Ahmedabad, India

Kamlaben Ambalal Patel (Grandmother)

1941

Ahmedabad, India 

Interviewed on January 19, 2026

By Meet Patel

Meet: Ba, what was the first movie that you remember watching?

KAP: Pyaasa. It was a wonderful movie about a poet who overcomes the struggles of being overlooked with the help of his soon to be lover.  I just recently got to watch it again. 

Meet: How old were you when you watched this movie, Ba?

KAP: I was 15

Meet: What do you remember about the movie?

KAP: It was a Guru Dutt movie. He was the creator, director, and lead actor in Pyaasa. The film followed a poet, Vijay, who was remarkably talented. Vijay has nothing going for him. His wife had left him for money. But he meets a lady, Gulabo, who bought the poems from a scrap dealer, and actually enjoyed them. However, Vijay, not knowing this,  had lost purpose, and gave his identity to a beggar. The beggar was later killed. Everyone thought Vijay had died. 

A lot happens.

What did you think of the character(s), actor(s), story?

The story was remarkable. One of the best for its time. The characters were all very unique; very beautiful and handsome. Gulabo was my favorite character. She overcame struggle in ways I saw many ladies overcome struggle.

It was also rare to see people fall in love. We are so used to arranged marriages, this story set a scene for what was to come.

Who was with you?

It was me and my sister. We had left school early to go watch this movie. 

How did you get to the theater/venue?

We had no choice but to walk. It was less than a mile from the city. It was super hot. 

Was there a concession? Did you have a favorite candy?

There was no food in the theater. But there were vendors outside. Everytime, I would get pani puri after school. This time I got a movie ticket instead. 

I was not able to afford too many sweets. I ate one piece of halwo every day before bed, and that was all. 

Do you remember the name of the theater? Were there ushers?

The theater was very new, but poorly run. I do not quite remember the name and I do not think it is still up today. There were a lot of workers yelling at people trying to get in. It was chaos. People were standing, and the seats were very disorganized. 

What town and year was this?

This was in Bombay. When the movie first came out

This interview was conducted in Gujarati, and some words from my grandmother were translated by my mother. My grandmother lives in India, and has lived in the same village in India since marriage. Ba refers to grandmother in Gujarati.