French film critic Jean-Michel Frodon introduced Indian filmmaker Guru Dutt's 1957 classic Pyaasa to the audience at the Locarno International Film Festival as a dark film that helped the West discover the auteur theory — reflecting the director's personal creative vision — in Bollywood.
Pyaasa, a cinematic masterpiece by the master craftsman, was a satire on the social system. Directed by Guru Dutt, the film that boasts of flawless performances by Dutt and other cast, including Waheeda Rehman and Mala Sinha, was screened in Locarno, Switzerland, as a part of Open Doors programme that put the spotlight on Indian movies.
"With Pyaasa the West discovered that there is auteur film inside Indian cinema. There is not only Satyajit Ray, but also others inside Bollywood," Frodon told the audiences who came to watch the movie.
