitute named Gulabo. Gulabo is sympathetic, listens to him as he pours his heart out, and decides to assist Vijay. Gulabo approaches some of her affluent clientèle to assist Vijay and try and get his work published, without revealing that they are written by an alcoholic, disheveled, homeless man.

Chaudhvin Ka Chand /FULL MOON - 30 Oct 2008 6.30pm - Director:M. Sadiq - 1960/B&W-Colour/ Romance/169′/urdu

Plot: Nawab Pyare Mian gets a close look at a stunning woman in a busy market place, and is left stunned by her beauty. Unable to get her out of his mind, he asks his friends, Shedad and Aslam, for assistance. Then to Nawab’s delight he spots her at his sister’s birthday celebration, and asks Nasibhan to find out who she is. After a few misunderstandings, he does find out her name, which is Jameela. But the problem is that his friend, Aslam, has also fallen for her, and the friends will have to make sacrifices for each other, then after that the decision will be Jameela’s to decide who to chose for her life-partner. Awards:3 wins & 4 nominations

Kaagaz Ke Phool /PAPER FLOWERS - 1 Nov 2008- 3.30pm - Director:Guru Dutt - 1959/B&W/148′/ romance /hindi

Plot: Suresh Sinha, who comes from a poor background, makes it big in the Bombay-based Indian film industry . He meets Veena Varma, and gets married. A daughter named Pramila is born. Suresh meets with débutante Shanti and falls head over heels in love with her and begins to promote her career. Disagreements arise between Veena and Suresh, and they decide to separate, with Pramila staying on with her dad. Veena’s dad, brings about a legal action against Suresh for custody of Pramila. Suresh loses focus, unable to concentrate on his career, which ends in his entire estate being auctioned to pay off his debts, and he becomes a homeless drunk. Suresh attempts a comeback. The question remains will Suresh make a successful start as an actor, and will Shanti and he start a relationship?    Awards:2 wins

Mr. & Mrs. ‘55 - 2 Nov 2008 3.30 pm - Director:Guru Dutt - 1955/B&W/157′/hindi

Plot: A young, naive heiress, in custody of a martinet and flamingly feminist aunt is forced into a ‘marriage of convenience’ with an unemployed cartoonist in an attempt to save her millions - a move orchestrated by the scheming aunt. However, in the course of her ostensibly married life, she learns the true meaning of marriage and the deep significance of being an Indian wife, much to the dismay of her aunt, who, in adherence to her wayward beliefs, has been trying to instill every kind of anti-male sentiment in her niece’s ingenuous mind.

Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam / KING QUEEN AND SLAVE - 2 Nov 2008 - 6.30 pm - Director:Abrar Alvi - 1962/ B&W/152′/urdu

Plot: A young man named Bhoot Nath is hired as a servant to a very wealthy zamindar. The zamindar is married to a beautiful woman, but every night frequents brothels and dancing ladies. Bhoot Nath finds out that his wife is a very lonely woman, and they both come close, and soon form a platonic relationship. This enables Bhoot Nath to see the life of his mistress through her perspective, and the life she is doomed to live. Awards:4 wins & 1 nomination

GURU DUTT - The Icon

Guru Dutt , one of the greatest icons of commercial Indian cinema was considered to be a man ahead of his time,. Although he made less than 50 films during his lifetime, they are believed to be the best to come from Bollywood’s Golden Age, known both for their ability to reach out to the common man and for their artistic and lyrical content, and they went on to become trendsetters that have influenced Bollywood ever since.

Dutt was born in Mysore on 9 July 1925, the eldest son of a headmaster and a housewife who was a part-time writer. He received his early education in Calcuta, and in 1941, he joined the Uday Shankar India Culture Center, where he received basic training in the performing arts under dance maestro Uday Shankar. Afterward, in 1944, he had a short stint as a telephone operator.

Dutt entered the Indian film industry in 1944, working as a choreographer in Prabhat Studios. There, he became friends with Dev Anand (whom he met when they worked on the film Hum Ek Hain (1946)) and Rehman. After Prabhat Studios went under in 1947, Dutt moved to Mumbai, where he worked with the leading directors of the time: Amiya Chakrabarty in Girls’ School (1949) and Gyan Mukherjee in Sangram (1946).

He got his big break when Dev Anand invited him to direct a film in his newly formed company Navketan Films. Dutt made his directorial debut with Baazi (1951), which starred Dev Anand. The film was an urban crime thriller that paid homage to classic film noir. However, it also carried its own elements that ensured it was not a remake of a Hollywood film: notably, songs were used to further the story’s narrative, and close-up shots were used frequently. The film was a success and became a trendsetter for future crime films.

Dutt’s next releases were Jaal (1952) and Baaz (1953). Dutt made his acting debut in the latter film, which he also directed. But while they were average successes, he finally tasted success with Aar-Paar (1954), another crime thriller, but with a far more polished story and look. Then came Mr. & Mrs. ‘55 (1955), a frothy romantic comedy focusing on women’s’ rights; and C.I.D. (1956), yet another crime thriller in which Waheeda Rehman made her debut.

His next films, Pyaasa (1957) and Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959), are regarded as his best work. Pyaasa (1957) was his masterpiece, about a poet trying to achieve success in a hypocritical, uncaring world. It was a box-office hit and is ranked as his greatest film ever.

Dutt continued to produce and act in films, notably the period dramas Chaudhvin Ka Chand (1960) and Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962). The latter film, interestingly, is controversial because it is debated whether Dutt had ghost-directed the film

Dutt passed away on 10 October 1964. His death was an irreplaceable loss to Indian cinema. Guru Dutt would always be known, even if posthumously, as the Guru of Bollywood’s Golden Age and one of the world’s most important international auteurs….