Raju(Dev Anand) is a smart man from a small town. He knows many Indian languages, is hard working and owner of a railway shop but he rents his shop and chooses to work as a guide. Circumstances changes and at work he gets involved with an archaeologist's neglected wife Rosy(Waheeda Rahman). He ends up helping her, against the will of his mother, separate from her husband and become a world class dancer. Raju becomes a very rich and successful man as her lover and secretary. Raju cant handle his success and ends up in a jail under the charges of forgery. Free from jail Raju decides to travel as an anonymous soul and is mistaken for a 'mahatma' by simple villagers. Raju's inner conflict and cosmic conflicts becomes one as a mad villager by mistake set hesitant Raju sail on philosophical voyage.
The film is based on a novel by RK Narayan which is as good as the film. 'Guide' is the best Indian film by any standard or scale. It is a sure Oscar winner. Graph of the character 'Raju' is unimaginably big. There is just no connection between where it starts from and where it reaches finally although he remains a 'guide' throughout. This is one of those films which changes you as a man. This film is flawless. Pace is fast and non linear. It keeps going back and forth in flashbacks but narration is tight. I think this film is the essence of most Indian philosophies like 'Atma' (soul), Parmatma (supreme soul of perfect consciousness), Tapasya (austerity), Moksha (liberation) etc. Last 30 minutes deals with philosophical questions like 'Is there God?', 'are we being watched?' etc. There are lots of things in the film which is not in the novel including the ending which I think is the most important factor of the graph of the character.
Dev Anand is brilliant in this film. This is definitely the best film of most of the cast and crew except for may be SD Burman. Though as a soundtrack this is SD's best too. Background music is filled with flute pieces and sitar which works great to set the mood for a grand philosophical finale. 'wahan Kaun Hai Tera' is probably one of the best video I can think of. In the song people throw money at sleeping Raju considering him a beggar. In the next frame he leans on a tree and cries like a child and then runs like hell. This song beats any choreography I have seen in my life including 'Anand' and 'Pyasa'. The transformation of a common man to 'mahatma' is RK Narayan's genius which Goldy Anand has very neatly transported onto celluloid screen. By the way this film is considered a bible from the filmmkinh point of view. You can imagine if its the best of Goldy 'God' Anand himself. If you are an Indian and you like films and you have not seen this film then you are like VP Singh who had not heard of Bachchan until 1983 :>. So don't be a total dumb like him and watch it.
The film is based on a novel by RK Narayan which is as good as the film. 'Guide' is the best Indian film by any standard or scale. It is a sure Oscar winner. Graph of the character 'Raju' is unimaginably big. There is just no connection between where it starts from and where it reaches finally although he remains a 'guide' throughout. This is one of those films which changes you as a man. This film is flawless. Pace is fast and non linear. It keeps going back and forth in flashbacks but narration is tight. I think this film is the essence of most Indian philosophies like 'Atma' (soul), Parmatma (supreme soul of perfect consciousness), Tapasya (austerity), Moksha (liberation) etc. Last 30 minutes deals with philosophical questions like 'Is there God?', 'are we being watched?' etc. There are lots of things in the film which is not in the novel including the ending which I think is the most important factor of the graph of the character.
Dev Anand is brilliant in this film. This is definitely the best film of most of the cast and crew except for may be SD Burman. Though as a soundtrack this is SD's best too. Background music is filled with flute pieces and sitar which works great to set the mood for a grand philosophical finale. 'wahan Kaun Hai Tera' is probably one of the best video I can think of. In the song people throw money at sleeping Raju considering him a beggar. In the next frame he leans on a tree and cries like a child and then runs like hell. This song beats any choreography I have seen in my life including 'Anand' and 'Pyasa'. The transformation of a common man to 'mahatma' is RK Narayan's genius which Goldy Anand has very neatly transported onto celluloid screen. By the way this film is considered a bible from the filmmkinh point of view. You can imagine if its the best of Goldy 'God' Anand himself. If you are an Indian and you like films and you have not seen this film then you are like VP Singh who had not heard of Bachchan until 1983 :>. So don't be a total dumb like him and watch it.