1960s drama film musical film romance film

Guide

1965 · India · 183 min

Director: Vijay Anand
Screenplay: R. K. Narayan, Vijay Anand
Producer: Dev Anand
Music: Sachin Dev Burman
Cinematography: Fali Mistry
Editing: Vijay Anand
Production company: Navketan Films

Awards: Filmfare Award for Best Film · 1 nominations

Cast

Dev Anand

Leela Chitnis

Waheeda Rehman

Iftekhar

What it is about

Raju, a freelance tour guide in an Indian city, is released from prison and looks back on how he came to know Rosie, a young dancer married to a wealthy and much older archaeologist. Circumstances draw them into a difficult shared period, in which Raju encourages her to pursue her artistic vocation while both face the social conventions around them.

How it was made

Directed by Vijay Anand, who also co-wrote the screenplay with R. K. Narayan, Guide adapts Narayan's novel and was produced by Dev Anand through Navketan Films. The project grew out of contacts with American director Tad Danielewski and Pearl S. Buck, who were planning a 120-minute English-language version. Dev Anand acquired the rights to the book and, because of differences between the two production teams, postponed the Hindi version. Sachin Dev Burman's music and Fali Mistry's cinematography complete a carefully crafted production.

Reception and legacy

The film was a box-office success, and at the Filmfare Awards it took seven prizes, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress, a sweep unprecedented at the time. It was selected as India's official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award, though it was not nominated. In 2012 Time magazine placed it fourth on its list of best Bollywood classics.