Nehru type fundamentalism was raising its head, and whole country felt influenced, so how could the Film Industry be left behind? The BR Chopra banner produced the evergreen classic Naya Daur (1957) with Dilip Kumar and Vijayanthimala, Mother India with Nargis and Haqeeqt with Dharmendra (although this wasn’t a BR film). Nutan’s performance in Mother India rightly won her the Filmfare Award and this is to this day hailed as the best ever performance by an Indian actress.
Guru Dutt released his masterpiece Kagaz Ke Phool in 1959, and to his utter disbelief and the Industry’s shock, it was a disaster at the box office. Kagaz Ke Phool was a classic in every sense. Waheeda’s brilliant acting, Dutt’s mastery over the shots, V Murthy’s cinematography, the sets, lighting, every frame was a gem. The most well remembered scene is one in which Waheeda runs to meet Dutt, but is besieged by fans wanting her autograph, and the dewy melancholic smile of Dutt haunting the hall. Truly unforgettable.
So after a string of success like Baazi, Aar Paar (which saw the first hit of the maverick music director O.P.Nayyar) Mr and Mrs 55, and Jaal, he couldn’t take the shock, and went into deep depression. It is always said that Guru Dutta Padukone, couldn’t take failure, and that’s what killed the genius who was ahead of his time, at the young age of 39.
The songs were hits, especially the unforgettable Waqt Ne Kiya Kya Haseen Sitam by his wife, the melodious and beautiful Geeta Dutt. But the best film easily of this decade, his magnum opus, Pyaasa, happened in 1956. Never has a story been told so realistically, so artistically and so humanely, before the Indian audience. No movie has ever matched up to the resonating reality of Pyaasa. It was in many ways Guru Dutt’s life story, and Waheeda Rahman delivered a sterling performance as the Streetwalker “Gulab”, who falls for the rejected poet. This story is so terribly moving that you literally feel the actor’s disappointment and frustration when he sings Yeh Duniya Agar Mil Bhi Jaaye To Kya Hai, feel the waves of passionate patriotism when he asks Jinhein Naaz Hai Hind Par Who Kahaan Hai. This song was banned by the Indian govt. because it projected the reality. Dada Burman provided minimal music to these songs and a very similar plaintive tune, because he felt, otherwise, it would take away the poetry of Sahir Ludhianvi. Pyaasa was definitely Oscar material. Guru Dutt, the cinematic genius, went on to star in Bimal Mitra’s magnum opus Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam and the film became a resounding success. Set in a crumbling 19th century haveli, symbolic of the slow decay of feudalism, the film told the tale of the lovely yet unloved chhoti bahu (Meena Kumari). Spurned by her husband yet desperately in love with him, she seeks support from her ghulam, Bhootnath (Guru Dutt), and increasingly from alcohol. To this day, confusion reigns; was it Guru Dutt who called the shots in this film, or was it Abrar Alvi whose name rolls in the credits?
In the late forties and early fifties, a young lad from Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh was looking for work. His elder brother, Ashok Kumar was already setting the screen alight with his on-screen escapades with Devika Rani. Abhas Kumar Ganguly changed his name to Kishore Kumar and came to Bombay Talkies looking to sing, a passion he had imbibed from his idol, KL Saigal. He sang his first song, Marne Ki Duwaayen Kyon Maangon for director Khemchand Prakash in the movie Ziddi (1948). He also starred in movies like Naukri (Salil Chaudhry didn’t believe in this untrained singer and was at the point of calling in Hemanta to sing for him!), Chalti Ka Naam Gadi, Ladki, Asha, New Delhi, all hits. This was just the early fifties again. Dada Burman is credited with noticing the spark early in this totally eccentric and maverick singer, actor, dancer, comedian, director, producer, composer, lyricist, and what not. Such captive songs hugged to the heart by a whole earlier generation as Kusoor aap ka huzoor aap ka (from AVM's Bahar: 1951); Kachchee pakkee sadkon pe meree tumtum (from Pyar); Ae meree topee palat ke aa (from Funtoosh); Mere labon pe dekhon aaj bhee tarane hain (from Navketan's Baazi: 1951); Chahe koi khush ho chahe gaaliyaan hazaar de (from Taxi Driver); Maana janaab ne pukaraa naheen (from Paying Guest); Ek ladkee bheegee bhaagee see (from Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi); Dho le too aaj apne dil ke sab daag dho le (from Apna Haath Jagannath); and Pahli na doosree teesree pasand hai shaadee ka kar lo intezaar (from Madhbhare Nain), Kishore finally found his mark. But this King Lear’s fool was notorious for missing out on recordings, bunking dates and jilting directors, that he slowly lost water. He found his mark with Aradhana in 1971, but that’s a wholly different era.
The Beatles had finally happened in the west. The culture of rock and roll, ruled for over two decades by The King, Elvis Presley, was handed over to these four new age artistes. Something similar was happening on the Indian front too. Hippy culture came up, movie viewing perspective changed, the approach to film making and acting changed. Most importantly, the music changed. The early sixties saw the entry of the my favourite, and the King of Ghazals, considered by many to be the best music director ever, Madan Mohan. Sad, that none of his movies were run away hits. But his songs were gems, and Madan-Lata combination is a thing of legends. With her “Rakhee” brother, Lata delivered the best of her very best, Lagja gale se (Who kaun thi 1962), Nainon mein bhadra chaye, Mera saaya (both from mera saaya), Naina barse rimjhim rimjhim (Who Kaun Thi), Woh Bhooli Daastan (Sanjog), Aapki Nazaron ne samjha (anpadh) and the entire sound tracks of Heer-Ranjha, and Laila –Majnu, went on to become classics, but sadly, only after Madan died of excessive drinking and depression. We lost the most talented composer ever. But the sixties also saw the revival of Dada Burman and the entry of New Age Cinema. Classics like Sahib Bibi aur ghulam, Guide, Hare Rama Hare Krishna, Pakeezah, Mughal E Azam, Ganga Jamuna, Ram Aur Shyam, Sita Aur Gita, Johnny Mera Naam, Gambler, Jewel Theif, and the movie that failed miserably at the box office, but is considered a cult classic today – Mera Naam Joker and the lush green foreign locales and sweet love stories of An Evening in Paris, Love in Tokyo, Waqt, Purab Aur Paschim etc made the sixties one of the most memorable phases of Indian Cinema.
