Bollywood Home » Popular Movie Reviews » Bollywood Tragic Movies » Pyaasa Pyaasa made in 1957 by Guru Dutt is one of the most famous Bollywood tragic movies. It tells a heartbreaking tale of a poet who was deprived of recognition, love and appreciation for his talent. With powerful performances from the star cast and excellent direction, Pyaasa is still remembered and highly appreciated by cine lovers from across the world.

Cast of Pyaasa:

Pyaasa was directed by Guru dutt and released in 1957. The film went on to be a major commercial success of the year. It had an excellent star cast to provide support to the well written script.

• Mala Sinha played the role of Meena
• Guru Dutt was the leading protagonist and named Vijay in the film
• Waheeda Rehman, who was still new at that time in Bollywood played the role of Gulabo
• Rehman played Mr. Ghosh
• Johnny Walker was seen in the film as Abdul Sattar

Story of Pyaasa:

The film is a story of struggling poet named Vijay who tries to publish his poetry in post independence India. He and his works are ridiculed and sold by his own brothers as waste paper. Vijay begins to stay away from home and in the meantime encounters Gulabo- a prostitute, who is charmed by his poetry and falls in love with him. She also helps him in getting his poetry published by one of his affluent clients Mr Ghosh. The client happens to be the husband of his college love - Meena who marries this guy for financial security,

Things take different twists and turn and as the movie progresses, one can see how a talented poet turns cynical and denounces the hypocrisy in the world around him. In the end, he declares he is not Vijay and leaves with Gulabo to start a new life.

Pyaasa is Guru Dutt's real masterpiece which tells the story of the thirst for love, recognition, and also shows the struggle that a person has to face to get established in the society. Guru Dutt's consummate performance in the movie is the high point. He has been well supported by brilliant performances from Waheeda Rehman and Mala Sinha.

To speak of other characters played by other actors, you can find several shades in the role of Mala Sinha. Her performance in the movie is counted as one of the finest in her career. Waheeda Rehman is exceptional in the role of the prostitute. To speak of her performance, one interesting thing to note is the relationship that the prostitute shares with the poet-Vijay is more to comfort his own self rather than for his materialistic fulfillment.

Pyaasa has been highly appreciated in countries like France and Germany. It was a huge commercial success during its 1984 French Premiere. It has been ranked as top 100 movies of all times and is the Time Readers choice among the top10 movies of all times. Indiatimes Movies ranks Pyaasa amongst the Top 25 Must See Bollywood Films.

For more information on Pyaasa, you can browse through sitagita.