The blind guiding the blind?

Guide (1965)
Director: Vijay Anand

I was squeezing my brain, trying to determine the movie's premise. Then, it dawned upon me. We are all walking around aimlessly, looking for someone, anyone, to guide us through the path of life. We are a confused lot. Neither the Guide leading is cocksure that he is leading along the right track, nor we, the seekers, are good at picking out the correct guidance.

We are impressed with the explanation of the tourist guide who managed to sell us the beauty of the place he was promoting. His persuasive speech guides us to appreciate its backstory. Language is a lubricant that eases this exercise. 

That must be it, language. The power of speech is the one that guides us to look for that utopia that we are seeking. We think we will be out of the rut we have entrapped ourselves in. Sadly, after making the necessary changes, we are happy but just for a short duration. Pretty soon, we are embroiled in the same quagmire, looking for another seemingly unreachable goal. Along the way, our primal desires draw more tentacles of misery.

How, then, should we proceed afterwards? Take all that as life experiences that make our lives more meaningful, more colourful or as life lessons? Do you want a life with no undulations but a dull, predictable path?

The 1965 movie simultaneously in English and Hindi with the names 'The Guide' and 'Guide' respectively. It was based on a novel by RK Narayan. Interestingly both stories employ the same cast, but the storyline is slightly altered to satisfy their target audiences. Minus from the English version where the main stars converse Indian-accented proper English are the classic evergreen songs that appear in Hindi. These songs are still enjoyed by all today. Also missing is the emotional display and philosophical, existential soliloquy that are quite pathognomic of Indian cinema. The features are indeed the ones that make Indian movies Indian.

Unquestionably, in my books, the Hindi turned out tops. It is more engaging and brings out the message embedded in the story. 

This movie was not without controversy on release. The idea of an Indian wife leaving the marriage to live with another may be challenging for a mid-1960s Indian public to stomach. A married woman dancing her way to fame may not go well with them either.

Raju, a street-smart tourist guide, meets Marco and his trophy wife, Rosie, to show them around town. Marco, an archaeologist, is only interested in exploring the caves around there. Raju takes the frustrated Rosie sightseeing. Watching a traditional dancer performing a snake dance, her suppressed inner desire comes to the fore. Rosie's mother was a poor courtesan, and Rosie herself was an avid classical dancer. She left all that after her marriage to Marco. That was the deal for the wedding - Marco's aristocratic background would clear Rosie's blemished origins. 

One thing led to another, and her marriage crumbled. Rosie moves in to live with Raju. An unhappy Raju's mother is moved out. Rosie and Raju reach dizzying heights via her dance. The insecure Raju fears that Rosie may go back to Marco. He forges her signature on some bank documents and is charged. Rosie and Raju's manager-lover arrangement collapses. 

The Hindi version has dialogues
of dharma, soul and redemption.

Raju takes a long trip to nowhere and is mistaken for a guru. His one-liners and philosophical talks excite the masses. The word about him goes around. Raju is coaxed to go on a 12-day fast to pray for rain. His feat goes in the press. Both his mother and Rosie come to the scene. The ending depends on where you consume the story- the book, the Hindi or the English version. They differ.

In Raju's 'second avatar' as a holy man, it is also language that strikes a chord with people. The power of the language comforts the aimless seekers of divine intervention. Word soothes, motivates, and pushes an agenda. Conversely, it is the very same word that cuts, hurts and destroys an institution quite august.

P.S. A certain young Gujarati boy who would later grow up to be the Prime Minister of India, a certain Narendra Modi, was moved by this movie. In the end, he thought that 'Guide's primary theme was that everyone gets guidance from their conscience.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.