Kaagaz Ke Phool

Guru Dutt's 1959 Indian film is about the collapse of a film director. Suresh Sinha is at the top of the studio system; his marriage is over, he cannot see his daughter and he is alone. He casts Shanti, whom he meets in the rain, and she becomes a great star; when their relationship becomes gossip she has to withdraw and he loses everything by degrees. The film describes the film world from inside and without mercy: studio gates, forgotten names and the queue of extras. It was the first widescreen film made in India and its use of light in the studio scenes is especially striking. It failed heavily at the box office on release and Dutt never directed under his own name again; it was counted a classic years later. Who it's for: viewers who like classic Indian cinema and films about filmmaking. Who it's not for: anyone expecting a hopeful ending; this one ends in darkness.