Passion Narrative - Story Of Guru Dutt - 1 | Statesmen

What an irony? A person born as Vasanth became famous for ‘Kaagaz Ke Phool’ and ‘Pyaasa’. 

 

Guru Dutt...

 

10 October 1964. News spread like fire in dry wild. Guru Dutt died an untimely death. Some speculated accidental overdose of sleeping pills and some saw it as a suicide bid. But the bottom line was that one of the biggest contemporary name became a page of past. A tragedy to be mourned over again and again. As obituaries started flowing in, people realized that despite of all success and all acclaim, there was a big void in life of Guru Dutt – lack of personal harmony. What they saw in his characters in Pyaasa and Kaagaz Ke Phool... had much more than a hint of reality. Much more.

 

Born in Bangalore, Guru Dutt had more than his share of sorrows. Financial constraints and tension between parents affected him. But it was his kid brother’s death inflicted more injury than anything else.

 

His early days in Calcutta shaped him as an artist. Like any other artist, he struggled hard. He started with Uday Shankar’s troupe. This helped him later when he worked as a choreographer. His stint with Uday Shankar taught him the importance of discipline and enhanced his artistic vision. Guru Dutt began his career as an Assistant Director and Choreographer. His experiences with Gyan Mukherjee as his assistant helped him understand the nuances of cine-world in and outside the film studios. In his early days, Guru Dutt bonded well with Dev Anand and Rehman. His friendship with two established faces made his way easier. Dev Anand offered him his first film as director – Baazi. Baazi established Guru Dutt as a promising director. A journey thus started...

 

There are reasons to believe that many times Guru Dutt was held hostage by industry norms and producer’s whims. Sometimes he would abandon the project and sometimes he would just give in. After Baazi, Jaal and Baaz came. Both failed. However, these two movies helped him develop the famous Guru Dutt Team. Over the years, this team influenced Indian cinema to a great extent.

 

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh