If you have read my reviews on both Pyaasa and Kaagaz Ke Phool, then what I am about to say will not shock you.
Guru Dutt’s Pyaasa and Kaagaz Ke Phool are two films that have cemented his legacy as a great artist and director in the annals of Hindi cinema. When you watch these films, it’s not hard to see why Dutt gets the praise he does.
However, if you take a closer look between Pyaasa and Kaagaz Ke Phool, it is the former that stands out more, and here’s why.
Consider yourself warned: Spoilers ahead!
Why Pyaasa is Better Than Kaagaz Ke Phool — A Quick Look
Breaking Down Why Pyaasa is Better Than Kaagaz Ke Phool
Disclaimer: Before we get into the nitty-gritty of it all, I do want to make it clear that by drawing a comparison, I simply wish to further my viewpoint that Pyaasa is a better film than Kaagaz Ke Phool when it comes to a few things.
However, this isn’t to shit on the latter movie. I do recognize that Kaagaz Ke Phool has a cult following and is loved by many people.
With this article, I simply wish to further analyse Dutt as an artist and how similar themes and narratives in two films can be executed so differently by the same person.
1. Character Development
Pyaasa takes its audience on the emotional journey of an artist —be he naive or virtuous, that depends on your interpretation of Vijay as a person.
But the thing is that Pyaasa allows you to come to that conclusion on your own by taking you on Vijay’s journey of “growing up” and giving you first-hand access to his emotional state, be it via songs, poetry, or his interactions with the other characters.
The context surrounding the choices that Vijay makes throughout the film is why his entire arc leaves you feeling gut-punched by the end.
Kaagaz Ke Phool, on the other hand, fails to help the audience make the same connection to Suresh Sinha despite there being glaring similarities in the themes and overall narratives in both films.
Of course, both films feature a rude awakening for the protagonists about the nature of fame.
Both Vijay, the poet, and Sinha, the director, are men who hold their artistic vision above all else, so much so that they would rather lose it all than betray their craft as well as morals.
Both of them experience “success” in some form but are then plagued with immense hardships from which they have a tough time bouncing back.
So, Kaagaz Ke Phool had similar potential to Pyaasa but failed to devote as much to its character development. It also does little justice to Shanti, who is a key player in the story and the outcome of Suresh Sinha’s life.
While it does explore Sinha’s fall from grace in more detail, giving you more time with the main character, it mostly restricts Shanti to social norms that the audience is expected to “understand.”
And look, I get that social norms are strong and that not everyone is interested in “breaking free” from them, something that seems to align with Shanti’s character.
But it also feels as though Kaagaz Ke Phool only takes a peek through a curtain at what its characters are going through during (arguably) the worst times of their lives, and that left me wanting more from it.
In other words, even though it’s okay if Shanti is bound by the ideology and thinking of the times, the veil that truly explores her inner demons and anguish is not completely lifted — and that little facet in itself is a bit disappointing. She seems to have been included simply to justify Sinha’s exasperation with loneliness in life but lacks her own personality.
2. The Protagonist’s Emotional Depth
As stated before, both of Dutt’s characters are quite similar, especially when it comes to the reverence of their art forms, and many people have pointed out that both these films seem to have taken inspiration from his real life.
As such, although Kaagaz Ke Phool is usually the film tied to Dutt as the best introspection on his own life, I feel like Pyaasa actually deserves that title.
Why? Well, this is because of how Vijay and Sinha have been visualised.
Vijay’s journey — rife with hopes, dreams, betrayal, and rude realisations — is the focus of Pyaasa, and it charts exactly how, every time he hits a low, his thinking also evolves. The film has this fine balance between emotion and logic, really putting Vijay through the best before he comes to terms with the harsh reality of the world.
Sinha, however, is more aloof to the audience.
In Kaagaz Ke Phool, we are introduced to the protagonist when he is at the height of his career, and every studio wants to work with him. While the film shows the incidents behind his downfall, it simply doesn’t do justice to his feelings.
You need to read between the lines to truly understand the dynamic between the director and his muse, and the plot moves ahead due to the understanding of the viewer rather than the exploration of the characters.
For instance, there are perhaps three interactions in Kaagaz Ke Phool that actually stood out for their emotional honesty, including the conversation between Shanti and Pammi. But for many other scenes, there is something missing…
In that vein, I also feel Pyaasa is a better introspection of his life than Kaagaz Ke Phool.
In fact, the latter feels more like a self-fulfilling prophecy.
While some aspects of the character and the actor were similar, such as an unhappy marriage, unlike Sinha, Dutt ironically experienced crushing failure after Kaagaz Ke Phool flopped. So, the “autobiographical” perspective doesn’t completely hold up, as the timeline doesn’t grant it much credibility.
3. Overall Plot
One thing I found to be common between both films is that the story takes some time to build up.
This isn’t necessarily a bad rhetorical choice because it lays the groundwork for the audience to relate to the characters. So, when the story actually gets good, it is almost impossible to look away from the screen.
Having said that, when Pyaasa’s pacing picks up, it really picks up! You will get completely engrossed in Vijay’s troubles, and the ball won’t stop rolling. The story is just so well-written and gripping!
But that doesn’t happen with Kaagaz Ke Phool…
As I stated before, yes, there are some scenes that have been written and pictured beautifully, but there’s no such moment in the film where it “picks up,” even though there was potential.
4. Music
The music of Pyaasa deserves applause. All of its songs are rife with poignant lyrics and excellent compositions that have this raw honesty about existence and the human condition. Given that Vijay is a poet himself, it should be no surprise that the music reflects his sensitive take on life as well as his grievances.
Coming to Kaagaz Ke Phool, the stand-out song is Waqt Ne Kiya Kya Haseen Sitam, and it is a masterpiece. This one track alone has done a lot to cement the legacy of the movie and is rightly considered a classic Hindi song. While some of the other songs are good, the album in its entirety doesn’t have the same quality as Pyaasa.
Pyaasa Plot Synopsis
Vijay is a struggling poet who hopes to make a name for himself with his art. However, things go haywire, and his very existence gets threatened due to corruption and greed; he must then re-think what he wants from life.
Kaagaz Ke Phool Plot Synopsis
Suresh Sinha is a successful director who launches Shanti, a shy and orphaned girl. As the two work together, they develop a connection and become close. But fate may just have other plans for the duo…
