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      “You always need a living sailor on a ship full of the dead. That was me.” (Final spoken lines of the film) “Never forget that memories, imagination and understanding must be used for an honest and productive life.” --Two separate statements of the sailor, narrating the stories, reflecting Ruiz’ own life of self-imposed exile, moving from one country to the other, making extraordinary films I f there are two Raoul (Raul) Ruiz films that are extraordinary, these would be Three Crowns of the Sailor (1983) and Mysteries of Lisbon (2010). Both have absorbing, non-linear screenplays with stunning cinematography. Yet, the two films are different in one significant aspect: the former is based on Ruiz’ own original tale while the latter is based on a novel of Camilo Castelo Branco. Both films have lead characters mirroring Ruiz’ departure from and memories of his land of birth and incorporate biographical elements. The sailor (Guillard, left) who narrates the tales, ask...

  One of these aborted projects was  Gouri , launched in 1957. Guru Dutt Films Private Limited, fresh from the success of  Pyaasa  that year, announced a film in Bengali and English.  Gouri  was to have been directed by Guru Dutt and was billed as the acting debut of his wife, playback singer Geeta Dutt. Gouri  was set in the director’s favorite city, Kolkata. The plot revolves around a successful sculptor of Durga idols who meets a prostitute, who, to him, resembles the goddess. Moved by the woman’s plight, he marries her. They lead a blissful life until one of his friends starts blackmailing him. When his parents find out about their daughter-in-law’s past, they start mistreating her. The woman runs away.  Two scenes were filmed and music director SD Burman had recorded two songs when Guru Dutt stopped production.  Had  Gouri  been made, it would have been India’s first film in the Cinemascope format, rather than his  Kaagaz ...

  Music Maestro Pt Shiv Kumar Sharma said in an interview that  While composing a song, Dada would say, ‘Even if my songs flop, I will still create something new’. What Dada meant was, ‘I will not take the beaten path. I will not compose as per the existing trend. Even if my songs flop, I will still do something new’.Recall the song 'Tadbeer Se Bigdi Hui Taqdeer Bana De' was written as a Ghazal but he converted it to a club song. Sahir the lyricist of the song was not happy with this but Dada was sure that it would be a hit.   Sahir then and there decided that he will never write again for S. D. Burman, but changed his mind after the song became super-hit and the film too was a big draw for the audience who used to return again and again. Similar situation happened during the making of Jaal 1951 song ' Yeh raat ye Chandni'.'  H e transformed its Ghazal mood giving it a regular stressed beat. When he sang the tune to Sahir Ludhianvi, Sahir laughed. Sahir suggested th...