The greatest dream sequence of all is the one which is reputed to be the first, namely, Ghar Aaya Mera Pardesi in Awaara (1951). This nine-minute sequence condenses into a dream many fears and anxieties about the film's key themes of love, religion, women, motherhood, punishment and crime. The first shots show a spiral staircase surrounded by clouds, presumably heaven. Dancers appear among statues of loops and swirls, singing and sliding down chutes. Rita (Nargis) stands at the top of a flight of stairs, dressed in fine fabric, sequins and shiny hair ornaments, dusted with glitter, singing a love song (Tere Bina Aag Yeh Chandni). Raj, dressed in a black T-shirt and trousers then appears in hell, where he sings of his desires for love and spring ('Yeh nahin, yeh nahin zindagi') as he is surrounded by flames, dancing skeletons and other monsters. In the last sequence, he emerges through clouds to the sound of 'Om namah Shivaya' (homage to Lord Shiva) at the bottom of a flight of stairs leading to a Trimurti (composite image of Brahma-Shiva-Vishnu), when Nargis bends down to take him by the hand to lead him to heaven. Dressed in an embroidered bodice and skirt, she sings Ghar Aaya Mera Pardesi in front of a deity's statue with flashing lights in the background. She begins to climb the spiral and Raj follows her. They then climb more stairs towards a Nataraja as Nargis appears in dancing clothes. They begin to walk along a twisting road when a giant image of Raj's nemesis Jagga appears, holding a shining knife. Raj falls down yelling 'Rita' as she reaches over him but cannot save him. A montage of images, including one of Raj yelling as Rita appears superimposed, dissolves as Raj wakes up, shouting, "Maa, mujhe bachao (Mother, save me)!"

dreams

The Intimate Fantasy

Sleep on It