Baazi (1951)

Original title

बाज़ी

Directed by

Guru Dutt

Genre

drama film, film noir, Mumbai Noir

Country

India

Runtime

2h 23m

Rated

U

Rating

6.2 of 10 from 6 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A morally ambiguous hero gets tangled with a dangerous woman and a world of crime. The story follows his risky gambles and the consequences of his choices in a shadowy urban setting.

shadowymorally ambiguoussuspensefulnoirstylishfast-paceddarkbrooding

What happens

Baazi (English: Gamble) is a 1951 Indian Hindi noir film directed by Guru Dutt. This was the second film of Dev Anand's production house Navketan Films, and as per a commitment given by Dev Anand to Guru Dutt in their days of struggle, the movie was given to Dutt for direction. Baazi was the first crime noir made in the country. It initiated a new genre called "Bombay Noir", the success of which encouraged and defined the later noir films of 1950s and '60s in Hindi cinema. It was the first film in which Dev Anand came up with his unique style of rapid-fire. The film's story was partly inspired by the 1946 movie Gilda. The movie stars Dev Anand with Geeta Bali and Kalpana Kartik. It is a crime thriller and had very popular music composed by S.D. Burman. The film is a tribute to the 1940s' Hollywood Film noir with the morally ambiguous hero, the transgressing siren, and shadow lighting. It was hugely successful at the box office and was the second highest grossing film of 1951 after Awaara. The Times of India called Baazi "a milestone in the short lived genre that can be loosely called Bombay Noir." It was listed by Filmfare in "Best Bollywood Noir Films of '50s". It is considered one of the Best Noir films to have come from India. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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