Much has been said about Dutt's Kaagaz Ke Phool that it's impossible to add something new to its tower of glory. Yet, it can be said that Dutt intended this film to be an exercise on self-reflection and morality about a filmmaker or an artist as much as it hinted towards the viewer's own life lenses.
The film opens with some of the most gorgeous shots I've seen in hindi film industry and it's the first ten minutes that compelled me to watch it in one go. Not only it made me explore the dingy lanes of early hindi film industry, but also exposed the vulnerabilities and social sensibilities that might have prevailed in that era. It's so well shot that I quickly forgot I was watching a film, that has been created by a bunch of artists, playing around a camera, and rather felt like a slow walk in the troublesome past of India and her socio-political nuances.
We don't make such films anymore. We don't dare to and even if someone dares, the audience will see to it that it meets the same fate as Kaagaz ke phool. This was probably Dutt's bravest attempt to expose us to our own selves and what art truly means to us. His constant bickering about perfection and the producers insistence on keeping the film entertaining for masses tells a lot about what we wish to consume. It reflects the vast pit between the commerce and the art of the film. Was art or cinema in particular really meant to entertain us? To put us in some kind of illusion where we could forget the miseries and tragedies of our own lives and spend a few moments in oblivion? Away from reality? Or was it destined to make us more aware about our surroundings and subconsciously develop our understanding of the world?
It's hard to answer and probably impossible to choose for others. That's why this film is not a film of masses but individuals. Masses ensured it bombs at the box office and individuals ensured it reaches to a spectacular glory.
10/10.
The film opens with some of the most gorgeous shots I've seen in hindi film industry and it's the first ten minutes that compelled me to watch it in one go. Not only it made me explore the dingy lanes of early hindi film industry, but also exposed the vulnerabilities and social sensibilities that might have prevailed in that era. It's so well shot that I quickly forgot I was watching a film, that has been created by a bunch of artists, playing around a camera, and rather felt like a slow walk in the troublesome past of India and her socio-political nuances.
We don't make such films anymore. We don't dare to and even if someone dares, the audience will see to it that it meets the same fate as Kaagaz ke phool. This was probably Dutt's bravest attempt to expose us to our own selves and what art truly means to us. His constant bickering about perfection and the producers insistence on keeping the film entertaining for masses tells a lot about what we wish to consume. It reflects the vast pit between the commerce and the art of the film. Was art or cinema in particular really meant to entertain us? To put us in some kind of illusion where we could forget the miseries and tragedies of our own lives and spend a few moments in oblivion? Away from reality? Or was it destined to make us more aware about our surroundings and subconsciously develop our understanding of the world?
It's hard to answer and probably impossible to choose for others. That's why this film is not a film of masses but individuals. Masses ensured it bombs at the box office and individuals ensured it reaches to a spectacular glory.
10/10.