Pyaasa

Awards

Album Awards:
• 2017 - Mirchi Music Awards - Jury Award For Best Album Of Golden Era - S.D. Burman

Trivia

Album

• The film's premise was based on a short story Guru Dutt had written in 1947-1948 titled "Kashmakash". Dutt brought in Abrar Alvi to develop the story into a screenplay. The film's opening credits only listed Abrar Alvi for the film's dialogues. There were no credits for the story and screenplay.[1]
• Guru Dutt had initially wanted to cast Dilip Kumar in the film's lead role. He had even approached the actor and gotten an in-principle agreement from him to work in the film even though there was a minor disagreement between them. Dilip Kumar had wanted to be paid one and a half lakh rupees and Guru Dutt had asked him to consider reducing his fee. Dilip Kuma had told Dutt not to worry about money since his distributors would take care of the film's finances. Dutt had pushed back on this proposal saying that he had his own team of distributors and that he didn't need Kumar's help to sell the film. It is not known if Dilip Kumar took offence to this. When Dutt left Kumar that day, he had the actor's assurance that he would come for the muhurat shot the next day. However, Dilip Kumar reneged on his promise and did not turn up for the shoot. After failed attempts to summon the actor to the location, Guru Dutt eventually decided to cast himself in the lead role instead. Dilip Kumar stated later that he had turned down this film since he had found its lead character to be very similar to the titular role he had played in "Devdas" (1955).[2][MR60]
• This was the last film in which S.D. Burman and Sahir Ludhianvi worked together. Their estrangement was a result of Sahir's claim that the film's success was more due to his lyrics than due to Burman's music. Sahir had a similar argument with Jaidev during the making of "Mujhe Jeene Do" (1963) and stopped working with him as well.[3][MR3][MR5]
• Guru Dutt dedicated the film to the memory of filmmaker Gyan Mukherjee, who died in 1956. Mukherjee had mentored Dutt early on in his career. It was also Mukherjee who gave him his screen name. Guru Dutt was born Vasanth Kumar Padukone. Following a near-fatal accident when he was 18 months old, he was rechristened Gurudutt Padukone based on the advice of a spiritual guru. When he was just beginning his film career, it was Mukherjee who asked him to drop his last name and split his first name. Although it is widely believed that Guru Dutt's "Kaagaz Ke Phool" (1959) was semi-autobiographical, Dutt himself maintained that it was a tribute to Gyan Mukherjee.[4][5][6]
• The film was remade in Telugu as "Mallepoovu" (1978).

Song

• Jane Kya Tune Kahi Jane Kya Maine Suni - The unique percussion sound in this song that became its signature was played by Kersi Lord on Chinese temple blocks.[7]
• Sar Jo Tera Chakraye - It is said that the tune of this S.D. Burman classic was composed by his son R.D. Burman.
• Hum Aap Ki Aankhon Mein Is Dil Ko Basa Den To - This song was not part of the film's original script. It was added to assuage the distributors' concern that the bleak film had nothing positive to offer to the audience.
• Jane Woh Kaise Log The Jinke Pyar Ko Pyar Mila - The tune of the line "Humne to jab kaliyan maangi" in this song may have been S.D. Burman's adaptation of the line "Punjab Sindh Gujarat Maratha" from the Indian national anthem composed by Rabindranath Tagore.[MR10]
• Jane Woh Kaise Log The Jinke Pyar Ko Pyar Mila - This was the only song in the film in which the voice of a male singer other than Mohammed Rafi was used. S.D. Burman's decision to use Hemant Kumar for this song may have been to fulfil a promise he had made to the singer to give him at least one song a year - a promise Hemant Kumar himself reminded the composer of. Additionally, the fact that the song was influenced by Rabindra Sangeet may have swung the decision in favour of Hemant Kumar, a seasoned practitioner of this form of music.[MR10]
• Rut Phire Par Din Hamare Phire Na Phire - This song was issued on music records and was filmed as well but was removed from the film at some point.[MR1]
• Tang Aa Chuke Hain Kashmakash-E-Zindagi Se Hum - This ghazal, written by Sahir Ludhianvi, was also used in the film "Light House" (1958). In "Light House" (1958), the ghazal was composed by Datta Naik and sung by Asha Bhosle.[8]
• Tang Aa Chuke Hain Kashmakash-E-Zindagi Se Hum - This song may have inspired O.P. Nayyar's tune for the song "Hum Ko Tumhare Ishq Ne" ("Ek Musafir Ek Hasina", 1962).[9][MR3]

1. ^ 'Pyaasa' is the Guru Dutt gift that keeps giving
2. ^ Devdas (1955)
3. ^ Mujhe Jeene Do (1963)
4. ^ Guru Dutt's last few living hours: The real story
5. ^ Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959)
6. ^ Guru Dutt: A Legacy of Introspection
7. ^ 52 years, 5,000 songs: With musician Kersi Lord’s death, we have lost a vital part of film history
8. ^ Tang Aa Chuke Hain Kashmakash-E-Zindagi Se Hum (Light House, 1958)
9. ^ Hum Ko Tumhare Ishq Ne (Ek Musafir Ek Hasina, 1962)