Guru Dutt at 100: See how other filmmakers have paid tribute through the years
The storytelling, exquisite framing, play of light and shadow... see how R Balki, Anurag Kashyap, Tigmanshu Dhulia and others have drawn from his artistry.
The days of black-and-white are long gone. The days of film on film are over.
A still from Rahenge Sadaa Gardish Mein Taare; Saif Hasan (2017), a teleplay built around the story of Dutt, his wife singer Geeta Dutt (nee Roy) and the rumours of a great love between him and his muse, Waheeda Rehman.
Why, then, are auteurs and actors still studying a man who died over 60 years ago? Guru Dutt’s layered storytelling, use of light and shadow and the way he wielded the camera yield lessons for them still, they say.
In Dutt’s centenary year (he lived just 39 years, from 1925 to 1964), here’s a look back at some of the tributes paid to the auteur in Hind cinema.
This is a tribute to Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962), produced by and starring Guru Dutt.
Dutt was no longer directing by this point, having given it up after the colossal failure of Kaagaz Ke Phool at the box office. Yet, even though Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam was directed by his long-time writer Abrar Alvi, it is generally considered the third in Dutt’s great trilogy (following from Pyaasa and Kaagaz Ke Phool).
The story traces the decline of a Bengali zamindari family and a neglected chhoti bahu (Meena Kumari, in a towering performance) who turns to alcohol in an attempt to win over her indifferent husband (Rehman).
Dhulia’s retelling, lauded by critics, also follows an adulterous saheb and his wife. It recasts the tale as one of love and betrayal, wielded as weapons. It is a tribute to an unforgettable work of art, Dhulia has said.
* Gulaal; Anurag Kashyap (2009)
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Arguably Guru Dutt’s best-known film, Pyaasa (1957), follows a poet rejected at every turn, who eventually finds solace with a prostitute. Kashyap’s Gulaal takes off from the Mohammed Rafi song that sums up that film: Yeh Duniya Agar Mil Bhi Jaye To.
It explores the idea that success has no meaning in a world like ours. Set amid turbulent Rajasthan politics, it interrogates our quests for wealth and power, and the prices we are willing to pay for them.
* Godmother; Vinay Shukla (1999)
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Shabana Azmi stars in this film based on the true-life tale of Gujarati mafia leader-turned-politician Santokben Jadeja. The movie won six National Awards, and Shukla has frequently cited Dutt as his inspiration. Elements of this influence can be seen in his use of the camera, and of light and shadow, in the film.
* Chup: Revenge of the Artist; R Balki (2022)
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The inspiration here was Dutt’s dark classic, Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959). The story of the decline of a successful film director bombed so badly at the box office that Dutt never directed another film again.
In Chup, a crazed fan of Guru Dutt, a failed filmmaker (played by Dulquer Salmaan), has an unravelling of his own. When his debut work is panned by critics, he goes on a killing spree.
Ironically, the film was itself panned by critics.
* Rahenge Sadaa Gardish Mein Taare; Saif Hasan (2017)
This teleplay pays tribute to 1950s Hindi cinema, but is based specifically on the lives of Guru Dutt and his wife, the singer Geeta Dutt (nee Roy). In the teleplay, Arif Zakaria plays a filmmaker named Dev Dutt; Sonali Kulkarni plays his wife, a singer named Bhavna Bose.
It opens with the filmmaker’s suicide and tells its tale in flashback, touching upon the rumours of a great love between Dutt and the actress Waheeda Rehman that are believed to have driven the husband and wife apart.
* 35 mm; Chandan Roy Sanyal
This short film co-produced by Vikrant Massey is reportedly inspired by Dutt’s life. Neeraj Kabi plays a filmmaker who falls in love with an actress who is his muse. Though the trailer was released in 2015 and Massey has spoken at length about his debut production, 35 mm has no confirmed release date yet.
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