At a time when the 'my country, right or wrong' attitude is sweeping over the majority, the Pyaasa songm Jinhe Naaz Hai Hind Par Woh Kahan Hain brings a much-needed sense of reality.
It questions: How can one feel any sense of pride when women are treated like this?
Utkarsh Mishra salutes Guru Dutt's classic that turns 68 this month.
Guru Dutt's immortal classic Pyaasa released on February 22, 1957. The film is often dubbed as 'ahead of its time', and that's more than just a cliché.
In fact, Pyaasa feels even more relevant today than it did upon its release.
The struggles of an artist against an apathetic society resonate deeply in an era where the onslaught of technology threatens the very essence of artistic expression.
Despite its brilliance, Pyaasa was considered a risky venture at the box office.
Legend has it that distributors were so uncertain about its commercial viability that they insisted on adding the song Hum Aapki Aankhon Mein, offering a lighter moment of respite to the audiences from the film's pervasive melancholy.
In fact, there was a debate between Guru Dutt and writer Abrar Alvi regarding the film's ending.
The latter wanted the protagonist to embrace the recognition and love finally bestowed upon him, while the former insisted that he renounce it all. In the end, Guru Dutt prevailed.
Pyaasa tells the story of a struggling poet, Vijay, played by Guru Dutt, and his experiences in a heartless world where 'the dead are worshipped, and the living are trampled upon.'
Vijay fails to secure a job after finishing college and struggles to make a living by getting his poetry published. However, since he writes too much about the real world rather than penning down rosy verses, his work always ends up in the dustbin of publishers.
Reduced to a pauper, Vijay is thrown out of his house by his elder brothers, who don't want a freeloader in the family. Only his mother loves and cares for him.
Vijay later discovers that his brothers have also sold his collection of poems as scrap. He rushes to the scrap dealer, only to find out that a woman has already bought it.
Disheartened and dejected, Vijay chooses to sleep on park benches or at a friend's place rather than return to a home where no one recognises his art.
A chance invitation to a college reunion introduces Vijay to a wealthy publisher, who offers him a job -- not to publish his poems, but to confirm a doubt that he has. Vijay is in for more shocks and surprises.
However, he finally meets an admirer. One night, on the streets, Vijay hears a prostitute singing a song he wrote and realises that she is the woman who bought his poetry collection from the scrap dealer.
Yet, Vijay does not seek love or romance. He is too disturbed by the ways of society, where everyone seems to care only for themselves.
However, he does want his poetry back.
Portrayal of Women
Two female characters play pivotal roles in the movie.
One is Meena, played by Mala Sinha, Vijay's former lover from college. Vijay sarcastically introduces her as a 'decent woman of high society', who left him to marry a wealthy man because he was unemployed.
I believe this is the weakest point of the movie, where Meena's choice is condescendingly portrayed as wrong.
To his surprise, Vijay discovers that Meena is married to his boss, Mr Ghosh, the publisher, who, having sensed their past relationship during the reunion party, employed Vijay with the sole intention of exposing them.
The other character is Gulabo, played by Waheeda Rehman, the prostitute who bought Vijay's poems from the scrap dealer and eventually falls in love with him. She is a kind-hearted woman who, despite being abused and exploited by society, continues to admire life and love.
Though Vijay is deeply sensitive in general, he is especially sympathetic toward oppressed women. This aspect is brought out elaborately in the movie.
Not only is the portrayal of Gulabo and other prostitutes refreshingly humane, but there are also moments where Vijay is visibly disturbed by their suffering.
One scene stands out: His friends take a grief-stricken Vijay to a brothel, where one of the dancers is forced to leave behind her ailing, crying baby to tend to clients. This provokes Vijay to recite Jinhe Naaz Hai Hind Par Woh Kahan Hain, one of Sahir Ludhianvi's many classics.
At a time when the 'my country, right or wrong' attitude is sweeping over the majority, this song brings a much-needed sense of reality.
It questions: How can one feel any sense of pride when women are treated like this?
Zara mulk ke rahbaron ko bulao,
Ye kooche, ye galiyan, ye manzar dikhao,
Jinhe naaz hai Hind par unko laao.
(Bring the rulers of this country to these streets and show them this reality. Bring here those who are proud of India.)
A Nihilistic Movie?
I have often come across reviews or commentaries that call Guru Dutt's character in Pyaasa nihilistic. I believe such interpretations misunderstand the film or lack a proper understanding of the term.
Yes, one might be misled by the last song, Yeh Duniya Agar Mil Bhi Jaye To Kya Hai, which contains lines like:
Jala do ise, phoonk daalo yeh duniya,
Mere saamne se hata lo yeh duniya.
(Burn down this whole world, take it away from my sight.)
But these lines are not a rejection of life itself.
They denounce the order, traditions, and attitudes that torment Vijay, the very structures he wishes to see changed.
Lying unconscious in a hospital bed, Vijay is shocked to learn that his poems have been published and have become widely popular -- but only because the world believes he is dead.
When those who once ignored him and who now profit from his posthumous fame discover that he is alive, they refuse to acknowledge him. They fear losing the wealth and prestige they have gained off his name.
This betrayal infuriates Vijay. He realises that his so-called admirers love his poems only because they believe the writer is no longer alive to claim them. If he is found to be living, their status and profits will vanish.
Eventually, one publisher, who had previously rejected his work, acknowledges him as alive. But Vijay soon understands that even this recognition is not out of compassion -- it is just another business opportunity. His so-called 'loved ones' now rush to stake their claim to his fame.
That is when he delivers his final verdict: Even if I get this world, it isn't worth having because I do not accept it in its current form.
Vijay rejects the stardom that comes his way, not because he is a nihilist, but because embracing it would contradict everything he has fought against. He makes this clear in his final conversation with Meena when she asks why he is walking away from the recognition he once craved.
'I do not complain about any individual. I complain about a society that strips a man of his compassion. A society that turns brothers and friends into enemies for the sake of self-interest. I object to a world that worships the dead and tramples the living underfoot.'
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