Aar-Paar (B/W) [DVD]

With this innovative and, for the period, daring film Guru Dutt enters the
happiest phase of his career. He plays Kalu, a taxi driver and mechanic who
has served a jail sentence for rash driving and is in love with Nicky
(Shyama), the daughter of his boss at the garage. Several subplot are woven
into their romance: a gang of safe busters led by Captain, kidnappers employed
by Nicky's father and lovable ruffians like Elaichi Sandow (Jagdeep).
Considered until recently a relatively minor Guru Dutt film, its bravura song
picturisations such as the 'tragic' version of the song Ja ja ja ja bewafa
(inverting the earlier number Sun sun sun sun zaalima), where the camera pans
over a series of black pillars hiding heroine Shyama from the viewer, announce
Pyaasa (1957) and the melodramas that followed. Dutt experiments with novel
ways of cutting songs into the story, e. g. omitting introductory music. The
opening song sequence introduces the Western musical ploy of interposing
incidental characters into the narrative choreography as the street urchin
energetically dance in the streets of Bombay. As in all Dutt's films, the
Geeta Dutt songs are perennial hits, including Babuji dheere chalan, Yeh lo
main haari piya, Mohabbat kar lo, ji bhar lo (the last a duet with Mohammed
Rafi).The film exudes a light hearted cheekiness which, coupled with the
elaboration of new generic conventions, divided the contemporary audience,
offending the suffer traditionalists and delighting the others.Starring : Guru
Dutt, Shyama, ShakeelaDirected by : Guru DuttGenre : Social Year : 1954 Length