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Indian Express
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Guru Dutt at 100: The filmmaker, the man and the myth
Written by Akshay Manwani There is a telling moment in the climax of the Guru Dutt classic Pyaasa (1957), when his character, a poet named Vijay, declares that he has no grievances against anyone. Vijay says, 'Mujhe shikaayat hai samaaj ke uss dhaanchey se jo insaan se uski insaaniyat chheen leta hai (My complaint is against those social structures that take away a man's compassion).' The lament comes soon after Vijay is presumed dead, a misapprehension that is exploited to the fullest by his friends and family. The ephemeral nature of fame was a theme that Dutt carried into his next film as well. In Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959), the actor-filmmaker played director Suresh Sinha. Once a star in his own right, Sinha falls out of favour with his producer boss after a spate of unsuccessful films, owing to his unravelling personal life. Here too, like in Pyaasa, Dutt's character prefers to resign himself to a life of oblivion rather than compromising his artistic freedom. 'Matlab ki duniya hai saari, bichhdey sabhi baari baari' croons Mohammed Rafi, mourning how easily people forget a man whose fortunes are in freefall. Born on this day a century ago, Dutt left a body of work that made an indelible mark on our cinema and national consciousness. As author and documentary filmmaker Nasreen Munni Kabir noted in the preface of her seminal book, Guru Dutt: A Life in Cinema, 'As an American academic commented after seeing Pyaasa, if Guru Dutt's work had been better known internationally in his own lifetime, he would have been ranked alongside the likes of Douglas Sirk and Billy Wilder.' In the same preface, Kabir also remarked, 'It is interesting to note that in his own films, Guru Dutt speaks suggestively of the posthumous fame of the creative artist who is only truly valued after he has died.' It was Guru Dutt's social commentary that assured his films a place in cinema history. Pyaasa and Kaagaz Ke Phool held up a mirror to a nation coming to terms with its newfound independence. The films raised uncomfortable questions about human avarice, increasing materialism and the short-lived nature of success. Dutt's preoccupations were evident even in the supposedly lighthearted Mr & Mrs 55 (1955). A quick exchange between his character, Preetam, and Seeta Devi (Lalita Pawar) highlights the plight of millions of pavement dwellers for whom home did not even mean a roof over their head. 'Tum communist ho? (Are you a communist?),' an irate Seeta Devi asks, to which Preetam replies, 'Ji nahin, cartoonist' (No, just a cartoonist). Consider also the song sequence, 'Jinhe naaz hai Hind par' in Pyaasa. The song was an adaptation of noted Urdu poet and songwriter Sahir Ludhianvi's poem, Chakley, meaning 'brothels'. As Vijay makes his way through a red-light area, the song unfolds in Rafi's voice, imploring the nation to pay attention to the plight of these exploited women. It is no surprise that Pyaasa finds a place in Time magazine's 100 greatest films of all time. Beyond the politics of his films, Guru Dutt championed a certain fragile masculinity that has since gone out of fashion in our cinema and society. His characters weren't afraid to weep and wallow in self-pity. This could be said of Dilip Kumar, too, who courted a definitive tragic persona as espoused by his characters in Devdas (1955), Madhumati (1958) and Mughal-e-Azam (1960). But Kumar could be self-confident in some of his other notable films, such as Aan (1952), Naya Daur (1957), Gunga Jumna (1961) and Ram Aur Shyam (1967). In the films he is best remembered for, Guru Dutt withdrew to a more philosophical place when the tide turned against him. His cinematic gems underscored the necessity to pause and reflect. His protagonists — cartoonist, poet, filmmaker — advocated a higher intellectualism, something that any civilisation needs, no matter the era. In contemporary times, when there is so much chest-thumping, perhaps there is an urgent need to revisit Dutt's films. Even today, the fine songs in these films can provide cathartic release in moments of despair. To Guru Dutt also goes the credit of shaping several film careers, both before and behind the camera. Writer Abrar Alvi, who worked with Dutt beginning with Aar Paar (1954) until the latter's last film, changed the theatrical manner of dialogue delivery in Hindi cinema to a more conversational style. The composer-songwriter duo of S D Burman-Ludhianvi got a firm foothold in the industry thanks to their early work in Baazi (1951) and Jaal (1952) before hitting their peak in Pyaasa. Dutt forged a similar successful collaboration with music director O P Nayyar and lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri who worked on successive hits — Aar Paar, Mr & Mrs 55, CID (1956) — with Dutt. CID saw Dutt hand the directorial baton to Raj Khosla, his assistant director on films like Baazi and Aar Paar. Following its success, Khosla would go on to become one of the most successful directors of mainstream Hindi cinema in the 1960s and 1970s. Highlighting the noir-ish and poignant mood of many of Guru Dutt's films was ace cinematographer V K Murthy. Starting his career as an assistant cameraman on Baazi, Murthy flourished under Dutt's patronage. His high-contrast lighting style in Pyaasa, Kaagaz Ke Phool and Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962) enhanced the frailties and dilemmas of the characters. Dev Anand, one of the dominant trio of male actors of the 1950s alongside Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor, also benefited from his partnership with Dutt. But Dutt's biggest gift to the film industry was the actor Waheeda Rehman. In bringing the teenage Rehman from Telugu cinema to face the shining arc lights in CID, Dutt unearthed a rare gem. The relationship between actor and filmmaker, very much like the story between Suresh Sinha and Shanti (Rehman) in Kaagaz Ke Phool, is also speculated to have enhanced the turmoil in Dutt's personal life. Dutt allegedly ended his life in October 1964. This mix of classic films, an untimely death, and the blurring of lines between his personal life and cinematic work is what makes the Guru Dutt story so captivating. It gives a mythical quality to a man whose fragility, both on screen and in real life, was all too real. Manwani is the author of Sahir Ludhianvi: The People's Poet and Music, Masti, Modernity: The Cinema of Nasir Husain
Time of India
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
100 years of Guru Dutt: The movie maestro who was never bothered about critics
Guru Dutt was born on July 9, 1925. He made his film debut in 1951. 'That rare thing of commercially successful films that engage you intellectually, too — that was Guru Dutt 's cinema,' Yasser Usman, author of Guru Dutt: An Unfinished Story, once said. His words ring true for anyone who has watched Pyaasa (1957), Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962), Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959), Mr & Mrs 55 (1955), or Chaudhvin Ka Chand (1960). Born on July 9, 1925, Guru Dutt - whose birth centenary is being marked today - emerged in the early 1950s and quickly found a deep connect with his audience. I n a 1956 interview, at the peak of his early success, Dutt had said, 'I don't want what they call the Guru Dutt style story anymore. I want new themes, daring themes. Hitherto, I preferred to stick to insubstantial themes, in order to perfect a screen style of my own.' He meant it. With Pyaasa, he shattered conventions, asking the haunting question: What is the meaning of art and life itself? In Dutt's world, love didn't always triumph - because it didn't always in life. On his 100th birth anniversary, many echo what his close friend Dev Anand once said, 'He should have made more films.' Guru Dutt died at just 39, but his cinema endures - lyrical, melancholic, and ahead of its time. As his mother Vasanthi Padukone recalled in the documentary 'In Search of Guru Dutt', 'He had an inquisitive mind... by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo He never listened to anyone and would do what pleased his heart.' In a short period of time, Guru Dutt became a master filmmaker and actor. WHAT GURU DUTT'S CONTEMPORARIES SAID ABOUT HIM He was his own critic: Raj Khosla It is one thing to love and another to say I love you. Guru Dutt loved but could never express it. That was his enigma. The whole thing came out in his films. You couldn't read through him but I read one thing, he was really lost: Lost in filmmaking, lost to life. It's his skill that I learnt, the use of the face, the eyes more than body movements. And the use of close-ups – they tell the main story. He never bothered about critics. He was his own critic and knew where he was going wrong. He was a man of few words: Abrar Alvi Guru Dutt was a man of few words. He was not a very communicative person. But very early on I realised that he had a habit of changing a scene even when he was in the process of shooting it. He was the sort of director who was never happy with his writers. Guru Dutt gave Indian cinema masterpieces like Pyaasa and Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam. He was a master of self-criticism: VK Murthy He was an ordinary man from a middle class family. He was a master of self-criticism. If he didn't like a scene, he would re-shoot even after the rushes, which is unheard of even today. Like all creative people, he was very demanding of his co-workers. He was particular about his songs: Majrooh Sultanpuri Dutt was particular about a few things. One was the vocabulary, the language and the manner in which a character speaks is present in the lyrics too or not. He would also see that it isn't dull and that the opening music is not too long. He would cut to songs from dialogues directly. He was my only friend: Dev Anand So many people came into my life, but Guru and I shared something different. Our journey began together. I've always said he was my only friend. ' A master of cinematic art' Guru Dutt didn't just inspire his contemporaries—his influence has rippled through generations of filmmakers and actors. Remembering the maestro on his 100th birth anniversary, filmmaker Mani Ratnam said, 'For me, Guru Dutt is the master who first blended mainstream cinema with aesthetics and sensibility. He brought poetry into popular cinema with outstanding music and song picturisation. His language of cinema remains a great source of inspiration till today.' I can watch Pyaasa anytime because it's a timeless film. I just loved Pyaasa – the way it is shot, performed, and edited is brilliant. It's one of those timeless films that I can watch anytime. I have always been inspired by his films due to the complexity of the characters and layered narratives. – Pratik Gandhi, actor MK Raina, theatre actor and director, added, "Guru Dutt was a master of cinematic art, who crafted a filmmaking tradition that stands as a school in itself. Along with cinematographer VK Murthy, he created an imagery on screen defined by a remarkable play of light – whether it was the lyrical framing in Jaane Kya Tune Kahi from Pyaasa or Waqt Ne Kiya Kya Haseen Sitam in Kaagaz Ke Phool. His background in dance, his training in theatre and sense of rhythm translated into a cinematic language that was uniquely his own. There was maturity in every dialogue, movement, every track and in the panning of the camera." In Pyaasa, he makes the point that this world only remembers you after you die: Imtiaz Ali Imtiaz Ali said that Guru Dutt, "created masterpiece moments of Indian cinema." Film director Imtiaz Ali praised the late filmmaker, saying, "I love Guru Dutt's depiction of poetry in films. He was a true artiste because he would take poetry from great poets like Sahir Ludhianvi and Kaifi Azmi and translate them into magnificent and unforgettable cinematic moments like Yeh duniya agar mil bhi jaaye toh kya hai or Waqt ne kiya kya haseen sitam. He created masterpiece moments of Indian cinema, and this is the highest achievement for any filmmaker and pinnacle of Dutt's contribution to cinema. In Pyaasa, I cannot get over the moment when he stands in the doorway as people commemorate his poetry in a big hall allegedly posthumously thinking that he's dead. He makes the point that this world only remembers you after you die and when you are alive, you are never appreciated. 'Yeh mehlon, yeh takhton, yeh taajon ki duniya' inspires this moment. I try to imbibe that quality of his in my films, to translate poetry into cinematic moments. At that time this sort of conceptualisation was not done, Guru Dutt made that possible. As a director, he taught filmmakers how to write using the camera: Sudhir Mishra Sudhir Mishra's favourite films of Guru Dutt include Pyaasa, Kagaz Ke Phool, Chaudvin Ka Chand, and Baaz. Filmmaker Sudhir Mishra expressed his fondness for Guru Dutt film Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam. "My grandmother could relate to Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam because my grandfather left her and remarried. So she took me along to watch the film each time it re-released. I must have been 12 or 13 years old and watched it at least 20 times. Abrar Alvi is credited as director, but it has the Guru Dutt stamp all over it. It's a personal film yet a historical epic, a story of trapped desires, sensuality, betrayal and human condition. Everytime I watch the film, I discover something new. Everything is so poetically expressed," he said. "Guru Dutt as a director taught us filmmakers how to write using the camera. Filmmaking is not just shooting a scene multiple times and going to the editor too, it's much beyond that," concluded Mishra. 'Nothing could have saved him, he did not want to be saved' Guru Dutt and Waheeda Rehman in a film still. Waheeda Rehman once reflected on Dutt's untimely death. She said that while God had given him everything, contentment was the one thing he was denied. 'He was never satisfied, and I think he knew he would never be satisfied – that life would remain for him nothing more than a chain of successes and failures,' she said. Waheeda was unsure whether his death was accidental or intentional, but she had a haunting feeling that 'nothing could have saved him, he did not want to be saved. ' Dutt died on October 10, 1964. 'In his death,' Waheeda said, 'the film industry has lost a great director, humanity has lost a man of compassion, and I have lost a great friend.' Guru Dutt's Timeless Tracks "In the 1950s, Guru Dutt pioneered a new language of cinema that gave film songs the artistic respect they deserved. From a small streak of light and heavy shadows to the movement as minute as that of an eyelid to the wide panning shot on the tracks, each frame was immaculate. Together with cinematographer VK Murthy, he elevated the songs in films to an art form, which became the signature of Guru Dutt's storytelling ," said Professor Milind Damle, FTII. He recently took a course on appreciating Guru Dutt's songs at Triveni Kala Sangam. Tadbeer se bigdi hui taqdeer bana de (Baazi) Waqt ne kiya, kya haseen sitam/ Tum rahe na tum, hum rahe na hum (Kaagaz Ke Phool) Jaane wo kaise log the jinke pyar ko pyar mila (Pyaasa) Jaane kahan mera jigar gaya ji (Mr & Mrs 55) Yeh duniya agar mil bhi jaye toh (Pyaasa) A nationwide retrospective showcasing Dutt's timeless classics, meticulously restored in 4K by National Film Development Corporation Ltd. (NFDC) and National Film Archive of India (NFAI), will be screened at theatres from August 8 to 10. The centrepiece of this tribute is the premiere of the 4K restored version of Dutt's iconic film Pyaasa, to be held on August 6, commemorating the maestro's 100th birth anniversary. – Inputs from Shivika Manchanda, Soumitra Das, Roopa Radhakrishnan, Renuka Vyavahare and Natasha Coutinho
Indian Express
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
GURU DUTT @ 100: Granddaughters recall their grandfather's legacy
THE presence of legendary filmmaker Guru Dutt is apparent at the Mumbai home where his daughter-in-law Iffat, the wife of his son, late Arun Dutt, and his granddaughters, Karuna and Gouri, reside. The poster of Pyaasa (1957) hangs in the living room while another wall is adorned with black-and-white family photos featuring Dutt, his singer-wife Geeta Dutt and their children. These images are not mere reminders of the cinematic legacy that the sisters have inherited, they are a celebration of the brilliance of their grandfather and the life he led. 'Though our grandfather, Guru Dutt, has always been a big presence in our lives, this year we are experiencing it more since his birth centenary is coming up on July 9,' says Gouri. While growing up in Pune, they realised the significance of his legacy during their college days; Karuna studied at Fergusson College and Gouri at Nowrosjee Wadia College. 'When we were kids, we were introduced to our grandfather's work by our father. In Pune, we used to have frequent power cuts in the evenings and Dad used to talk about his parents as we waited for the electricity to be restored,' recalls Gouri. Iffat points out that Karuna is more social like her grandmother Geeta Dutt while Gouri is introverted like her father and grandfather. Getting reintroduced to his movies as teenagers had its advantages. 'We were able to look at his work objectively and understand his craft. The film that hit me the most was Pyaasa. But it is Mr & Mrs 55 (1955) that I believe has not got its due appreciation. Even today, it is relevant and entertaining,' says Karuna, while Gouri cites Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959) as her favourite. The family moved to Mumbai a few years ago when the sisters started working as film professionals. ALSO READ | Inside Raveena Tandon's Rs 70 crore sea-facing home Neelaya designed as per Vastu Shastra with Nandi and Ganesha statues. See here For the birth centenary, the family has not made any special plans yet. 'We celebrate such family occasions privately. However, we follow the tradition of cooking and feeding the favourite dishes of the deceased family member to birds. This tradition was started by Arun. So, on July 9 we will make simple Mangalorean dishes that Papa loved such as dal chawal and aloo saung (a spicy dish of potatoes and onions),' says Iffat. When they were younger, people assumed that Karuna and Gouri would join the film industry. 'When someone mentioned that, I found it annoying. However, when I was around 18, I wanted to become a film professional. My father, however, was not keen. That was strange because while growing up we were encouraged to explore theatre, singing and dance,' recalls Karuna. She struck a deal with her father that she can pursue a career in films if she is interested in it even after her graduation. When Karuna stuck to her decision, Arun started teaching her filmmaking. Incidentally, from 2010 to 2013, Arun ran Guru Dutt Films Acting Academy in Pune. But he had to close it later due to ill health. He also produced and directed the last film under Guru Dutt Films Private Limited, titled Khule-Aam (1992). ALSO READ | Filmistan Studios, founded by Kajol and Rani Mukerji's grandfather, sold for Rs 183 crore to real estate company Karuna entered the film industry as assistant director no 13 on the sets of That Girl in Yellow Boots (2010) and went on to be associated with several projects such as Ugly (2013), Masaan (2015), Trapped (2016) and Jubilee (2013). Gouri became a volunteer at Prithvi Theatre in 2010. 'I worked on the theatre productions of Manav Kaul and Rangbaaz group. I adapted Albert Camus's novella The Outsider as a play. The first film I worked on was Nitin Kakkar's Ram Singh Charlie (2020),' says Gauri, who was part of Victoria & Abdul (2017), Girls will be Girls (2024) and Tanaav (2024). She was first AD on the last two projects. The Dutt sisters aspire to make their own movies eventually. 'We already have started the process of writing and pitching,' says Karuna. They are clear that their stories and choices will be guided by their interests and the life they have experienced. The influence of Guru Dutt, they expect, will nudge them to achieve perfection in their craft and storytelling.
