Kaagaz Ke Phool
Kaagaz Ke Phool (transl. Paper Flowers) is a 1959 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film produced and directed by Guru Dutt, who also played the lead role in the film along with Waheeda Rehman. It is the first Indian film in CinemaScope and the last film officially directed by Dutt. It marked a technical revolution in Indian cinematography and is widely considered to be ahead of its time.
| Kaagaz Ke Phool | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Guru Dutt |
| Screenplay by | Abrar Alvi |
| Starring | Guru Dutt Waheeda Rehman Kumari Naaz Mehmood Johnny Walker |
| Cinematography | V. K. Murthy |
| Edited by | Y. G. Chawhan |
| Music by | S. D. Burman Kaifi Azmi (lyrics) |
Production company | |
Release date |
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Running time | 148 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
The film was a box office bomb in its time owing to its theme which the masses could not identify with, but was later resurrected as a cult classic in the 1980s. Its failure, both critically and commercially, severely impacted Guru Dutt and brought his studio on the verge of ruins. Dutt never officially directed a film after this. The film's music was composed by S. D. Burman and the lyrics were written by Kaifi Azmi and Shailendra (for one song "Hum Tum Jise Kehta Hai"). Today Kaagaz ke Phool is a part of syllabi in many film schools. It is considered to be the finest self-reflexive film to have ever been made in India.