Guide (film)
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| Guide | |
|---|---|
 Film poster |
|
| Directed by | Vijay Anand |
| Produced by | Vijay Anand |
| Written by | Vijay Anand R. K. Narayan (novel) |
| Starring | Dev Anand Waheeda Rehman Leela Chitnis |
| Music by | S. D. Burman |
| Cinematography | Fali Mistry |
| Editing by | Vijay Anand Babu Sheikh |
| Release date(s) | 9 February 1965  |
| Running time | 183 min. |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
| IMDb profile | |
Guide (1965) is an Indian movie directed by Vijay Anand, who also contributed with the screenplay. The movie is based on the critically acclaimed novel by R. K. Narayan, it is widely considered to be one of the masterpieces of the Indian film industry. The movie stars Dev Anand and Waheeda Rehman.
The film was highly successful upon release. This movie is memorable not only for it's unique plot but also for the performances of the lead actors, Waheeda Rehman has admitted that Rosie was the best role she played, and most critics consider Dev Anand's performance in this movie to be his finest.
A 120 minute U.S. version was made with additional directing, writing, and production by Tad Danielewski.
[edit] Plot summary
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The movies starts with Dev Anand coming out of a jail, and then the story runs in flashback. Dev Anand stars as Raju, a freelance guide, who earns his living by taking visitors to historic sites. One day a wealthy and aging archaeologist Marco comes to the city with his young wife Rosie (Waheeda Rehman). Marco wants to do some research on the caves outside the city and hires Raju as his guide. It doesn't take too long for Raju to realize that their marital life is on rocks. Raju developes a soft corner for Rosie, he comes to learn about Rosie's past and her love for dancing, which is something totally unacceptable to Marco. Marco gets busy with the caves and Raju takes Rosie out for a tour of the nearby sites. On returning back to Udaipur, Rosie discovers that Marco is having an affair with a native tribal girl. Raju induces Rosie to leave Marco and come with him, and she does exactly that.
After learning of Raju's affair with Rosie, his mother leaves him, his friend and driver also abuse him and severe all ties with him. He loses his business and the entire town develops animosity towards him. Undeterred by these setbacks, Raju helps Rosie embark on a singing and dancing career, and she achieves instant stardom. With money in hand Raju falls into bad habits, such as gambling and drinking. One day he is caught forging a check, is arrested and ends up spending a number of years in jail. On the day of his release his mother and Rosie come to pick him up but they are told that he was released six months ago because of his good behaviour.
Upon his release Raju wanders alone, a farmer (Bhola) finds him sitting alone in a temple and mistakes him for a saint. Bhola is having a problem with his sister, Raju uses his vocal skills and knowledge to convince the girl to act according to her brother's wish. Impressed by this Bhola spreads the news through village, and he is taken as a holy man in the village. The farmers begin to bring gifts for him and start consulting him with their problems. Initially Raju enjoys this newly endowed demigod status, as this provides him with food, shelter and all the basic necessities without working too hard. He makes the village temple his abode and starts acting like a real saint, he begins growing a beard and dressing accordingly, and is called Swami Raju. Slowly he learns of the problems that plague the life of his disciples, he actually starts taking interest in their lives. He acts as a teacher to the village kids, and makes efforts to make the life a better experience for his followers.
A famine hits the whole region and now the villagers begin fearing for worst, they ask their spiritual guru (Raju) to fast to bring rain. At first Raju opposses the idea, going as far as telling Bhola that he is just a human like all of them and even worse a convict. But even the confession was not enough for the villagers to give up on their belief. He reluctantely goes to fast, although he does not believe that there is any relation between a man's hunger and rain. With fast Raju undergoes a spiritual transformation, and as the duration of his fast increases, his fame starts spreading and people from all corners come to see him and take his blessings. In one of the most memorable scenes an American journalist asks him wheteher he truly believes that his fast would bring rain, he smiles and says "These people have faith in me, and I have faith in their faith". Upon hearing his fame Rosie pays him a visit, so does his mother and his friend. He now has everything he has lost a long time back, in the final scenes of movie his health his falling, and he thinks about the meaning of his life. One one hand there is Rosie, his Mother and a chance to get back to his past life, on the other hand is a cause, he eventually decides not to end his fast. In the final scene, when it starts raining and everyone rushes to outside leaving him behind, he hears the rainfall and collapses.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Guide at the Internet Movie Database
