‘I Wasn’t Sure About Pyaasa’

‘The
behaviour,
body
language
and
attitude
of
a
streetwalker
were
alien
to
me.’

Guru
Dutt’s

Pyaasa
turns
68
this
February.

The
1957
film
was
not
an
instant
success
but
no
one
saw
its
timeless
classic
status
coming.

“Aisi
filmein
banayi
nahin
jaati,
bann
jaati
hain
(such
film
are
not
made
consciously).
Nobody
says,
‘Let’s
make
a
classic’,”
Waheeda
Rehman,
who
played
the
streetwalker
with
a
heart
of
gold,
tells

Subhash
K
Jha.

“When
Guru
Dutt
offered
me

Pyaasa,
I
wasn’t
sure
I
could
pull
it
off.
The
behaviour,
body
language
and
attitude
of
a
streetwalker
were
alien
to
me.
I
didn’t
think
I
could
do
it.
But
Guru
Duttji
was
confident.
I
surrendered
to
his
vision
and
did
exactly
what
he
asked
me.

“All
those
expressions
in
the
song

Jaane
Kya
Main
Suni
are
the
director’s.

Maine
toh
wahi
kiya
jo
mujhe
kaha
gaya.”

Mala
Sinha
played
the
protagonist
Vijay’s
girlfriend,
who
dumps
him
for
a
more
successful
man.

“I
was
told
to
stay
away,”
she
says.

“They
said
it
was
a
vampish
role.

Ladki
pyaar
paise
ke
liye
gawa
deti
hai.
The
girl
sacrifices
love
for
financial
security.

“I
eventually
said
yes
for
two
reasons.
Firstly,
who
says
no
to
Guru
Dutt?
Secondly,
I
sensed
the
character
was
thinking
practically.
She
was
ahead
of
her
times.
Many
of
my
roles
were
seen
as
too
progressive
for
their
times.
When
I
did

Dhool
Ka
Phool,
I
was
told
my
career
was
over
for
playing
an
unwed
mother.

“Later,
Sharmila
Tagore
played
the
unwed
mother
in

Aradhana.
The
role
was
first
offered
to
me.
Preity
Zinta
also
played
an
unwed
mother
(Kya
Kehnaa).

“As
for

Pyaasa,
it
is
one
of
my
most
favourite
films
and
characters.
(Waheeda
Rehman)
got
all
the
sympathy
but
I
think
I
pulled
off
a
tough
part
without
seeming
like
a
shrew.”