Guide (1965)

Based on an acclaimed novel, 'Guide' takes us through a journey guided by the protagonists Raju (Anand) and Rosie (Rehman). Simply said, the story is about Raju, the tourist guide, who falls in love with an amateur dancer, Rosie, who's married to an archaeologist. Dance is Rosie's passion but due to her husband's discontent, she gives it up in the hope to please him and remain be devoted. Eventually, he abandons her and she seeks solace in Raju's companionship. Raju encourages her to follow her passion. However, the neighborhood, his family and friends object to their relationship and the fact that she's living in his house. Even his mother leaves him. With the help of Raju, Rosie becomes a successful dancer and a star while Raju spends the earnings on gambling, drinking and other such dealings. Rosie, though somewhat bothered by Raju's bad habits, she somehow tolerates them. Stardom has never been her ambition and she continues her dance only for the passion. Then, when Rosie's ex-husband makes his entry, it becomes too much for Raju to handle and here things change from bad to worse.

The story isn't told in chronological order but due to brilliant writing and Anand's direction, it is easy to follow and keeps us engaged as the events unfold proving once again that Anand is one of the greater storytellers. The songs are among the memorable classics (beautiful lyrics) that are spectacularly picturised (thanks to the amazing cinematography and the dazzling locations) and support the narration. The characters are so brilliantly written with different layers showing us very real human beings. None of them are perfect and very easily relatable.

Dev Anand and Waheeda Rehman have acted together in a number of films, yet 'Guide' remains the most memorable film as their chemistry is simply electrifying. Not surprisingly, the characters Raju and Rosie have been immortalized by the two fabulous leads. Dev Anand as Raju delivers his best performance, while Waheeda Rehman as Rosie underplays her part to near perfection and portrays Rosie with élan and I loved her expressions in the song just before Raju is arrested.

Finally, 'Guide' remains one of my favorite classics that I'll recommend to anyone. In my humble opinion it is one that will surprise you with it's storytelling and characters and one that will stay in your brave brain for quite some time.

Fmovies: The book was penned by an ace novelist by the name of R.K.Narayan, who wrote the story surrounding a small village in North India. The director was Vijay Anand younger brother of Dev Anand, who reluctantly accepted the task and changed the location to Udaipur, also called the Pink City, for its ornate pink palaces and now a tourist mecca. The partnership was called Navketan International. Navketan International even handled the advertising for this movie, which was pioneering and unique even for the '60s. The actor playing "Raju" was none other than,Devdutt Pishorimal Anand, Aka Dev Anand, Evergreen Anand, Dev Saab, an English major who trekked his way to Bombay (now Mumbai) the "Hollywood" of India now inaptly titled "Bollywood". Dev Anand was accepted by the Indian moviegoers instantly since he had chiseled features (mixture of Gregory Peck & Rock Hudson!)wore hats at a rakish angle,walked sort of sideways! and spoke Hindi with a clipped and poetic accent. Being handsome compared to some actors who were cherubic! didn't do any harm either. Dev Anand, who started his career in 1946, went on to act in over 100 movies in a span of fifty years, now an octogenarian, writer, producer,director of movies OF which, less said is better!

But If there was one movie that was reflective of the confluent talent that was prevalent in Indian cinema of the '60s and '70s, it had to be "Guide". Dev Anand is not an actor in the sense of acting talent like Raj Kapoor or Rajendra Kumar(Sangam) but he got away because of his good looks. Where as Waheeda Rahman, was the Liz Taylor for looks and Merryl Streep for acting in Indian cinema. The part of "Rosie" was sculpted for her. She was a noted classical dancer. She too was reluctant in accepting the part that had, lot of insinuations and was considered a bad career move. Accepted she did and the rest is history, a cinematic masterpiece caught in Eastman color by cinematographer Jal Mistry. There is a scene, where, Raju (Dev Anand,) is drunk and sings his heart and soul to Rosie (Waheeda Rahman) who has emotions crushed between a pillow and she walks down the stairs and their hands meet between rails. This was the master director Vijay Anand at work using haunting melody of music that was the staple of great music directors like "Dada" Sachin Dev Burman, whose music will linger for ever. "Guide" is a movie you will treasure, to be taken out and watched once in a while, lest we forget the fact that there were gifted craftsmen who made great movies, when movie art was a passion practiced by chosen few. It was a Sacred Sanctum, albeit not Sacred Anymore!!

Based on R.K. Narayan's famous novel, The Guide, Vijay Anand's Guide is a doubtless classic of Hindi movies. In a way, the movie broke tradition by presenting a relationship between a simple man who works as a guide and an unhappily-married woman he assists. The film's most remarkable feat is the lack of over-perfection. The characters are devoid of any heroic qualities. They are, like everybody else, flawed and imperfect people who have their ups and downs, and not typical self-sacrificing figures. The first scene when Dev Anand's Raju is released from prison made me predict that in typical Hindi-film style, he was actually there for no reason and was probably accused for no fault of his own. After all we are so used to seeing movies in which the lead characters are imprisoned either because they sacrificed themselves for somebody else or because they were deceived. Here Raju really did commit a crime. It's interesting how the story moves through several ironic turns. In the first half we see that Waheeda Rehman's Rosie is emotionally dependant on Raju as in him she finds a friend and confidant, and he is the one who inspires her to fight for her dignity and is her only support system. Later in the film, the story turns over when, with the help of Raju, Rosie achieves fame as a dancer. She is stronger, and feels more confident. There we see that it is actually Raju who is dependant on her, both emotionally and financially. He loses himself to drinking and gambling and is an altogether different person. Well, so is she, and that's what gives us a fascinating look at the complexity of their relationship.

The second half is, by my estimation, much stronger than the first, but that's a good thing (the trouble is when it's the other way around). In many ways, the second half, namely the parts showing the conflict in Raju and Rosie's new life as a couple, is reminiscent of many classic Hollywood pictures involving relationships. The narrative structure is done well, never daring to torture the audience and instead making everything easy to follow despite many complex proceedings. Yes, there are moments which I felt were unnecessary and the film may be quite overlong, but otherwise it is well-edited although, of course, it is more a case of good storytelling, and due credit for the consistency goes to Vijay Anand for writing such a good script and directing it so well. The dialogue is for the most part excellent - it is rich and meaningful, and it's easy to see why many of the film's lines are famous to this today. They bring depth to the story and never sound cheesy or corny, just very appropriate and convincing. The film is also one of the most remarkable cinematographic achievements of the times, and the colour cinematography makes for an easy watch. The music, by S.D. Burman, is sublime, and rightfully each song is considered a classic. The songs are executed with impressive energy and colour, they never feel out of place, and are all situationally relevant as they enhance the meaning of the story. My favourite number is of course the highly popular "Aaj Phir Jeene Ki Tamanna Hai", just because I saw it as an uninhibited celebration of the human spirit, and it is just an exhilarating and joyful number.

Raju and Rosie have been known as iconic characters, and due credit for this must go to the actors, though they are well written. Dev Anand, as already mentioned, plays an imperfect man who is still rather classy as a character and it is a demanding part for any

Guide fmovies. Undoubtedly, one of the finest examples of film-making.This film is an absolutely original, Indian story, and does not owe anything to the west.Every aspect of the film is top-notch. The songs(each one, a masterpiece) blend so beautifully with the sequences, that one is convinced that the film would be incomplete without the songs.Adapted from the novel written by RK Narayan, the film explores the adventures and misadventures of the happy-go-lucky tourist guide, Raju(played by Dev Anand).The film moves on to the next level with the beginning of a love affair between Raju and a danseuse named Rosy(Waheeda Rehman) who is already married, but is discontented because her archaeologist husband doesn't really give a damn about her.The husband (Kishore Sahu) is shown to be deeply engrossed in the caves of Udaipur(the city where Raju is famously called "Raju guide")However, there is hardly any intimate scene between Raju and Rosy (later christened Nalini, in the film) and their feelings for each other are depicted in a very subtle manner. The characterization is so good that we sympathize with Rosy, rather than condemning her for having an extra marital affair....What happens next and what awaits Raju and Rosy is what the film is all about. Definitely a must-see film and certainly 10 on 10

When I travelled from India to US this was the only Hindi movie DVD that I carried with me. To me this is a "complete movie", as a movie should be. It entertains me by taking me through a wide gamut of emotions, it stimulates me spiritually and philosophically (indian faith, western existentialism are all there) and it is technically brilliant.

Each scene seems to be individually composed and you can see the effort that director vijay anand and his crew put in. Raju speaks to us in one of the scenes "there is not much difference between me and you". And as he speaks this you see the statue of Krishna in the background and Raju's index finger stretched as if holding a sudarshan chakra. Brilliant!!! Subtle things like these that you have to watch out for. The name "Guide" itself conveys a different meaning at different times in the movie; a railway guide, a personal guide and then a spiritual guide.

It is very sad that a brilliant director like Vijay Anand could never come out of the shadows of Navketan and despite giving us some of the most important and influential movies of our times was ignored. People in west respect their classics and make an effort that Billy Wilder, Hitchcock, Orson Welles, Chaplin etc. are not forgotten. New directors openly admit how much they have been influenced by these people. But in India, what is not on MTV is not worth remembering. In another 10 years no one will remember Vijay Anand.

GUIDE (1965) is an unsung classic of Hindi cinema, starring major Bollywood star Dev Anand. It's a beautifully-produced modern love story and focuses on what happens when a tourist guide takes up with an ex-dancer who has been abandoned by her archaeologist husband and then guides her career as she becomes a musical star. It has much in common with classic Hollywood romantic musicals in the way it seamlessly incorporates songs and musical numbers into the action and charts the success of its female star. It adds to this rags-to-riches show biz story some characteristic Indian twists which give it greater scope and deeper meaning.

Based on a novel by R.K. Narayan, GUIDE stars Anand as Raju, a glib, well-liked freelance tour guide who takes visitors, Indian and foreign, to historic sites around Delhi and tells them stories--some true, some embellished--about these magnificent places. When Raju takes Rosy (Waheeda Rehman), the ex-dancer, under his wing it causes a rift between him and his mother, friends and co-workers, so he leaves with Rosy and helps her to embark on a career as a singing and dancing performer.

However, as Rosy achieves stardom, Raju falls into bad habits, palling around with the money men, drinking and gambling heavily. Eventually, he is arrested for forging a check and is sent to jail. When he gets out he starts life anew and wanders alone far and wide before winding up in a remote desert village where, thanks to the endless stream of pearls of wisdom he dispenses, he is taken as a holy man. In the midst of a terrible drought, he is compelled to embark on a fast so as not to disappoint the villagers who believe his fast will bring rain. All the while, Rosy and his mother are searching for him.

The story is not told in quite this order. We first see Raju as he is getting out of jail and we first see Rosy as she begins her search for him. The story then unfolds in flashbacks from both his and Rosy's perspectives. If there is any flaw in the narrative structure, it is that the exploits of Raju in his reign as holy man, or "swami," are given short shrift while the love story tends to bog down during the lovers' disillusion and drift apart. We needed to see more of Raju's life in the remote village. Given that the film is only 170 minutes (rather short for a Bollywood film), another half-hour of storytelling would not have hurt.

Still, it is an accomplished work, boasting all the class, elegance and artistry of a classic Hollywood or European drama and few of the notable excesses of Bollywood films. It maintains a discreet cinematic distance that keeps the emotions in check while adding richer layers. There are songs and dances, but not too many, and they are all beautifully shot and staged, particularly the lavish, lengthy sequence showing Rosy's rise to stardom as a stage performer. The two leads, Dev Anand and Waheeda Rehman, are both genuine movie stars in the classic sense and carry the film as well as any of their counterparts in other cinemas. Rehman, for one, has a presence which clearly recalls such Italian actresses as Sophia Loren and Gina Lollobrigida. For those who are new to Bollywood, this film is a useful way to explore the roots of the Bollywood musicals that are finally attracting serious attention among film fans in the U.S.