Event

Kaagaz Ke Phool (aka Paper Flowers)

Location
National Museum of Asian Art
–
Free
Films, After Five
View Event Details

Watch the Trailer

Introduced by Lalitha Gopalan, associate professor of Cinema Studies at the University of Texas at Austin and author of the book Kaagaz Ke Phool (Paper Flowers): BFI Film Classics. Buy her book here in person before the show starts!

The first Indian film shot in CinemaScope, Guru Dutt’s masterpiece follows the successful filmmaker Suresh Sinha (played by Dutt) as rumors of his affair with actress Shanti (Waheeda Rehman) lead him to lose his family, descend into alcoholism, and ultimately retreat from the film industry. Initially a critical and commercial failure, the film is now revered for its technical prowess, stunning chiaroscuro images, beautiful songs, and heartbreaking, self-reflexive narrative.

Shown in a digital restoration by the National Film Archive of India.

Director: Guru Dutt. Country: India. Released: 1959. Length: 148 min. Format: DCP, B&W. Language: Hindi with English subtitles.
Kaagaz Still: Courtesy of the National Film Archive of India
Book Cover: Courtesy of the British Film Institute

On View At

Side-by-side view of the Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, each with banners at the entrance and surrounded by greenery
National Museum of Asian Art
The Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art is made up of two buildings—the West Building (Freer Gallery of Art) and the adjoining East Building (Arthur M. Sackler Gallery).
Location
Washington, DC
10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily
Museum