Kaagaz Ke Phool

Kaagaz Ke Phool, (; ), is a 1959 Hindi film produced and directed by Guru Dutt, who also played the lead role in the film .

The film was a box office disaster of its time but was later resurrected as a world cinema cult classic in the 1980s. The film's music was composed by S. D. Burman and the lyrics were written by Kaifi Azmi, giving hits like "Waqt ne Kiya Kya Haseen Situm", sung by Geeta Dutt.

In the 2002 Sight & Sound critics' and directors' poll, Kaagaz Ke Phool was ranked at #160 among the greatest films of all time.

Overview

Motivated by the success of Pyaasa, Guru Dutt embarked on the creation of yet another of his socially challenging movies, Kaagaz Ke Phool. The theme and tone on this movie were ages ahead of the Indian audience of the 50s who were used to simpler plots and storylines. The underlying tones of the film were complex and the story was controversial for the time.

Considered one of Guru Dutt's finest films by many, Kaagaz Ke Phool was a commercial disaster when it was first released. At the film's premiere, Dr Rajendra Prasad, then President of India and invited chief guest, walked out of the cinema hall, deeply offended. Audiences in Delhi's Regal cinema threw stones at the screen during the screening. Reactions like these deeply affected the sensitive and introverted Dutt to Kaagaz ke Phool on release in 1959. Guru Dutt himself admitted in an interview to Filmfare...
Read More