Guide (1965)

Directors:

Vijay Anand
Tad Danielewski

Writers:

Vijay Anand (dialogue)
Vijay Anand (screenplay)

Genre:

Drama | Musical | Romance

Plot:

Raju makes a living by acting as a guide for tourists on one hand, and a con-man on another. He meets with Rosie Marco during one of his tours...

Plot Keywords:

Rain | Spiritual Awakening | Guilt | Fasting | Tour Guide

Awards:

7 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Dev Anand	...	Raju
Waheeda Rehman	...	Rosie Marco / Miss Nalini
Leela Chitnis	...	Raju's Mother
Anwar Hussain	...	Gaffoor
Ulhas	...	Raju's Uncle (Mamaji)
Gajanan Jagirdar	...	Bhola (as Jagirdar)
Rashid Khan	...	Joseph
Kishore Sahu	...	Marco
Praveen Paul	...	Bhola's Wife (as Pravin Paul)
Mridula Rani	...	Laxmibai (as Mirdula Rani)
Purnima
Sheela R.		(as Ellen Sheela R.)
Krishan Dhawan	...	Inspector Girdhari
Prem Sagar
Narbada Shankar		(as Nerbada Shankar)

Also Known As:

Survival (India: English title)
The Guide

Runtime:

183 min | USA:120 min

Country:

India

Language:

Hindi | English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor) (US version) | Color (Pathécolor) (original Indian version)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

India:U

Filming Locations:

Mehboob Studios, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Company:

Navketan International Films

Trivia:

Vijay Anand was horrified when he read the script and thought it would ruin the image of the country abroad. He refused twice to direct the film. It was only on the third attempt by Dev Anand that he agreed.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Pran Jaaye Par Shaan Na Jaaye (2003)

Soundtrack:

Piya tose naina laage re

A stunning Story About Love, Sacrifice, Fall from Grace and Redemption

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.