As Guru Dutt's 99th birthday (July 9) rolls around, it's interesting to re-watch some of his films - partly to see how they have aged over the last 60-plus years and partly to revisit the work of one of Bollywood's greats. Thankfully, good prints of a lot of his films are readily available on OTT. To get the ball rolling, here's a quick movie review of 'Chaudhvin Ka Chand' - one of Guru Dutt's more commercially successful films - and the experience of watching it in 2024, about 64 years after it was released in theatres.
(The film depicts a suicide and thoughts of self-harm.)
Guru Dutt's Chaudhvin Ka Chand review
Produced by Guru Dutt Films Pvt. Ltd, 'Chaudhvin Ka Chand' stars Waheeda Rehman with Guru Dutt, Rehman, Minu Mumtaz and Johnny Walker. The cinematography by Nariman A. Irani is stunning; if you were to hit pause at almost any point in the film, it will likely be like a painting with immaculate composition and possibly some analogue tricks that have now become the stuff of legend.
'Chaudhvin Ka Chand' begins with an ode to Lucknow. And in 2024, each frame in the film works like a time capsule that transports you to the storied city of Lucknowi nawabs - with a generous sprinkling of stardust and nostalgia, of course.
The film songs - of which there are 10 in a runtime of 160 minutes! - are perhaps in greater circulation today than the film itself. The title song "Chaudhvin Ka Chand" - written by Shakeel Badayuni (who also wrote the songs for Bollywood classics like 'Mother India' and 'Mughal-e-Azam') and sung by Mohammed Rafi - has continued to play on radio and now streaming services decade after decade.
The acting is expectedly natural for the most part, but where it is over-the-top - as it is in most scenes featuring Johnny Walker - it is greatly entertaining. Where the film has aged poorly, perhaps, is in its sexist story. To be sure, the perils of purdah / ghoonghat are still the raw material for some very shiny Bollywood gold - as in the case of 'Laapataa Ladies' (the story of unintentional bride-switching when a long ghoonghat and longer journey cause a new groom to wake the wrong woman up to get off the train) - but it's safe to say that 'Chaudhvin Ka Chand', as it is, could not be made into a movie today.
Chaudhvin Ka Chand plot
Pyare Miyan (Rehman), Shaiza (Johnny Walker) and Aslam (Guru Dutt) are childhood friends. Aslam feels deeply indebted to Pyare and his family for their support after his parents' death. This friendship is the fulcrum around which the entire story plays out.
The film begins at a fete, where Pyare spots the gorgeous Jameela (Waheeda Rehman). He knows nothing about her, except that he's fallen in love with her at first sight. He tries to find out more, but it's not kosher to ask openly. Confusion around Jameela's identity persists and, ironically, Pyare asks Aslam to marry her so he can marry the girl he saw at the fete (at this point, he's mistaken that she's not Jameela but a different girl).
More confusion follows and the moment of realization is staggered further. The first person to realize the mix-up is Aslam. In a strange interpretation of friendship and loyalty, he tries to destroy his marriage so Jameela can once again be free to marry Pyare.
Through all this, Jameela is clueless. She has no idea why her loving husband who had once compared her to "Chaudhvin ka Chand" is a different man now (occasioning the song "Badle Badle Mere Sarkar" - the only Guru Dutt film song sung by Lata Mangeshkar!).
The only agency Aslam gives his wife is to give her a bad analogy for the situation and then ask her to make a blind choice: Say a friend gave you a rare diamond thinking it is a stone, he asks her, should you return the diamond to the friend? Of course, she says, not realizing that she has been compared to a lifeless, feelingless diamond - a thing to be given and returned among friends.
The resolution of this love triangle comes at the very end - after all the deliberation and heartbreak, the resolution is quick and extreme, and it brings the focus of the story back to the friendship between the three men.
Watch the old Hindi film for the gorgeous frames, the magic of light and shadow, the lovely sets, the wonderful acting and the playfulness of the first half.
Chaudhvin ka Chand on OTT: performances
Guru Dutt often worked with the same set of cast and crew - Waheeda Rehman was a constant, as were actors Johnny Walker, Rehman and Uma Devi (Tun Tun), composer SD Burman and singers Geeta Dutt and Mohammed Rafi.
In 'Chaudhvin ka Chand', there are some important additions in the form of director M. Sadiq, cinematographer Nariman A Irani and of course background singer Lata Mangeshkar who sang the soulful "Badle Badle Mere Sarkar Nazar Aatey Hain".
With the exception of Johnny Walker, who brought his own brand of light slapstick to lift the mood of the film periodically, the acting is wonderfully natural. Sample the song "Mili Khaak Mein Mohabbat": it features Guru Dutt alone, agonizing over a love match he thinks he must sacrifice at the altar of true friendship. It's a weighty moment, and the lyrics capture Aslam's dejection. There's little for Guru Dutt to do in the song as Aslam sits glumly, singing the song, looking like he's throwing his life away. And yet, Guru Dutt does it without any histrionics, any over the top gestures.
Chaudhvin ka Chand: Director and writer
Much has been written about Guru Dutt's exceptional eye to detail. Although he didn't direct 'Chaudhvin Ka Chand' (Mohammed Sadiq did), every frame, every set piece, every gesture in the film is just so.
Shatranj ke Khiladi is often hailed as the film that capture the end of Nawab-culture. 'Chaudhvin Ka Chand' shows it in its heyday, with little for Pyare to do except plan his wedding.
The story and dialogue by Saghir Usmani could ruffle woke feathers today. Sure, purdah persists in many parts of the world even today, but for most of us, the idea that a man could ask one friend and then another to marry a girl he doesn't want, should feel strange at the very least.
It doesn't help that the writers are forced to extend the confusion around Jameela's identity for three-fourths of the film. Twice they use the same conceit: women exchange veils (first dupatta, then burkha). The terrible comparison of Jameela with a diamond is also too jarring to miss or glaze over.
The dialogue, however, is another story. In its lighter moments, the film is delightful in its poetry and powerful relationships. There's a lovely exchange between Aslam and Jameela on their wedding night. Every scene with Johnny Walker in it, too, shimmers with a joyful and unserious energy.
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