Pyaasa

Pyaasa (Hindi pronunciation: [pjɑːsɑː]; transl. Thirsty) is a 1957 Indian Hindi drama film directed and produced by Guru Dutt, who also stars in the film alongside Mala Sinha, Waheeda Rehman, Rehman, and Johnny Walker. Set in Calcutta, the film tells the story of Vijay (played by Dutt), a disillusioned Urdu poet whose works are underestimated by publishers and criticized for focusing on social issues rather than romantic themes. The narrative follows Vijay's encounters with Gulabo (Waheeda Rehman), a kind-hearted prostitute, and Meena (Sinha), his former girlfriend. Gulabo helps him get his poetry published, leading to the success of his works and the development of a romantic relationship between the two.

Initially, the role of Vijay was offered to Dilip Kumar, who declined due to the toll that intense roles had taken on his health. In a later interview, Kumar admitted that he found the character of Vijay in Pyaasa similar to that of Devdas and cited Pyaasa as one of the three films he regretted turning down. Guru Dutt eventually took on the role himself, and the film went on to become one of the most commercially successful movies of the year. Today, Pyaasa is regarded as a classic and is considered one of the greatest films in Indian cinema. It was remade into the Telugu film Mallepoovu in 1978.