ShodhKosh: Journal of Visual and Performing ArtsISSN (Online): 2582-7472
Feminist Messages in Guru Dutt’s Pyaasa (1957): A Distinctive Case Study Dr. Sunayan
Bhattacharjee 1 1 Associate
Professor, Department of Liberal Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (DLHS),
Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Manipal, (Karnataka), India 2 Assistant
Professor, School of Liberal Studies (SLS), Pandit Deendayal Energy University
(PDEU), Gandhinagar, (Gujarat), India
1. INTRODUCTION Decidedly revelatory, deeply unnerving,
characteristically melancholy, purposefully sardonic – Guru Dutt’s
timeless classic Pyaasa (1957) could be
decorated with one or some or all the above-mentioned adjectives Misra (2017). It is a remorseless commentary on
post-independence India and its social dichotomies. The movie takes an
unapologetic stance vis-à-vis its diegesis and makes the audience contemplate.
Narrated from the perspective of a failed yet talented poet, the movie can be
compared with an expository social trip – something that removes the pleasant
myths about the society that we live in. Disloyalty, deceit, corruption, lust,
apathy, and the likes – the movie bares it all. What is particularly striking
about Pyaasa is the fact that it seems even
more relevant even after 64 years of its release
Mahaan (2017). In a way, the movie is a representation of
the perpetuity of the fundamental human tenacities Kabir (2015). Extremely robust dialogues and powerful
visuals complement the movie’s moving narrative structure. While many movies
suffer from the obvious folly of style over substance, Pyaasa
is a movie that keeps its audience hooked on through the sheer power of its
story. In fact, Pyaasa could be considered to be
a narrative that captures the very enigma of the Indian existence Gupta (2017). At a time when the country was passing
through a sustained period of economic insecurity and multiple societal
upheavals, the movie chronicles the story of an uptight young man, who faces
continuous rejections subject to his refusal to compromise Khilnani (2007). The educated and principled Vijay not only
fails as an aspiring poet but is rejected by his own family and love interest.
An obvious social pariah, Vijay finds solace from the presence of Gulabo, who is a sex worker and hence another social
pariah. Here, it needs to be remembered that the movie was made at a time when
Bollywood, as an industry, has not yet devised its unique character. As a
matter of fact, the name Bollywood was not there. Deeply inspired by Italian
Neorealism, a concurrent cinematic movement in Italy, the movie, though,
experiments with the conveyance of specific messages through haunting songs as
well Corliss (2010). While realism constitutes the base of the
movie, melodrama permeates it at multiple levels thus essentially lending its
quintessential Indian character. In a way, the movie could be
considered to be an autobiographical tale with Guru Dutt’s
real life also having taken a similar trajectory
Rebanal (2019). However,
as relevant as the movie is, it catches attention subject to the presence of
two diametrically opposite yet powerful female characters – Meena and Gulabo Chettiar (2019). Without getting into any
value judgment, it would suffice to say that the movie moves ahead
subject to the presence of Meena and Gulabo. Any
qualitative analysis of Pyaasa cannot be
complete without a qualitative evaluation of the two women characters. This
research paper tries to uncover the feminist inclinations of Pyaasa through the narrative and diegetic
deconstructions of the two female characters. While doing so, this study keeps
a close tab on the concurrent social motifs and links those with the larger
theme of the movie. 2. METHODOLOGY The researcher
does a narrative and diegetic analysis of the movie using the three dominant
film theories – the Auteur Theory,
the Apparatus Theory, and the Feminist Film Theory – to decipher the feminist
messages ingrained in Pyaasa. As a part of the
study, the researcher looks at the different narrative elements used in the
movie and pinpoints the presence of specific feminist constituents to
understand the larger audio-visual superstructure that projects both feminism
and the absence of it in the movie. The researcher also looks at the movie’s
diegesis and stylistic depictions to decipher the storyline using the three
mentioned film theories as the theoretical frameworks for the study. While
there were attempts to keep the study as objective as the case could have been,
the researcher does not discount the absence of subjectivity in the analysis.
However, there is a concerted effort to justify the resultant subjectivities to
the maximum possible extent. 2.1. OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS 2.1.1. THE AUTEUR THEORY One of
the first film theories, the Auteur Theory considers the filmmaker or the
director as the ‘auteur’ (the French term for ‘author’) of a movie. In very
simple terms, the theory says that any movie is the result of the ‘artistic
vision’ of its director. From the audience’s perspective, it could be said that
any movie would bear clear imprints of the director Renée (2015). 2.1.2. THE APPARATUS THEORY A complex
film theory, the Apparatus Theory basically deconstructs the relationship
between the audience and the moviemaking devices. The theory clearly says that
the medium of cinema is ideological by its very nature and the audience
occupies the central position vis-à-vis the perspective of the cinematic
composition Young (2015). In literary terms, the theory could be
likened to the concept of Suspension of Disbelief. 2.1.3. THE FEMINIST FILM THEORY A direct
byproduct of the different feminist movements across the world, the Feminist
Film Theory, a relatively new entrant to the world of film studies, says that
men and women are positioned differently in movies. This difference in
positioning is largely dictated by the unequal positioning men and women have
in the society. Largely benefitted by Laura Mulvey’s seminal essay Visual
Pleasure and Narrative Cinema, the theory bases itself on the concept of
male gaze Singh (2021). 3. DECODING THE FEMINIST MESSAGES IN PYAASA USING THE AUTEUR THEORY Anybody
who has watched Pyaasa at some point in time
in her/ his life would agree that the movie exhibits a deep empathy for women. Though
the film, the filmmaker, Guru Dutt takes a definite
ideological stance. While Meena and Gulabo are shown
as two contrasting characters, both are revealed as victims of a patriarchal
system. While Meena is shown to be selfish and narcissistic, it becomes clear
from the movie’s diegesis that the values that drive the actions of Meena are
essentially fueled by patriarchy as the overarching social reality. While Meena
marries the financially successful Mr. Ghosh, played by the masterful Rehman,
the action is clearly dictated by a societal rejection of male unemployment. An
Indian woman is hardly ever given the right to choose an unemployed man as her
life partner. More importantly, a deeply conservative Indian society seldom
lets a woman have her way in terms of selecting her life partner. Even though
Meena is shown to be rather conceited, the diegesis of the movie makes it clear
that her position as the wife of the aristocratic yet cunning Mr. Ghosh makes
her be so. Even though she continues to harbour
feelings for her erstwhile love interest Vijay, she is forced to conceal it
subject to a rather decapitating concept of social propriety. Coming to
Gulabo, she is a sex worker and hence is an obvious
social outcast. A victim of the social order, she still has managed to keep her
humanity intact – something that becomes obvious along the course of the movie.
As the filmmaker, Guru Dutt demonstrates his deep anguish
over the exploitative system of flesh trade through the iconic song Jinhe Naaz Hai Hind Par
Woh Kahan Hain. His anguish and resultant empathy for the sex workers
become clearly visible as he increasingly associates himself with Gulabo. Gulabo, despite being a
sex worker, is otherwise the archetypal Indian woman – soft, caring, and
loving. However, what sets her apart is a certain sense of purpose that is
demonstrated through her actions throughout the movie. A look at how she
publishes the poetry of Vijay into a book is a testimony to that. Throughout
the movie, there is a clear attempt to emancipate women. While the tragic fate
of Meena as the trophy wife of Mr. Ghosh constitutes a clear statement from the
auteur about the obvious lacunae of the institution of marriage, Vijay’s
acceptance of Gulabo as his clear companion elicits
questions vis-à-vis the societal concept of sexual and feminine purity.
Throughout the movie, the director unapologetically questions the society’s
stand on multiple issues including the concept of womanhood. In a way, it could
be argued that the movie was way ahead of its time in terms of the
reconstruction of the popular concept of femininity. It is
very important to point out that the general constructions of femininity and womanhood
remain the same even today in 2022. Women from across the socio-cultural and
socio-economic spectrum are associated with fulfilling certain expectations.
The society makes it difficult for women to discount those expectations. The
same is visible through the character designs of Meena and Gulabo. While the
taboo associated with Gulabo’s social positioning is
challenged throughout the movie, the not-so-obvious taboo associated with
Meena’s social positioning is not challenged thereby projecting a certain bias
on the part of the filmmaker. The movie makes a distinct commentary about the
unacceptability of a woman, who prefers a secured lifestyle and rejects love.
There is an element of value judgement on the part of the filmmaker here. Most
importantly, the movie projects an obvious disdain for rich and high-society
women. Meena is shown to be the erring person more than her husband, who
decidedly is the antagonist of the movie. The
filmmaker also takes a lot of liberties in terms of the construction of shots
and shot sequences in the movie. Patriarchy as an overarching social construct
is evident from the way different elements of the concurrent society are
projected through the shot compositions and shot sequencing. It starts right
after Vijay visits his home to meet his mother. His mother clearly lacks
enterprise and is not powerful enough to neutralize Vijay’s elder brothers, who
throw him out of the house. All the shots that showcase the agony of Vijay’s
mother are constructed in a way such that the women seem dwarfed in front of
the men. All the shots that portray Gulabo’s love for
Vijay project her as a helpless young woman, who is burdened by a
male-dominated and patriarchal society. The same goes for Meena as well.
Despite being married into an affluent family, Meena seems rather morose in all
the shots with her husband Mr. Ghosh. Even for shots that show her with Vijay,
Vijay clearly takes the visual cake. One of the biggest representations of
patriarchy is the comic depiction of Tun Tun as Pushplata. This clearly pushes the dominant male narrative
of how a woman should look and behave. Any departure is mocked and scoffed at.
Visibly, Pushplata does not conform to the standards
that are set for an ideal woman. In a way, the filmmaker vindicates this
societal stand. The music
by the legendary composer Sachin Dev Burman and the
lyrics by the extremely talented Sahir Ludhianvi were used intelligently by the filmmaker to not
just take the story forward but also make a point vis-à-vis the positioning of
women in the Indian society. All the songs only point towards the supremacy of
men in the society. One of the most important points to be noted here is the
amplification of Vijay’s sorrow through music while underplaying the
mistreatment of women. However, it is impossible to say if the final misogynist
message in this case is intentional on the part of the filmmaker. Cinematography
was also effectively used by the filmmaker to convey messages on womanhood and
feminism. The thematic placements of light and shadow put a distinct focus on
the facial appearances of the primary female characters in the movie. In a way,
this phenomenon is representative of the unjust social focus on female
appearances thus specifying the widespread sexism that was prevalent in the
Indian society right after the country became independent. While for the male
characters, the camera focused on their activities, for the women, the camera
largely focused on how they looked. On the
other hand, there is another aspect that cannot be ignored. While equality
might not have been in the mind of the director, the concept of gender
neutrality was definitely there. Most importantly, the
movie does not overtly villainize the role of Meena and lets her deal with the
tragedies in her life in her own way at the end. 4. DECODING THE FEMINIST MESSAGES IN PYAASA USING THE APPARATUS THEORY Pyaasa
was released at a time when cinema was pretty much at its nascent stage at
least in India if not across the world. Also, it would not be wrong to say that
the movie was years ahead of its time. Thus, the larger audience did not have
the capacity to comprehend the dominant narrative in the movie – be it in terms
of its feminist messages or in terms of any other parameter. However, since the
movie was entrenched in realism and melodrama permeated it in terms of the
creation of its bigger plotline, a significant section of the audience could
relate to its ingrained diegesis. From a feminist perspective, the movie was
made in such a way so that the audience felt empathetic towards the leading
women characters in the movie. While Indian cinema until that point in time was
dictated by remorseless populism, Pyaasa was a
welcome break. While a certain section of the audience found it outrageous in
terms of the depiction of the women characters, the other section did find it
revolting and cathartic at the same time. The fact that Gulabo,
a sex worker, was preferred by the protagonist over a ‘socially respected’
Meena sets the feminist tone of the movie. Contemporary feminist scholars might
scoff at how the characters were constructed and how the same reeked of
traditionalism. However, it is important to understand that we are talking
about a time right after independence. At that time, the concept of feminism
was not very clear and more so in India. Thus, it was enough for a filmmaker to
make something as close to modern feminism as Pyaasa.
Throughout the movie, the protagonist keeps on asking some very tough questions
to the predominant social order almost to the extent of doubting its relevance.
In fact, India was going through a transition phase at that time and multiple
social issues were largely unattended. Through Pyaasa,
the filmmaker makes a concerted effort at pointing those out to those in power.
The degrading condition of women in a newly independent country is one of those
issues. Thus, it could be argued that the movie tries to address feminism
politically and economically. While the constitution of India was crafted with
equality of sexes being one of the fundamental conditions, the social and
economic condition of women remained as bad in post-independence India as it
was in pre-independence India. In a way, Pyaasa
was representative of this grim reality. The question remains though! Does the
movie offer a solution? If one takes a close glance at the movie, she/ he would
be able to understand that it does not. However, the movie does provide an
alternative lens to look at womanhood – a lens that does not suffer from the
obvious lacunae of an ultra-conservative upbringing that has a straightjacketed
notion of morality and propriety. It is only poetic that the movie is set in
Kolkata, the primary centre of the Indian
renaissance. Finally, one can say that the movie forwards the concept of
idealistic feminism. 5. DECODING THE FEMINIST MESSAGES IN PYAASA USING THE FEMINIST FILM THEORY Pyaasa,
albeit being a little different from other films released during the same
period, does have its moments of populism. The concept of male gaze is as much
a reality in Pyaasa as it is in any other
commercial film. If we look at the character of Meena, she is luminously
beautiful and gorgeous. The filmmaker could have chosen someone much less
glamourous to play the role of Meena, but he did not and for reasons that are
not too difficult to fathom. While the diegetic reason could be the fact that a
successful man like Mr. Ghosh would obviously choose someone extremely
gorgeous, the subtle reason is the general audience’s preference for beautiful
women in movies. Indian movies allowed deglamourized
male protagonists at the time but not their female protagonists. Figure 1
Figure 2
Even if
we look at the character of Gulabo, she is a little
too beautiful for someone in her social position. Gulabo
is way more gorgeous than a normal sex worker in Kolkata would be. While one
appreciates the subtle feminist messages in Pyaasa,
the fact remains that it also uses the concept of male gaze to its advantage. Figure 3
Figure 4
Now,
before proceeding any further, it is important to understand as to what male
gaze is. Male gaze essentially means the way a man looks at a woman. In terms
of cinema, male gaze can be classified in the form of three different
perspectives – the perspective of the man behind the camera, the perspective of
the male characters inside the diegesis of the movie and the perspective of the
male section of the audience Mulvey (1975). All the
four movie screenshots given above perfectly encapsulate and exemplify male
gaze. While Figure 1 represents male gaze towards Meena
from behind the camera and from the male section of the audience, Figure 2 represents male gaze from the
diegetic character (Vijay) towards Meena. Similarly, while Figure 3 represents male gaze from Vijay
towards Gulabo, Figure 4 represents male gaze towards Gulabo from behind the camera and from the male section of
the audience. From all
the male perspectives, both Meena and Gulabo are
attractive women. Also, it can be argued that both the women in the movie have
incidental roles and their respective roles only complement the central role of
the male protagonist. One can go a little farther and even say that the
protagonist is given the leeway to choose one of the women at the end thereby
ironically reestablishing the very same patriarchy that the filmmaker
apparently fights throughout the movie. Alternatively,
at multiple points in the movie, Meena is shown repentant for the choices she
makes along the course of her life. This also reeks of a patriarchal moral
supremacy. While the absence of choice for a woman constitutes one side of the
story, the other side of the story is that of the constant blame that the woman
must endure subject to her choice. It would
suffice to say that Pyaasa is guilty of the
same feminist crimes that other movies of that time committed. The bare fact
that the movie blames the choice of one woman while celebrating the choice of
another is quintessentially anti-feminist. However, while dissecting these
subtle aspects, it should always be kept in mind that cinema was at its
development stage in India at the time when the movie was released. Hence, the
filmmaker did not have the advantage of leveraging earlier works while
constructing the intended and unintended messages in the movie. 6. ACCUMULATED FEMINIST MESSAGES FROM PYAASA There are
multiple points that tumble out through the diegetic analysis of the movie using
the three film theories. The following are the predominant pointers though: 1)
The
movie exhibits a deep empathy for women. 2)
Both
the primary female characters are shown as victims of a patriarchal system. 3)
A
deeply conservative Indian society seldom lets a woman have her way in terms of
selecting her life partner. 4)
Throughout
the movie, the director unapologetically questions the society’s stand on
multiple issues including the concept of womanhood. 5)
Patriarchy
as an overarching social construct is evident from the way different elements
of the concurrent society are projected through the shot compositions and shot
sequencing. 6)
The
music by the legendary composer Sachin Dev Burman and
the lyrics by the extremely talented Sahir Ludhianvi were used intelligently by the filmmaker to not
just take the story forward but also make a point vis-à-vis the positioning of
women in the Indian society. 7)
The
thematic placements of light and shadow put a distinct focus on the facial
appearances of the primary female characters in the movie. 8)
From
a feminist perspective, the movie was made in such a way so that the audience
felt empathetic towards the leading women characters in the movie. 9)
The
fact that Gulabo, a sex worker, was preferred by the
protagonist over a ‘socially respected’ Meena sets the feminist tone of the
movie. 10)
The
movie tries to address feminism politically and economically. 11)
The
movie provides an alternative lens to look at womanhood – a lens that does not
suffer from the obvious lacunae of a straightjacketed notion of morality and
propriety. 12)
The
concept of male gaze is as much a reality in Pyaasa
as any other commercial film. 13)
Both
the women in the movie have incidental roles and their roles only complement
the central role of the male protagonist. 14)
While
the absence of choice for a woman constitutes one side of the story, the other
side of the story is that of the constant blame that the woman must endure
subject to her choice. 15)
The
bare fact that the movie blames the choice of one woman while celebrating the
choice of another is quintessentially anti-feminist. 7. CONCLUSION Pyaasa would continue to haunt cinephiles for many more years. Its anti-establishment tone and its rejection of the traditional societal values make it decidedly different from other movies of its time Manwani (2020). However, the director also tries to redraw the contours of feminism and womanhood through this movie. Notwithstanding, this movie also makes some of the obvious feminist mistakes that some of the other movies from the same time made. Thus, Pyaasa is a tale of both hope and despair – not just in societal terms but in cinematic terms as well. In a way, the movie is representative of a decided change in filmmaking norms back during the 1950s and the 1960s Nambiar (2017).
CONFLICT OF INTERESTS None. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS None. REFERENCES Chettiar, B. (2019, February 14). Pyaasa@60 Review: Poignant Tale of Sensitive Soul in a Selfish World. Cinestan. Corliss, R. (2010, January 15). All-TIME 100 Movies. Time. Gupta, U. D. (2017, September 15). Frames Per Second : What 'Pyaasa' Tells Us About the Value of Poetry. Business Standard. Kabir, N. M. (2015, October 17). ‘Pyaasa’ is the Guru Dutt Gift That Keeps Giving. Khilnani, S. (2007, July 2). 1950's : Era of Wrong Turnings. India Today. Mahaan, D. (2017, November 3). Relevant forever. The Hindu. Manwani, A. (2020, January 22). The History Of Protest Songs In Bollywood. Film Companion. Misra, N. (2017, July 9). The Melancholic Majesty of Guru Dutt. Mulvey, L. (1975). Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema. Screen, 57-68. Nambiar, S. (2017, September 18). 11 Things You Need to Know About Bollywood's Golden Era. Culture Trip. Rebanal, J. (2019, June 3). ‘Pyaasa’ Review : Guru Dutt’S Hauntingly Semi-Autobiographical Poem. Cinema From The Spectrum. Renée, V. (2015, March 15). Auteur Theory : What Does it Mean and How You Can 'Author' Your Films. Nofilmschool. Singh, P. (2021, March 12). What Does Feminist Film Theory Say ? Intersectional Feminism-Desi Style. Young, D. R. (2015). The Vicarious Look, or Andy Warhol’s Apparatus Theory. Film Criticism, 25-53.
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