When you think about Guru Dutt, a flurry of some absolutely stunning shots from his films are sure to cross your mind. A filmmaker is known to have revolutionized the cinematic image in Indian Cinema – those immaculate camera moves, the glorious light, and shade- is sure to remain alive visually, viscerally for many decades to come.
On the 94th birthday of one of India’s most iconic filmmaker, we remember what is perhaps the most iconic image of his career. This is when Vijay in ‘Pyaasa‘ has finally given up on the society that he was constantly seeking validation from.
Remember what the poet Rumi had said about wound and light? That “wound is the place from where light enters into you“.
Guru Dutt, consciously or unconsciously, seems to have created this stunning image based on a similar philosophy. Vijay is literally wounded, shredded apart by the world in this image, and Guru Dutt films him standing at a door that light is entering through- his ragged clothes being the wound, the light entering from the door is like the ultimate wisdom illuminating him about how the world may not be worth fighting for. The image makes it appear is as if the wounds laid to him by society becomes the pathway for light to enter into him, leading him into understanding that he cannot be the same Vijay anymore- “Main woh Vijay nahin hoon!“.
Courtesy- Fables Of Film
Famous Dialogues Guru Dutt
