Kaagaz Ke Phool - a film by Guru Dutt, is considered a classic.
Having watched it just yesterday in college for the first time the impression
is still fresh in my head. The opening and closing scenes of the film are
striking and well thought, something that stays with you for a long time. The
movie begins with an old and lonely director Suresh Sinha played by Guru Dutt
who is standing in front of a studio where a big statue is partially shown in
the scene (rendering only the feet visible). The feet of the statue frame the
aged man as he stands; this is symbolic of the main theme of the film, which is
about the frailness and diminutive authority and control that man has over
things that surround him and also his own life.
The flashback sequence shows us a magnificent set, grand and
impressive it rightly highlights the glitz and glamour of his golden days at
the peak as he reminisces his past. Some of the scenes where young girls flock
to get a glimpse of him and maybe an autograph, and people attracted by the
show of films, are really well thought and that shows in the execution.
As the plot progresses we see the director – Suresh Sinha and his
find Shanti fall in love with each other. As this growing closeness causes more
trouble in his already troubled married life. More so with the coming of Pammi
who extracts a promise from her to leave, Shanti finally goes away to a village
and becomes a teacher. Suresh on the other hand, can’t stand on his own,
without Pammi, his daughter and now having Shanti left too – he is completely
alone and depressed. Rocky (his brother in law) brings her back, in order
to get Sinha’s life back on track. But when Shanti tries helping Suresh, his
ego comes in the way and he refuses. He would never take help from anybody, he
rather surrender himself to self-pity and alcohol.
I feel he was not what we nowadays
call, that ‘into’ the girl. The film depicts two people who understand each
other very well but can't be together. But I still have some questions. When
Pammi leaves him, why doesn’t Suresh go up to Shanti and resolve
the issue and show her that her absence didn’t really help salvage his
marriage. Also Suresh enjoys her simple hero-worship of him without really
responding. He just likes being loved unconditionally and Shanti knows
this. In the end nobody learns anything, nobody cries, and Suresh
dies in the pit. Life moves on. Suresh in particular, but Shanti too, have
plenty of opportunities to improve the course of their lives, and their persistent
refusal to take advantage of them, can get on your nerves. They refuse to take
responsibility for there own happiness.
But the cinematography as always is
a highlight of Dutt's films. The use of lighting is fitting, as it accentuates
the grimness. The use of light during the screening of Sinha’s ‘Devdas’ at the
premiere is a good example of the clever use of light. Dutt also used
overlapping images and, the camera often moves and lingers creating a
mesmerizing effect. ‘Waqt ne kiya’ is a memorable track from the film not only
because of meaningful lyrics and haunting voices, but also because of the way
it has been beautifully shot. The camera work is remarkable, to V.K. Murthy’s
credict who created the light beams and lenses for Dutt. The sliding lime
lights and later sliding martinis worked very well, they just show the
creativity even more in the making of the film.
It is India ’s
first cinemascope film; has wonderful sets, good direction, fine lighting,
superb acting, well choreographed frames to boast about, and in all a very well
made film!
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