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The Print
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Print
Guru Dutt was more than brooding loneliness. His cinema pulsed with wit and satire
Yet, as Nasreen Munni Kabir notes in Guru Dutt: A Life in Cinema , he was also looking ahead—eager to complete Baharen Phir Bhi Aayengi and actively involved in projects like K Asif's Love and God and RS Tara's Picnic . His professionalism, even amid personal struggles, remained intact. Similarly, auteurs like Andrei Tarkovsky, Ingmar Bergman, and Michelangelo Antonioni explored alienation and melancholy in their work—elements that often mirror personal conflicts but do not define the artist. In Dutt's case, films like Pyaasa and Kaagaz Ke Phool certainly convey the brooding alienation of a misunderstood artist. The latter, semi-autobiographical and a commercial failure at the time, deepened the myth of the tortured filmmaker. On Guru Dutt's centenary, much of the discourse gravitates toward his mental health and tragic end, often at the cost of overshadowing his towering cinematic legacy. This recurring emphasis on his depression reflects a broader cultural tendency to conflate artistic genius with emotional turmoil—a narrative seen with Tim Burton, Francis Ford Coppola, and Lars von Trier, all of whom have openly discussed their struggles with mental health. The so-called suicide theory remains contested. While he had earlier incidents involving sleeping pills, there is little definitive evidence that his death was intentional. His onscreen presence in songs like 'Bhanwara Bada Naadan' or 'Aaj Ki Mulaqat' doesn't bear the stamp of a man entirely consumed by despair. As with Meena Kumari and Madhubala, the mythmaking around Dutt often overshadows the reality: that he was a complex, driven artist who, despite loneliness and internal battles, continued to work, create, and captivate. A hundred years on, it's time to remember Guru Dutt not merely as a tragic figure, but as a visionary who redefined Indian cinema with lyricism, technical innovation, and emotional depth. His work endures—not because of the mystique surrounding his death, but because of the life he poured into every frame. Also read: Guru Dutt built Bollywood's most unlikely dream team—bus conductor, unknown writer, dancer Aar Paar showed a different Guru Dutt The lighter side of Guru Dutt shines through in the genre-bending experimentation of his 1954 film Aar Paar. A blend of noir, romance, musical, and social satire, Aar Paar marks a confident display of Dutt's directorial control. Fresh off the success of Baazi and Jaal, Dutt centres the film on Kaalu, a taxi driver navigating love and crime in Bombay's post-Independence urban landscape. Played by Dutt himself, Kaalu is emblematic of the city's working class, making Aar Paar one of the earliest Indian films to realistically portray the migrant population of Bombay. Unlike the mythic romanticism of Kaagaz Ke Phool, Aar Paar is embedded in the everyday. Abrar Alvi's dialogue sparkles with authenticity; characters speak in a mix of Hindi, Urdu, and Bombay street slang—a linguistic realism rare for its time. The film avoids 'literary' Hindi and allows each character to speak in their own dialect. The noir elements—use of shadows, reflective surfaces, and confined spaces—coexist with choreographed musical exuberance. Songs like 'Sun Sun Zalima' (shot in a garage) and 'Ye Lo Main Haari Piya' (set on Bombay's streets) turn real urban spaces into stylised songscapes. The garage scene is particularly notable for its use of space as narrative—a car becomes both a prop and symbolic barrier between the lovers. The song 'Mohabbat Karlo Ji Bharlo' offers a meta-commentary on love and disillusionment. Dutt's character grunts disapprovingly at young lovers, only to break into a philosophical song that reflects both scepticism and rueful acceptance of love's illusions. Such visual playfulness and choreographed mise-en-scène are rarely seen in Indian cinema of the time. Dutt and Shyama share palpable on-screen chemistry, anchoring the romantic plot with charm. Shakila, in her noir-inspired club songs like 'Babuji Dheere Chalna,' brings sensual mystique, marking the arrival of the femme fatale in Indian noir. Johnny Walker, as always, injects comedic balance, grounding the film in Dutt's broader humanist vision. Aar Paar redefined the musical as a narrative driver, not merely an interlude. It also foregrounded Bombay as a character—its taxis, clubs, backstreets, and garages becoming living, breathing backdrops. The creative team—Abrar Alvi (dialogue), VK Murthy (cinematography), OP Nayyar (music), and Majrooh Sultanpuri (lyrics)—set a high-water mark for collaboration in Hindi cinema. The film laid the groundwork for the noir-romance blend seen in later works like CID (1956), Kala Bazar (1960), and even Teesri Manzil (1966). Aar Paar is an essential film in Guru Dutt's legacy—not a footnote, but a standalone masterpiece that showcases his wit, range, and control. Its artistic experimentation, urban realism, and unforgettable music testify to Dutt's joy in storytelling. It's time we celebrate Aar Paar not just as a 'lighter' film, but as a work of cinematic intelligence and warmth that rivals any in Dutt's oeuvre. Rajeev Srivastava is a filmmaker and photographer, who has directed and produced documentaries and reportage for the World Bank, BBC, Reuters, APTN, and France 24. He has also curated international film festivals in Delhi. Views are personal. (Edited by Prashant)
Indian Express
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Guru Dutt@100: Here's looking at the man behind the artist
There are unmistakable shades of Guru Dutt in Vijay and Suresh Sinha, the protagonists of Pyaasa (1957) and Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959), lending the characters an authenticity, pathos and timeless aura. Vijay, an idealistic and impoverished Urdu poet, gains recognition only after he is presumed to be dead. Disillusioned by the materialistic world, he ultimately chooses to walk away from it. Suresh, once a celebrated filmmaker, goes through upheavals in his personal and professional life, struggles with fleeting success, fading glory and loneliness. It has been over six decades since Dutt passed away on October 10, 1964, but cinephiles still search for traces of the master filmmaker in these unforgettable characters. Even though he officially directed only eight films, the haunting pathos of Pyaasa and Kaagaz Ke Phool came to define his signature filmmaking style and cinematic vision. His son, the late Arun Dutt, in an old interview, archived by Wild Films India, refuted the suggestion that the conflicts portrayed in these films mirrored his father's real-life experiences. However, Arun did acknowledge that if some personality traits of Vijay and Suresh were to be combined, it would come close to understanding how Dutt was in real life. The theory that these roles reflected the filmmaker's inner turmoil gained traction following his untimely death at the age of 39. While many assume his death to be a case of suicide, since he had attempted it a couple of times earlier, family and those close to him believe it was an accident, caused by overconsumption of alcohol and sleeping pills. On October 9, 1964, Dutt had discussions with screenwriter Abrar Alvi, from evening till after midnight, regarding the climax of Baharen Phir Bhi Aayengi (1966), the last film Dutt acted in. The next morning he was found dead. These portions were reshot later as Dharmendra stepped in to complete it. Born on July 9, 1925, in Bangalore, Dutt was the eldest of five children born to Vasanti and Shivkumar Padukone, a Burma Shell employee. The family moved to Kolkata when he was five years old. After finishing his schooling there, Dutt joined Uday Shankar's academy in Almora to be trained in dance. This paved his way to join the film industry in 1944 as an assistant choreographer at Pune's Prabhat Studios where he met Dev Anand, then a newcomer. When he formed his production company Navketan, he roped in Dutt to direct Baazi (1951), honouring a friendly pact they had made earlier. The duo worked on two more successful films — Jaal (1952) and CID (1956). Dutt, who played the role of a protagonist for the first time in Baaz (1953) eventually went on to play the lead character also in Aar Paar (1954) and Mr & Mrs 55 (1955) — both were box-office successes. Those who have closely examined the works of Dutt believe that working on these movies were his way of exploring the cinematic medium. 'Through his early movies, he was exploring how to build a character and how to take a shot. Then, he made Pyaasa, which hd an enduring impact on Indian cinema. His character of Vijay, a poet, reminds me of Ghalib's couplets: Dil hi to hai na sang o khisht dard se bhar na aaye kyun (It's just a heart, no stony shard; why shouldn't it fill with pain),' filmmaker Sudhir Mishra tells The Indian Express and adds that sensitive poets and filmmakers connect with the lament of the world. 'That kind of talent is a curse since they feel what others don't,' he adds. Filmmaker and archivist Shivendra Singh Dungarpur believes that Dutt's journey as an auteur was primarily to make Pyaasa. 'This movie is so personal and reflective. He tries to express so many things. He also lets the audience think, as a true artist should,' he says. Dungarpur, who wanted to direct the now shelved biopic of the legendary director-actor, believes that Dutt was fascinated with Post-Impressionist artist Vincent van Gogh. 'Pyaasa is about a poet, whose story is parallel to that of the Dutch painter in many ways. Guru Dutt imagined that, like van Gogh, what if he became famous after his death,' says Dungarpur. Incidentally, Dutt stepped in as Pyaasa's Vijay after Dilip Kumar declined the offer. Though Pyaasa was critically acclaimed and brought him significant recognition, Dutt, during that period never quite achieved mainstream commercial success enjoyed by his contemporaries such as Raj Kapoor, Mehboob Khan, V Shantaram and BR Chopra. Actor Waheeda Rehman, one of his close collaborators, in an old interview (available on Wild Films India) spoke about his growing disillusionment with fame and how he was deeply affected by the commercial failure of Kaagaz Ke Phool. 'I was supposed to do a film, titled Raaz, with him. I was cast in a double role. But his heart was not in it. He was restless,' she recalls. After that, Dutt did not direct a movie again, at least not officially. He, however, used to be deeply involved in his home productions made under the Guru Dutt Films banner such as Chaudhvin Ka Chand (1960) and Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962). However, as the years went by, Kaagaz Ke Phool was praised for its cinematic excellence and hailed as a film ahead of its time. When one goes through the essay 'Classics and Cash', written by Dutt (published in Nasreen Munni Kabir's Guru Dutt: A Life in Cinema), some of the questions regarding his artistic concerns and approach towards art are answered. 'In the formula-ridden film world of ours, one who ventures to go out of the beaten track is condemned to the definition which Mathew Arnold used for Shelly: 'An angel beating wings in a void'. I believe that one who goes out against the winds has to be prepared for bouquets as well as brickbats, for triumphs as well as heartbreaks, whether or not one only makes a classic or collects the cash. It is this baffling unpredictability that gives edge to the thrill of movie-making,' writes the director-actor, whose work was underappreciated during his life, possibly leading to a sense of alienation and despair. It was not till the '80s that Dutt came to enjoy the status of a master filmmaker and a wider recognition. A revival of interest in his cinema began with French critic Henri Micciollo's writings on his films. The Channel 4 documentary In Search of Guru Dutt (1989), which traced his life and artistic journey through interviews with family members and colleagues, further sparked interest in the West. In recent years, several contemporary filmmakers, including Anurag Kashyap and Karan Johar, have openly admired his cinema, often remarking that Pyaasa and Kaagaz Ke Phool resonate with audiences even today. In the end, Guru Dutt may not have been entirely wrong in his belief that true fame and appreciation would come to him posthumously.
