Guide (1965) : Movie Review

Guide Movie Poster
Guide

Guide

Starring Dev Anand, Waheeda Rehman, Leela Chitnis, Kishore Sahu

Screenplay and dialogue by Vijay Anand

Music by S.D. Burman

Lyrics by Shailender

Produced by Dev Anand

Directed by Vijay Anand

Guide is based on R.K. Narayan’s award winning novel “The Guide”. The novel comes to life with Raju as the central character, played on screen by Dev Anand. A dynamic guide in the city of Udaipur, Raju is so popular among the masses that tourists actually ask for him when they come to visit the City of Lakes. Fluent in a number of languages, he is the perfect beacon of knowledge. Marco (Kishore Sahu), an archaeologist visits the city with his wife Rosie (Waheeda Rehman), seeking to research on some caves. There is clear distress in their marital life, and as problems start piling up, Rosie decides to separate from her husband. Sparks then fly between Rosie and Raju and the two fall in love. Coming from a family of courtesans, Rosie is passionate about dancing, but her passion is condemned by society. Having surpassed much criticism and the glare of the public eye, Raju and Rosie team up. Raju becomes Rosie’s manager while she achieves great success in this field, performing all over the country. But, to Rosie’s disappointment, Raju develops a haughty attitude. He is also put in jail on account of forging Rosie’s signature. From here on, there is heartbreak, despair and wonder at the turn of events. Towards the end, the two meet again, in an unexpected place and at an unexpected time, when Raju is a completely changed man.

The major performances to look out for in the film are by Dev Anand and Waheeda Rehman. Dev Anand brings out Raju’s character to the best of his abilities. He is handsome, witty and intelligent ,while Waheeda Rehman is the alluring danseuse. The two compliment each other very well.

The music of Guide is probably the best thing about the film. Piya tohse, tere mere sapne, gaata rahe mera dil, and so on.. Each and every song can be singled out and appreciated for its soulful composition! Hats off to the entire musical team of Guide, including the sweet sounding voices of legendary singers! The film has been beautifully shot in various locations of Rajasthan, primarily in the picturesque city of Udaipur. The creative cinematography clearly speaks for itself.

Few people know that Guide was initially shot in English! This version was written by American novelist Pearl S. Buck and produced and directed by Tad Danielewski. However, as it didn’t fare well at the box office, a Hindi version was made where Dev Anand’s brother Vijay Anand was roped in to direct the film.

There are not enough words to describe the beauty of this timeless classic! Watch it to know it!

Rating – *****