On Valentine’s Day, ‘Pyaasa’ among Time’s top romantic movies

Washington, Feb 14 – Indian director Guru Dutt’s fifties’ classic musical-drama ‘Pyaasa’ has been listed fifth among Time magazine’s Valentine’s Day list of top Romantic Movies. 

For the Feb 14 day celebrating love and affection between intimate companions, ‘Time.com has a list – from the songs you need to ease the pain to the movies that will sweep you up in a romance nearly as epic as your own’

In picking up ‘Pyaasa’, the Time asked: ‘Where did classic Hollywood go when it died?’

And itself answered: ‘To India, where the nation’s pop cinema (Bollywood to you) still attends to antique conventions of family fealty, personal integrity and, of course, all-conquering love.’

‘In this achingly lush tale of a poet whose one true friend is a prostitute, director-star Guru Dutt creates a musical drama as shimmering and ethereal as the poet’s verses, as sultry and earthy as Waheeda Rehman, the 20-year-old actress who became Guru Dutt’s mistress and muse,’ Time said.

”Pyaasa’ means ‘thirst’; if this film is your introduction to the glamour and heartbreak of Indian film, it’ll leave you parched for more,’ it said.

Here are the top ten Romantic Movies:

* Son of the Sheik (1926)

* Dodsworth (1936)

* Camille (1936)

* An Affair to Remember (1957)

* Pyaasa (1957)

* Jules and Jim (1962)

* Chungking Express

* Moulin Rouge (2001)

* Talk to Her (2002)

* Brokeback Mountain (2005)

(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in) 

IANS

New book chronicles the making of Guru Dutt's Pyaasa

She chronicled the lives of Bollywood superstars Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan in her documentaries and Nasreen Munni Kabir's latest offering is a book which narrates the making of Guru Dutt's evergreen masterpiece Pyaasa.

The actor-director's 1957 film is considered a cult classic and the book titled The Dialogue of Pyaasa takes a detailed look at both the man and his work.

Kabir had earlier helmed In Search of Guru Dutt, a three-part documentary on the legendary Indian actor, writer, director and producer to mark his 25th death Anniversary.

The Dialogue of Pyaasa presents a detailed look at the film's making with it's famous dialogues and evergreen songs.

Pyaasa is widely regarded as Dutt's best work and the film was a masterpiece thanks to Abrar Alvi's flawless script and Dutt's deft direction and performance as Vijay, the struggling poet with Waheeda Rehman playing his love interest, Gulabo, the prostitute.

Sahir Ludhianvi's lyrics were brought to life in songs like 'Jaane kya tune kahi', 'Hum aap ki ankhon mein', 'Jaane woh kaise log the jinke', 'Jinhe naaz hai Hind' and 'Yeh duniya agar mil bhi jaaye', composed by SD Burman.

The book, which will be luanched on Wednesday, includes extensive commentary by Kabir and is is available in Hindi, Urdu and English.

PTI