Vasanth
Kumar Shivshankar Padukone – a.k.a Guru Dutt was known to possess questing
imagination and boundless energy giving him great creativity and innovative
potential. At the age of 14 he would use his fingers and palms to create shapes
on the walls lit up by candles as his grandma performed the evening arti. He
would produce inspiring movements and even persuade his uncle to photograph his
‘snake dance’ movements. He later performed this very snake dance at a puja
gathering and was given 5 rupees for it, probably marking his entry into
performing arts.
With his extremely fierce originality and effective practical skills, he most logically did not go to college. Instead he chose to join the performing arts troupe. Though some theories link that to his troubled childhood and tough financial and emotional conditions of his family, it provided him a means to supplement his intellect through his talent. His real life experiences here probably started to play a significant role in the resonance with the movies of the 50s as well. The Bollywood movies of the post-colonial nation mostly had characters who do not follow the rules of the system. And many of the characters from him films later, did exactly that. He first entered the industry as a dance director while he also started to work as an assistant director and actor in small roles. His first big films in direction were Baaz (1951) and then Jaal (1952). It was during this time when he met Geeta Roy and married her. His first big film as an actor in lead role was Baazi, which did not do too well at the Box-office. But later came Aar Paar which was a huge hit under his banner, followed by Mr and Mrs 55 and CID, both produced by Guru Dutt. Despite some failures along the way, some of the movies directed by him such as Pyasa did extremely well and continue to be associated with his name. His biggest flop was the self-reflective Kaagaz Ke Phool and he did not really recover from the rejection of the film by the audiences. It is believed that even though he had a healthy self-esteem, he was not particularly good at taking rejection or setbacks. Mental exhaustion took over and the ‘feeling-low’ started to infuse itself into his real life. It is believed that his frustrations, bitterness and disillusions affected his marital life as well as his health. He started to depend more and more on smoking, drinking and even sleeping pills. In 1962, his biggest block buster Sahib, Bibi aur Gulam, in which he played the lead role, was directed by his long-time friend. But even the huge success of this film did not translate itself into happiness in his life as the turmoil in his marriage, his troubled love-life, his alcoholism as well as his intense personality contributed in some way to his multiple suicide attempts. His ultimate death in 1964 is widely believed to be a conscious overdose of sleeping pills, though some argue that this was accidental more than intentional as it was infused in alcohol.
With his extremely fierce originality and effective practical skills, he most logically did not go to college. Instead he chose to join the performing arts troupe. Though some theories link that to his troubled childhood and tough financial and emotional conditions of his family, it provided him a means to supplement his intellect through his talent. His real life experiences here probably started to play a significant role in the resonance with the movies of the 50s as well. The Bollywood movies of the post-colonial nation mostly had characters who do not follow the rules of the system. And many of the characters from him films later, did exactly that. He first entered the industry as a dance director while he also started to work as an assistant director and actor in small roles. His first big films in direction were Baaz (1951) and then Jaal (1952). It was during this time when he met Geeta Roy and married her. His first big film as an actor in lead role was Baazi, which did not do too well at the Box-office. But later came Aar Paar which was a huge hit under his banner, followed by Mr and Mrs 55 and CID, both produced by Guru Dutt. Despite some failures along the way, some of the movies directed by him such as Pyasa did extremely well and continue to be associated with his name. His biggest flop was the self-reflective Kaagaz Ke Phool and he did not really recover from the rejection of the film by the audiences. It is believed that even though he had a healthy self-esteem, he was not particularly good at taking rejection or setbacks. Mental exhaustion took over and the ‘feeling-low’ started to infuse itself into his real life. It is believed that his frustrations, bitterness and disillusions affected his marital life as well as his health. He started to depend more and more on smoking, drinking and even sleeping pills. In 1962, his biggest block buster Sahib, Bibi aur Gulam, in which he played the lead role, was directed by his long-time friend. But even the huge success of this film did not translate itself into happiness in his life as the turmoil in his marriage, his troubled love-life, his alcoholism as well as his intense personality contributed in some way to his multiple suicide attempts. His ultimate death in 1964 is widely believed to be a conscious overdose of sleeping pills, though some argue that this was accidental more than intentional as it was infused in alcohol.
Though
his brilliant career came to a premature end, his films have been always
recognized for their excellence and
brilliance in all aspects of film making including cinematic elements from
lighting and camera work to film composition. Later on, his films started to
get even more recognition and were shown in film festivals all over India. They
were also well-noted for how vividly his characters were sketched and how
beautifully his songs were picturized. He earned a place in the hearts of many
people then and beyond his living years. The works he left behind continue to enthrall
audiences.
Sahab, Bibi aur Guru Dutt: This blog has been written by Gauri Chandna, to build awareness around the Boston Based show Sahab, Bibi Aur Guru Dutt that is being designed to display the story of the legendary Guru Dutt, his films, his illustrious career along with unforgettable melodies from his films. This show promises to be a wonderful nostalgic journey into the life, career, loves and music of Guru Dutt with scenes from his films. Join us on Sept 7th 2013! All proceeds to benefit Snehalaya www.snehalaya.org.
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