K KAAGAZ KE PHOOL Niogret, H,"Les moyens de I'emotion, in Positif(Paris), Janu ary1985. Mishra, V, ""Decentering History: Some Versions of Bombay Cin (Paper Flowers) ema, in East-West Film Journal(Honolulu), vol 6, no. 1, 1992 Rajadhyaskaha, Ashish, The Epic Melodrama: Themes of National- dia.1959 ity in Indian Cinema, in Journal of Arts and Ideas, nos. Director: Guru dutt Khan, Pervaiz, Nasreen Munni Kabir, and Ashish Rajadhyaksh The Song Picture Man, 'in Sight Sound (London), vol. 4, no. Production: Guru Dutt Films Pvt Ltd; colour, 35mm: CinemaScope 10 October 1994 (first Indian CinemaScope production); running time: 150 minutes Producer: Guru Dutt; screenplay and dialogue: Abrar Alvi: pho tography: V.K. Murthy; editor: Y G Chauhan; art director: M.R. chrekar; sound: S. V. Rama; music: S. D. Burman: songs: Kaifi Guru Dutt's tour de force, Kaagaz Ke Phool, is a tale of a mov cts on his life. Unhappily married to Bin Azmi: costumes: Bhanumati. because her elitist, colonial family cannot reconcile themselves to his career in the degraded movie industry, Suresh Sinha falls in love with Cast: Baby Naaz(Pammy): Venna(Bina): Mahesh Kaul (Father-in a young orphaned woman, Shanti. He makes her into a famous movie law): Waheeda Rehman (Shanti): Guru Dutt (Suresh Sinha): Johnny star, and gossip journals suggest a romantic liaison between the two Walker (Bina's brother-in-law): Minoo Mumtaz: Pratima Devi Sinha's daughter Pammy, who believes that her parents can reconcile Niloufer, Sulochana; Sheila Vaz: Bikram Kapoor; Mehmood: Mohan their differences if Shanti were to quit films, gets Shanti to promise to Choti; Haroun; Munshi Munaqga; V Ratra; Tony Walker; Tun Tun disappear from Sinha's life However, her disappearance only leads to a rapid decline in Sinha's fortunes. Refusing to face Shanti in his impoverished condition, Sinha eventually dies sitting on the direc- Publications tors chair in a gigantic, womb-like studio interior. The plot is often seen as Dutt's autobiography, and to some extent Books derives its astonishing power in the director/lead stars extraordinary impersonation of the tragic hero, rejected as it were by fate itself-as Khopkar, Arun, Guru Dutt: A Three Act Tragedy, Marathi, n.d. suggested in the opening musical refrain( Waqt hai meharbaan) and Rangoonwala, Firoze, Guru Dutt 1925-1965: A Monograph, repeated throughout the film. The persona continues from Dutt's Poona, 1973 previous work, Pyaasa, where he plays a romantic poet exiled from Micciollo. Henri. Guru Dutt. Paris. 1978 the world and believed dead while his oppressors celebrate his Burra, Rani, editor, Looking Back, 1896-1960, New Delhi, 1981 Gandhy, Behroze, and Paul willeman, Indian Cinema, London, 1982 Such an idiom--of the romantic melodrama--was well estab Banerjee, Shampa, Profiles: Five Film-makers from India: V. lished especially in the Hindi cinema when the film was made. Critics Shantaram, Raj Kapoor, Mrinal Sen, Guru Dutt, Ritwik Ghatak, generally accept that the idiom, which I have elsewhere(1993)called New Delhi. 1985 the"epic melodrama, emerged in the context of Indian nationalism, Kabir, Nasreen M, Guru Dutt: A Life in Cinema, New York, especially as the utopian dimension of the freedom struggle gave way 1996,1998 to a coercive state, corruption, mass culture, and to the despair that Dutt, better than any other filmmaker, expresses in Pyaasa with his Articles. lines:*"This land of castles. thrones and crowns/./Burn this land/ Blow it away /Remove it from my sight(Yeh mehlon ki duniya). To Padukone, Vasanthi, " "My Son Gurudutt, in Imprint, April 1979 a great extent Dutt, as actor, comes in line with the previous male stars Blanchet, C, Cinema(Paris). December 1984 reflecting this infantile Oedipal longing, with images built up over a body of work: Dilip Kumar(e. g. in Deedar, 1951, where he blinds Cinema(Paris), December 1984. himself), Raj Kapoor, the outcast of modern society. Kaagaz Ke Ostria, V,"L'ombre d'un Dutt, in Cahiers du Cinema(Paris), Phool in fact refers directly to what is considered by some as the December 1984 origin of this romantic stereotype: Devdas, a Saratchandra literary 619619 KAAGAZ KE PHOOL K (Paper Flowers) India, 1959 Director: Guru Dutt Production: Guru Dutt Films Pvt. Ltd.; colour, 35mm; CinemaScope (first Indian CinemaScope production); running time: 150 minutes. Producer: Guru Dutt; screenplay and dialogue: Abrar Alvi; pho￾tography: V. K. Murthy; editor: Y. G. Chauhan; art director: M. R. Achrekar; sound: S. V. Rama; music: S. D. Burman; songs: Kaifi Azmi; costumes: Bhanumati. Cast: Baby Naaz (Pammy); Venna (Bina); Mahesh Kaul (Father-in￾law); Waheeda Rehman (Shanti); Guru Dutt (Suresh Sinha); Johnny Walker (Bina’s brother-in-law); Minoo Mumtaz; Pratima Devi; Niloufer; Sulochana; Sheila Vaz; Bikram Kapoor; Mehmood; Mohan Choti; Haroun; Munshi Munaqqa; V. Ratra; Tony Walker; Tun Tun. Publications Books: Khopkar, Arun, Guru Dutt: A Three Act Tragedy, Marathi, n.d. Rangoonwala, Firoze, Guru Dutt 1925–1965: A Monograph, Poona, 1973. Micciollo, Henri, Guru Dutt, Paris, 1978. Burra, Rani, editor, Looking Back, 1896–1960, New Delhi, 1981. Gandhy, Behroze, and Paul Willeman, Indian Cinema, London, 1982. Banerjee, Shampa, Profiles: Five Film-makers from India: V. Shantaram, Raj Kapoor, Mrinal Sen, Guru Dutt, Ritwik Ghatak, New Delhi, 1985. Kabir, Nasreen M., Guru Dutt: A Life in Cinema, New York, 1996, 1998. Articles: Padukone, Vasanthi, ‘‘My Son Gurudutt,’’ in Imprint, April 1979. Blanchet, C., Cinéma (Paris), December 1984. Bassan, R., ‘‘Une autopsie du monde du spectacle,’’ in Revue du Cinéma (Paris), December 1984. Ostria, V., ‘‘L’ombre d’un Dutt,’’ in Cahiers du Cinéma (Paris), December 1984. Niogret, H., ‘‘Les moyens de l’emotion,’’ in Positif (Paris), Janu￾ary 1985. Mishra, V., ‘‘Decentering History: Some Versions of Bombay Cin￾ema,’’ in East-West Film Journal (Honolulu), vol. 6, no. 1, 1992. Rajadhyaskaha, Ashish, ‘‘The Epic Melodrama: Themes of National￾ity in Indian Cinema,’’ in Journal of Arts and Ideas, nos. 25–26, 1993. Khan, Pervaiz, Nasreen Munni Kabir, and Ashish Rajadhyaksha, ‘‘The Song Picture Man,’’ in Sight & Sound (London), vol. 4, no. 10, October 1994. *** Guru Dutt’s tour de force, Kaagaz Ke Phool, is a tale of a movie director who reflects on his life. Unhappily married to Bina, mainly because her elitist, colonial family cannot reconcile themselves to his career in the degraded movie industry, Suresh Sinha falls in love with a young orphaned woman, Shanti. He makes her into a famous movie star, and gossip journals suggest a romantic liaison between the two. Sinha’s daughter Pammy, who believes that her parents can reconcile their differences if Shanti were to quit films, gets Shanti to promise to disappear from Sinha’s life. However, her disappearance only leads to a rapid decline in Sinha’s fortunes. Refusing to face Shanti in his impoverished condition, Sinha eventually dies sitting on the direc￾tor’s chair in a gigantic, womb-like studio interior. The plot is often seen as Dutt’s autobiography, and to some extent derives its astonishing power in the director/lead star’s extraordinary impersonation of the tragic hero, rejected as it were by fate itself—as suggested in the opening musical refrain (Waqt hai meharbaan) and repeated throughout the film. The persona continues from Dutt’s previous work, Pyaasa, where he plays a romantic poet exiled from the world and believed dead while his oppressors celebrate his greatness. Such an idiom—of the romantic melodrama—was well estab￾lished especially in the Hindi cinema when the film was made. Critics generally accept that the idiom, which I have elsewhere (1993) called the ‘‘epic melodrama,’’ emerged in the context of Indian nationalism, especially as the utopian dimension of the freedom struggle gave way to a coercive state, corruption, mass culture, and to the despair that Dutt, better than any other filmmaker, expresses in Pyaasa with his lines: ‘‘This land of castles, thrones and crowns/ . . . /Burn this land/ Blow it away/Remove it from my sight’’ (Yeh mehlon ki duniya). To a great extent Dutt, as actor, comes in line with the previous male stars reflecting this infantile Oedipal longing, with images built up over a body of work: Dilip Kumar (e.g. in Deedar, 1951, where he blinds himself), Raj Kapoor, the outcast of modern society. Kaagaz Ke Phool in fact refers directly to what is considered by some as the origin of this romantic stereotype: Devdas, a Saratchandra literary