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Guru Dutt

Guru Dutt

Suffused with the dark poetry of the death wish, Dutt’s classics were nihilistic, self-portraits of the artiste as a depressed, disturbed and deluded young man.

Surprisingly, Guru Dutt Padukone’s childhood could have hardly been more normal. Born near Bangalore, of middle-class but intellectual parents, he was fascinated by dance. He joined Uday Shankar’s Dance Academy and his first film assignment was as the choreographer of Lakharani (’45). His friend from his days of struggle, Dev Anand, asked him to direct Baazi (’51) and its success made Dutt a sought after name. Thereafter, Dutt made shadowy, film noir inspired thrillers like Jaal and Aar Paar or comedies like Mr & Mrs 55.

Waheeda Rehman and an all-blanketing pessimism entered his films with Pyaasa (’57). Although self-obsessed and symbol-laden, the film was a commercial success and an undeniable classic.

The Christian symbolism rampant in Pyaasa was an early indication of Dutt’s persecution complex. In the song, `Yeh duniya agar mil bhi jaaye toh kya hai’, Dutt poses like Christ during the crucifixion; later, when he renounces the world, the light rushing towards him suggests his enlightenment and the film is peppered with references like `Kaaton ka haar’, which is akin to the crown of thorns synonymous with the Son of God.

The audience might not have responded to Dutt’s intellectualizations but they were captivated by his gift for story telling. He knew when to subdue the music, where the lyrics had to be given full voice (‘Jinhe naaz hai Hind par’) and how to create the atmosphere of a man triumphing over a spiritual wasteland.

Pyaasa was a blistering attack on worldly fame. When the long ignored poet finally gets recognition, he reacts with the climactic denouncement ‘Yeh duniya agar mil bhi jaye toh kya hai’. It seemed to suggest that this was Dutt’s point of view too. This, however, was not absolutely true. As Kagaz Ke Phool (’59) showed, success did mean a lot to Dutt. Both Pyaasa and Kagaz Ke Phool were intrinsically about Dutt’s relationship with fame. In Pyaasa, his alter ego rejected fame, albeit only after achieving it; while Kagaz Ke Phool showed his character’s frustration when he becomes a failure.

Off screen too, the failure of the elaborately scaled Kagaz Ke Phool left Guru Dutt devastated. His brilliantly shot, cinemascope attempt to reflect the world of Bollywood denizens through a cynical prism won him praise as the maker of a classic but set him back by Rs 17 lakhs. He agreed to produce a nakedly commercial Chaudhvi Ka Chaand (’60), to recoup the losses.

Strangely, Dutt refused to take credit as the director of the classic, Sahib Biwi aur Ghulam (’62). The film was set in a nineteenth century Calcutta mansion, that stood as an architectural metaphor for a crumbling age, succumbing to British exigencies. Meena Kumari was the mansion’s chhoti bahu — lovely but unloved. There was much that her fascinated factotum, Dutt (whose feelings for her were left undefined), wished to do for her but could not. Never has the human incapability for communication been so beautifully communicated.

Even as he sculpted classics, commercial factors continued to weigh heavily on Dutt’s mind. With tears in his eyes, Raj Kapoor praised Dutt highly after seeing Sahib Biwi Aur Ghulam, only to have him counter, “But will it run?” The film had an unremarkable run at the box office. Meanwhile, a personal maelstrom caused Guru Dutt to lose himself in the dark cloisters of his own mind. He suffered a shattering break with his discovery Waheeda Rehman, as she sought to establish her own identity outside his films. A hurt Dutt tried to repair his relationship with wife Geeta, but to no avail.

It led to his drowning his sorrows in drink — his life had became a suicide note. Nobody could stop the final, inevitable overdose of sleeping tablets. Dutt died,-probably still wondering: ‘Jaane woh kaise log the jinke pyar ko pyar mila.’

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