Revisiting the 1965 classic,Guide. Some films never grow old. Vijay Anands masterpiece,Guide (1965),has that timeless appeal. Based on RK Narayans novel of the same name,Guide is a rare film which makes it difficult for a viewer to say that the novel was better. Dev Anands performance as the guide Raju,whose journey takes him from sinner to saint through the passage of love,fame,shame and salvation,was moving. So was Waheeda Rahmans portrayal of Rosie. Her dancing skills were captured to perfection by Fali Mistry,whose camera seemed to be making love to her in every frame. But Guide belongs to its director,Vijay Anand,who incidentally was not the first choice for directing it. Dev had initially asked brother,Chetan Anand,to direct it for his banner,Navketan. It was decided to make two versions of Guide the 120-minute English version was directed by Tad Danielewski. The idea was to shoot both versions simultaneously,a Hindi shoot to be immediately followed by the same shot in English to save time and money. But Tad and Chetan had creative differences. They couldnt even agree on where to place the camera. So we went ahead with the English version first, says 87-year-old Dev. When the Hindi version was ready to go on the floors,Chetan got busy with Haqeeqat. So,Dev cajoled his younger brother,Vijay,to take charge. Goldie (as Vijay was affectionately known) was reluctant. He had his reservations about the theme of adultery and did not agree with the English script. I told Goldie to do a fresh,Indian script, says Dev. Vijays interpretation was subtle but pathbreaking Guide was way ahead of its time. Raju and Rosie were unapologetically flawed. Waheeda,too,wasnt the first choice for Rosie. Leela Naidu was,but Dev felt this was Waheedas role. Pearl Buck,the writer of the English version,became Waheedas English tutor to improve her diction. Other producers had warned Waheeda against playing Rosie,a character who was everything a 60s heroine wasntshe chooses career over marriage,falls in love with another man while being married and then dumps her boyfriend when he begins to stifle her. Two particular dialogues give away Rosies latent sense of entrapment Marco,main jeena chahti hoon, and Dil ke aas-paas ek qila sa ban gaya hai. Ab kisi sukh dukh ka farq hi nahin padta. SD Burmans lilting musical score was a third major character in the film. The music set the philosophical tone. As the song Wahan kaun hai tera plays,a fresh-out-of-prison Raju decides which road to take one that will take him back to his shameful past or one towards a new beginning. Shailendras lyrics are poignant,especially Aaj phir jeene ki tamanna hai,aaj phir marne ka iraada hai. The story goes that Burman had fallen ill when only one song was left to be recorded. But Dev was adamant that he wouldnt release the film without that song and waited two months for Burman to recuperate. The song was Gaata rahe mera dil. The visuals complemented the music. The way Guides songs were shot are regarded as ideal by many filmmakers even today,including choreographer- director Farah Khan. In todays film,if a girl wants to have fun,shell probably belly-dance at a nightclub,but in Guide,Waheeda breaks an earthen pot to the lines,dil woh chala. My personal favourite,purely because of its economy of movement,is Tere mere sapne,a song that Vijay shot in three long takes with the two leads in fading twilight. The lyrics of a man assuring a woman of his deepest commitment are sublime and Mohammad Rafi had sung it with all his heart. Dev,who last saw the film at the Cannes film festival in 2007 where it was screened in the classic section,calls Guide eternally modern. But,back in 1965,the film was released with much difficulty. The English version had tanked and public opinion was harsh. There was pressure to ban the film because of the adultery theme. Dev had approached the then information and broadcasting minister,Indira Gandhi,to view the film for her own judgement. Gandhis only reaction after the screening was to tell him: You speak so fast. People said Id go bankrupt because nobody wanted to see Dev Anand as a sadhu. We changed the ending where we killed Raju, the actor recalls. Guide,he says,was written off before its release. But we knew we were making a masterpiece. Indeed. l
