Guddi [1971]

Guddi
Reviewed: 28.06.2007

Dir: Hrishikesh Mukherjee
Cast: Jaya Bhaduri & Dharmendra

After years of waiting I finally bought the Guddi DVD a few months back and eventually got the chance to watch it yesterday. I haven’t seen much of Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s cinema but whatever I’ve heard of him has always been positive. I must have seen many of his movies while growing up but the only ones I absolutely and clearly remember are Chupke Chupke, Anand, Jhooth Bole Kauwa Kaate, and to some extent Namak Haraam and Abhimaan.

The Music is average. There is no track which truly lives on and neither are the songs required in the screenplay. In fact if there is a downside to this film it is most definitely the songs – they’ve been placed as suitably as possible in the film but to be honest the film could have more then easily done without them.

The Story is the heart of Guddi. A naïve and innocent girl who thinks everything she sees on the cinema screen can be taken as reality, and I could see myself somewhere in Guddi to be honest. Of course in today’s day and age it’s impossible to be as naïve as Guddi was in the situation – we know a lot more about what lives celebrities lead and we know how to differenciate between what they are depicted as onscreen and how they appear in real life – however, aren’t there so many millions of us still across the globe who become so fascinated by the glamour and glitz of the film world that we fail to realise the sweat and hard work that goes on behind the scenes at times? The whole concept of a fan falling in love with a movie star, to an extreme that sadly is imaginable, makes a enthralling story which keeps you glued to the screen all throughout! Guddi forms another very real, relatable, and yet extremely unique story from Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s resume.

The Screenplay & Dialogues by Gulzar are brilliant. The dialogues are natural and conversation-like, not at all dramatic and filmi like I would have personally expected from an old movie. There was nothing clever or poetic about them, unless necessary, it was all very real. The screenplay was brilliant, there wasn’t a moment where I felt bored or where I lost focus. A gripping and tight screenplay (the film is only two hours of length)!

Performances were brilliant all round. Every actor delivers a fine performance and naturally fits into their given character, making the character come alive. The most effective performances come from the following actors…

Dharmendra: An amazingly natural performance. Playing himself he handles the character with such ease that it makes you fall in love with him all over again (ironic considering the story of the film haha). The man is flawless in every which way – Greek God looks [so darn drool-worthy *sigh*] and the talent to match, or rather surpass, any so-called best actor. He is the best! The best thing about Dharmendra as an actor is that it doesn’t seem he wasted his talent, because from what I have seen of his career he has so easily handled so many different types of roles – hats off to him for not only being a natural and flawless actor, but also proving his versatility.

Jaya Bhaduri: I just took a look at her filmography on IMDB and it seems this was one of her first few films? All I can say is boy am I impressed or what! Not only does she churn out a stunningly natural performance, taking to the role of Guddi/Kusum as though she was born only to play this, but she looks like a dream – so beautiful, so innocent. The more I see of Jaya Bhaduri from her old movies, the more I fall in love with her and the faster she races up the list of my favourite actresses. I cannot wait to see more old movies of hers because she proved yet again with Guddi that she is one of the finest actresses Indian cinema has ever produced.

Samit Bhanja: Sometimes when I’m watching an old movie and there’s no real “superstar” (an actor I recognise) in a particular frame/shot of the film, I tend to lose focus during that time. Samit Bhanja churns out a good performance as Naveen, and I really grew to like him as the film went on.

Utpal Dutt: A very likable performance, and an even more likable character – I enjoyed watching him.

In true Hrishikesh Mukherjee style, Guddi proves to be yet another realistic, simple, sweet and unique story made with excellence on par with any other classic from our cinema. It took me forever to finally watch this film but I can only say how glad I am that I finally got to watch it!

I recommend the film to everyone who appreciates cinema, everyone who has ever felt cinema is the centre of his or her life [just the way the character of Guddi does], and actually I recommend the film to everyone, period. Guddi is a classic worth watching – if you haven’t seen it, you really are missing out a huge deal, so go get your hands on a copy and watch it, you wont regret it and I promise you that much!!