Poetic Fatalism
Poetic Fatalism
Kaagaz Ke Phool (Paper Flowers, 1959, Dir. Guru Dutt)
This chapter evaluates Guru Dutt's Kaagaz Ke Phool (Paper Flowers, 1959). A hymn to the golden age of the studio system, actor/director Guru Dutt's greatest achievement was dismissed on its initial release. One of the first Indian films to be shot in cinemascope, the melancholic story of an alcoholic film-maker (Guru Dutt) and the actress he discovers (Waheeda Rehman) makes for a poetic critique of the film-making process. The chapter focuses on the director's status as one of Indian cinema's pre-eminent auteurs, thematic dimensions, and ground-breaking technical aspects. It also looks at the role of lyricist Kaifi Azmi, gender representations, and the unmistakable brand of poetic fatalism that has come to define much of Dutt's cinema.
Keywords: Guru Dutt, Kaagaz Ke Phool, studio system, Indian films, cinemascope, film-making process, Indian cinema, Kaifi Azmi, gender representations, poetic fatalism
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