I don't normally write reviews, in fact this is my first ever, I am forced to express my emotions about this movie. Not a movie expert, I just enjoy what ever impacts me in a personal way. The Guide is a story which effects all of lifes, we tend to feel like Raju many times in our lives. As humans we are in a struggle to succeed, and develop as individuals. In this race we look for support of our loved ones who walk the road with us. This is the very pure and fundamental setting of the movie guide, where a guide "traveller" is traveling through different phases of his life. He finds his love and becomes rich and successful, but.. things don't stay the same. We experience the same in our lives. when our partner suddenly starts to change and rifts start to occur in relationships. The part in the movie where Raju is getting drunk and he starts to sing, thats a feeling of every man during that phase of life. There is so much to say about this movie. The music, the location, the characters, everything is so perfect. One of the greatest movies in Indian Cinema History.

If I were to make a list of movies I would want to watch moments before I die, it would be The Seventh Seal, Waking Life, Wild Strawberries, Groundhog Day, Pyaasa and a few others. But one movie which I would pick above all great ones I have mentioned, is Guide by Vijay Anand. It is hard to put into words what this movie means to me.For starters, it reminds me of my grandmother and the expression on her, every time she saw the film. Sometimes when you watch a movie again and again, eventually the emotional connect gets somewhat diluted but not this one. Based on the book by R.K. Narayan, Guide treaded into areas considered taboo for Indian society let alone films whether it is the "extra marital affairs" or "living in relationship". But the greatness of the movies lies in the fact that the brilliant script and the honesty of the performances never distracted the audience from the "crux" of the film. Easily Dev Anand and Waheeda Rehman's best performances who handle a delicate subject with maturity and create the "arc" of the character through the film that actors so crave for. It was a once in lifetime role and they made it their own.The plot revolves around Raju makes a living by acting as a guide for tourists on one hand, and a con-man on another. He meets with Rosie Marco during one of his tours, and is attracted to her. He finds out that Rosie is unhappily married, would like to separate from her spouse, and take up acting and dancing. With Raju's encouragement, Rosie succeeds and both become rich beyond their imagination. Raju's lifestyle becomes easy, and he succumbs to gambling, and drinking in a big way. He forges a signature, is caught, arrested, tried in court, found guilty and imprisoned. Rosie will now have nothing to do with him. After Raju completes his prison sentence, he is released and travels far and wide in an attempt to meet Rosie and also to try and avoid returning to the city. He is mistaken for a Saint, and asked to preside over a temple in a region that is stricken by severe drought. Raju must offer prayers for rain and appease the people, or else they will expose him for fooling them. The question remains will he succeed in conning devotees that have come far and wide to watch him perform a miracle?What makes the film stand the test of time, is the truthful writing of the characters. Instead of reducing them to caricatures and making the film simplistic, they are shows as human being. Flawed, ambitious, capable of love or hatred, jealousy, greed and ultimately redemption. And how can I complete review on Guide without mentioning the music by S.D.Burman, truly one of the all time greats. But the champion of the film is arguably Vijay Anand. Till date I reckon he is technically one of the finest Indian directors. Unfortunately, we did not see a lot of him behind the camera and too much in front of the camera for my liking.A masterpiece of the highest order which not only abides by the "bollywood" format, but asks some pertinent questions about presence of God, nature of the man, existentialism.

Even the word Best sounds very low for this high performing movie...A Classic in all respect.... Music-The Best, Story-The Best, Dance-The Best, Can't forget that Naag Nritya, Songs-The Best-All Superhit, Acting-The Best of all. This movie is the Legand and unique in few ways....First of all Back to back songs and The story plot....Starts normally goes back into past...then come back to present and then goes back to past and then comes back and then last half an hour is so impressive. I think these things made this movie a Legand. The more you saw this movie...the more you like it.... I have seen this at least Fifty Times and in next few years I will be the centuries... Its a saga of love...a story of

The Rainmaker (1956) by Richard Nash In a world of drought comes a man who imagines himself to be a "rainmaker". This character has deep inner conflict between his passionate belief that he can bring the rain, although he has never been able to do it, and his terrible fear that he's a fool or mad. He meets a woman, falls in love, then suffers as she tries to believe in him, but turns away, convinced he's a charlatan or worse. He has a strong conflict with society – some follow him as if he's a messiah; others want to stone him out of town. Lastly he faces implacable conflict with the physical world – hot winds, empty skies, parched earth. If this man can struggle through all his inner and personal conflicts, against social and environmental forces and finally coax rain out of a cloudless sky, that storm would be majestic and sublimely meaningful. This is the story outline of "The Rainmaker" which was adapted to screen by Richard Nash from his own play. The Hindi classic Guide (1965) directed Vijay Anand based on the eponymous novel by R.K Narayanan seems very similar. Raju the "Guide" has the same inner and outer conflicts. He also falls in love with a woman who happens to be a dancer and married. He goes through sufferings as she becomes famous. He walks away from her but his mind still carries the baggage of the past. He reaches a drought ridden town where people think he's a messiah who can bring rain. Some people try to stone him to chase him out of the town. Lastly he faces the final conflict of the spirit and the flesh – hot winds, empty skies, parched earth and the gods of the temple. He struggles through all his inner and personal conflicts,(with a fast-unto-death )against social, environmental and spiritual forces to finally coax rain out of the cloudless sky.