Wine, woman and a song…

Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam is now on the bookshelves. The original screenplay of Guru Dutt’s 1962 cult classic, along with a translation, and essays and interviews, has been compiled into a book.

Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam is now on the bookshelves. The original screenplay of Guru Dutt’s 1962 cult classic, along with a translation, and essays and interviews, has been compiled into a book. The brainchild of Dinesh Raheja and Jitendra Kothari, the Om Books publication is a Vinod Chopra initiative to archive the classics of Hindi cinema — the first in a three-part series that also includes Chaudvi Ka Chand and Kagaz Ke Phool.

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“Since I never got a chance to meet and interview Guru Dutt, this is a way of forging a connection with one of my favourite filmmakers. And from my conversations with Waheedaji (Rahman) I learnt that his first choice for the role of Bhootnath had been Shashi Kapoor. She always felt that he was a little too old for the part, but I don’t agree. For me, Bhootnath is Guru Dutt,” Dinesh told me while we were chatting about his latest book. And suddenly, I was back in time in Abrar Alvi’s living room with the writer telling me the same as we traced the making of his directorial debut.

Shashi had been called to the office by Abrar sahab for a narration. He was shooting and promised to be there by 6 pm. He turned up a good two and a half hours late and the narration stretched till way past midnight. When Guru Dutt heard this he cribbed, “If he’s late by almost three hours for a narration what will happen later?” This marked Shashi’s exit and Biswajeet’s entry.

Biswajeet had been coached by Uttam Kumar to play Bhootnath on stage. Guru Dutt after seeing the play went backstage to invite him to dinner the next evening where he offered him his first Hindi film. Biswajeet accepted but later had second thoughts about signing an exclusive contract with Guru Dutt Films and bowed out.

“Finally, Guru Dutt stepped in to play Bhootnath himself, shaving off his trademark moustache that took years off him and made him look really young,” Abrar saab reminisced with a smile.

Dinesh cannot imagine anyone other than Meena Kumari as the chhoti bahu but interestingly, Guru Dutt had his heart set on Chaya Arya, the wife of photographer Jeetendra Arya. He had persuaded the couple to move to Mumbai from London and got a photo shoot done with Chaya. “One look at those stills and after a couple of rehearsals with her, I was convinced Chaya would be completely miscast,” admitted Abrar sahab. “She was a beautiful girl, fair with chiselled features and a good voice, but I needed a face that mirrored the ‘mamta’ (love) she felt for mankind despite all the trials she had endured.”

Once Guru Dutt was convinced he was right, Chaya was dropped and Waheeda Rahman draped in a Bengali sari for another photo session. One look at her stills and Guru Dutt didn’t need anyone to tell him that she was too young for the role. “Tu to chuha lag rahi hai (You look like a mouse),” he told her laughingly, and turned his attention to Meena Kumari, telling Waheeda she could play the pesky Joba who sings, Bhawra bada nadaan hai…

Meena Kumari had been devastated when she had lost Paro (Parvati) in Bimal Roy’s Devdas to Suchitra Sen. For years, she’d been yearning to play a typical Bengali bahu and finally got her chance. Glass in hand, pallu trailing the floor, kohl-lined eyes reflecting her anguish, when she begs her sahib (zamindar husband) to stay home for one night in Geeta Dutt’s sublime voice, tears invariably well up in my own eyes.

Poetry and pathos, she was the ethereal tragedy queen with whom the house of cards came crashing down. And half a century later, I’m still haunted by a poignant plea, Na jao saiyyan chhuda ke baiyyan kasam tumhare main ro padongi…