Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Reading some of the reviews makes me think that this film needs more context for an American audience and may not be fully appreciated if it is the first classic Bollywood movie one watches, but if you are interested in classic cinema (not just classic Bollywood) it really must be seen.Yes, Sinha's wife and her family are caricatures, yes Rocky's character is ridiculous, yes the beginning and end are melodramatic (no more so than many other classics, though), but everything else is artistry. Sinha and Shanti both have excellent, minimalist dialogue and express themselves well through body language and facial expression without becoming caricatures themselves. Maybe I'm reading too much into it but I think perhaps the contrast between the flat portrayal of the anti-film characters and the realistic portrayal of the main characters is more than just an attempt to please the audience and is rather an attempt to focus on the true drama. As if to say, yes, the protagonists are suffering because of these problems, but it is their suffering that we want you to look at, not the situation that caused it.The technical quality of the prints available (both picture and audio) are somewhat poor at times but for me this did not detract from my experience. I can see why it was a failure in the box office at the time. It wasn't the type of story the mass market generally wants, and especially not at the time it was made, but it is also clear why it is now considered a masterwork.

Everyone especially my mummy used to tell me as how great is this picture but I realised it today after watching it that none of the adjectives used in the appreciation of this film is an exaggeration. It is a milestone movie as far as Indian Hindi Cinema is concerned. Every aspect (acting, direction, music, cinematography, script ) of this movie is top notch. It's very few of those Indian pictures in which melodrama has no place. Pyasaa, another master piece by Guru Dutt, was my all time favourite movie but after watching Kagaz Kee Phool, I have no option than to downgrade Pyasaa to number 2.A must watch.........highly recommended...

Apparently Guru dutt stopped directing movies after the failure of Kaagaz ke phool at the box office. What a pity! If only he had considered the holes in the plot, being the perfectionist he is, he would definitely have made at least one more film. And Indian Cinema surely needed more from a director of his calibre and taste.Kaagaz Ke phool ( paper / artificial flowers ) is the story of a brilliant director who gets trapped into a downward spiral of self destruction. As soon as the titles roll down to the tune of "waqt ne kiya", we hear a poignant background song by Rafi , written by Sahir Ludhianvi and composed by S.D. Burman. An old and battered Suresh Singh is seen looking at the studios forlornly. And soon ensues the flash back about how this brilliant director goes through a roller coaster ride, suffers the pangs of a bad marriage, misses his daughter, discovers a star, meets an understanding friend and companion, and how he becomes a victim to the whims of society and loses everything. There are a few flaws in the plot, especially around the events related to the turning point in the life of the protagonist, which may put off some audience.There is a comedy track, which may not gel well with the present day viewers. However, if the viewer is willing to be generous with his suspension of disbelief, he is in store for an audio-visual treat of a kind that is rarely seen among the annals of Indian Cinema. Guru dutt and Waheeda Rehman do well in their respective roles and most of the cast give good support. But what stand out are the music, the songs and the cinematography. Lyricist Sahir Ludhianvi is a master and "waqt ne kiya" proves it beyond any doubt. And what to say about S.D. Burman? He is an acknowledged genius and here he composes music that captures the spirit of the movie so wonderfully. The cinematography is a lesson for photographers. Some of the scenes,where conversation between the actors is picturized with the actors alternately fading in and out of the focus, have a wonderful effect on the feel of the film.On the whole, be kind towards a few flaws, and you will not regret watching the movie.

Although the Guru Dutt masterpiece failed miserably at the box office it remains till today as one of the most critically appreciated films of Indian cinema.The very fact that the next film Guru Dutt created i.e. Chaudhvin ChaudhvinKa Chand ( Full day Moon ) became the biggest blockbuster giving us the hint how he knew about the audience of the time.Talking about the film the very first scene carries so much depth that the rest of the movie seems more like an era which would be memorised for a long time.The image of an old man pushing the door ( of the film studio ) and a sad gloomy background score involved me in the movie like none other Bollywood film had ever done before.Kaagaz Ke Phool ( Paper Flowers ) is the story of film director Suresh Sinha who is estranged from his wife and daughter.He falls in love with his 'discovery' Shanti whom he grooms to act in films.Sinha's carrer soon declines and he realises the ephemeral nature of fame and success. The lightning of the film is world class and so is the cinematography.I feel it is basically these two factors which plays the most important role in terming Kaagaz Ke Phool an Indian Classic ( " I Feel " ).Witness the scenes where Sinha enters his studio with a fractured leg and sits down on the chair in the dark room or when Sinha smoking his cigar talks to Shanti in the initial parts of the film.Kaagaz Ke Phool is great and so is Guru Dutt.It won't be any euphemism if I term him the Orson Welles of Indian cinema or Orson Welles the Guru Dutt of American.