by Yasser Usman
The professional and personal stress was incessantly playing on his mind while he was making his most expensive and ambitious film Kaagaz Ke Phool.
The brooding, quasy-autobiographical Kaagaz Ke Phool mirrors Guru Dutt’s own story, his now unhappy marriage with his wife and his confused relationship with his muse. It also eerily ends with the death of the filmmaker after failing to come to terms with his acute loneliness and doomed relationships.
Guru Dutt’s brother Devi Dutt recalled,75 ‘Guru Dutt had an ego and that caused problems.’ Even while he was making the film Kaagaz Ke Phool, music director S.D. Burman had warned him to not attempt it.
S.D. Burman told him, ‘Don’t make this film, it’s just your personal life.’
Guru Dutt shot back, ‘You concentrate on your music. Let me do my work.’
The two never worked together after that.
Guru Dutt gave his heart and soul to this intensely personal film, as if to paint his real pain on-screen to release and heal from it. Shot in CinemaScope, Kaagaz Ke Phool had glaring flaws—a patchy script and inconsistent characters— but visually the imagery, the light and shadow play Dutt and Murthy achieved was sheer magic on celluloid. Some sequences remain with you long after you have watched the film.
Unfolding in a flashback, Kaagaz Ke Phool is the story of a successful filmmaker Suresh Sinha (Guru Dutt). Sinha is separated from his wife and has a teenage daughter. He meets Shanti (Waheeda Rehman) and grooms her as an actress. Shanti becomes a famous star and the two develop a close emotional bond. But their relationship becomes the fodder for gossip columns. Unable to take the taunts of her friends in school, Sinha’s daughter requests Shanti to go away from Sinha’s life. The relationship is doomed. After Shanti leaves, Suresh is also denied access to his daughter by the court. A devastated Sinha finds solace in alcohol. His films fail and his career goes downhill. He loses everything, and in the end, dies a lonely and forgotten man, sitting in the director’s chair, in the same film studio where he once reigned.
In Pyaasa, the lead character of the poet had renounced the world and had left for a better place. In Kaagaz Ke Phool, Guru Dutt takes the same theme forward but here the renunciation is not symbolic. He chooses death over a society where no one cares for an artist or his desolation.
The song, ‘Waqt ne kiya kya haseen sitam’ is still talked about as one of the best picturisations ever and a grand tribute to the studio system of the 1940s of Indian cinema. The idea of two lead protagonists voicing their emotions without moving their lips looked ethereal. The light beam effect created using huge mirrors and natural sunlight was spectacular and is still rated among one of the best photographed songs of all time.
Cinematographer V.K. Murthy and art director M.R. Achrekar got Filmfare Awards for their seminal work. Murthy shared an anecdote, ‘The Kaagaz Ke Phool premier was held in Bombay. The film fraternity was there. During the interval, Shammi Kapoor asked loudly, “Where is the hero of the film?” Someone pointed to Guru Dutt but Shammi Kapoor hoisted me up and went around the lobby, screaming, “Here is the hero of the film.”’76
It was in 2010, fifty-one years after filming Kaagaz Ke Phool, that V.K. Murthy was honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. He was eighty-six then and still remains the only ‘technical’ talent to win a Phalke Award—the highest award in cinema in India.
Over the years the film has developed a cult following and it’s been taught at many film schools across the world. But when it released in 1959, Kaagaz ke Phool was an instant disaster at the box office. Almost all the reviews tore it apart. Filmindia (November 1959) though praised it for its technical achievements but wrote it off saying, ‘Kaagaz Ke Phool is an utterly undistinguished picture except that it is made in CinemaScope. It is a depressing, incoherent tale boringly told.’
Guru Dutt’s cousin and renowned filmmaker Shyam Benegal adds, ‘What I remember most of all is the preview screening of Kaagaz Ke Phool, India’s first CinemaScope film. Bimal Roy and other leading lights of the film industry were present. At the end of the screening, there was pin-drop silence. No one said a word. Guru Dutt was absolutely crestfallen.’
V.K. Murthy who worked as hard as Guru Dutt on the film said, ‘I had told him after seeing the first eight reels that the film was beautiful, like a poetry, but if the film continues like this, you will not get even a rupee. Why would people watch the biography of a director? They wouldn’t even believe that the director was a failure and didn’t have money…people are used to seeing tragic ladies, not men. That’s why the film failed, I think.’77
Expecting a Pyaasa kind of reception, Guru Dutt was utterly shocked at the complete rejection of Kaagaz Ke Phool. During its premiere at the famous Maratha Mandir theatre in Mumbai, the audience had booed. Raj Khosla found Guru Dutt sitting quietly in a corner in the theatre. He looked at Raj and said, ‘Raj, it’s a stillborn child…’78
‘He felt as if the world has suffocated him. He was never the same after that. The financial failure didn’t bother him, he didn’t care two hoots for money…he was hurt because people didn’t understand his film. I remember him telling me, “Raj, I might not have been able to communicate. Kuchh to baat hui hogi.’79
Lalitha Lajmi remembers, ‘Their were even reports of audiences booing as soon as he appears on-screen in the film. He was devastated.’80
The grand premiere in Delhi was no different. Guru Dutt had called up his friend, Dev Anand, after the premiere at the iconic Regal theatre in Delhi, ‘Dev! My film has been a disaster. Completely rejected.’
‘The day he realised that his Kaagaz Ke Phool did not do well—he’d gone to Delhi to open it in the presence of President S. Radhakrishnan—he was a sad man. He never went behind the camera to direct; he only acted. He took Abrar [Alvi], but never had the courage to direct. Woh cheez khatam ho gayi thhi,’81 Dev Anand later said.82
In an interview with author Nasreen Munni Kabir,83 poet-lyricist Kaifi Azmi remembers, ‘Bahut kareeb ho gaye the jab humne saath kaam kiya tha. Main samajhta hoon yahi gana, “Bichhde sabhi baari baari…” yahi kahaani thi unki jo shayad screen pe woh us dhang se nahi kah paaye.’84
Remembering the debacle of Kaagaz Ke Phool, Johhny Walker would say, ‘Kaagaz Ke Phool ke premier mein public ne humko joote-chappal markar nikala. Public said, “What a disastrous film you’ve made!” Guru Dutt came out of the theatre and said, “I can’t direct anymore.” And he never did. Because he lost his confidence after that.’
Drowning in self-pity, Guru Dutt told Johnny Walker, ‘Johnny, I don’t think I know how to direct films. I have lost it yaar.’85
And after that Guru Dutt went into a shell.
34
HUM RAHE NA HUM
‘In the formula-ridden film world of ours, one who ventures to go out of the beaten track is condemned to the definition which Mathew Arnold used for Shelly…“An angel beating his wings in a void.”’
—Guru Dutt
As an actor Guru Dutt never looked and acted better before or since Kaagaz Ke Phool. His eyes exuding pain, the turmoil and confusion in his character’s life and career blurred the line between fiction and reality. The film media and gossip columns were unanimous in calling it ‘the story of Guru Dutt’s life’. Many scenes were also compared to the situations in the personal life of Guru Dutt.
There’s a peculiar scene of a film within the film. In Kaagaz Ke Phool, the filmmaker Suresh Sinha is making a film—Devdas.86 The actress playing the lead female character is obsessing over having a fancy hairstyle and a flambouyant dress for the shooting schedule. She wants to look glamorous. However, her director Suresh Sinha wants her to look simple and rustic according to the background of her character. An argument ensues and finally Suresh Sinha puts his foot down on her demands.
A situation very similar to what had happened on the sets of Gouri.
Kaagaz Ke Phool surprisingly did not have the credits for its story.
Whose story was Kaagaz Ke Phool? While it is often said to be insp
ired from the 1954 Hollywood classic A Star is Born, there was a lesser known controversy on the writing credits of Kaagaz Ke Phool. The screenwriter Nabendu Ghosh who had worked with Guru Dutt in Aar Paar, Gouri (shelved) and Raaz (shelved) had penned a story about a writer and his muse. Guru Dutt loved the story and asked Ghosh to write the screenplay.
At that point in time the author was busy scripting Bimal Roy’s classic Devdas. He could not meet the director. Apparently, Guru Dutt took offence and engaged another screenwriter, borrowing the basic storyline from Nabendu Ghosh’s story. Nabendu Ghosh’s daughter, the journalist and author Ratnottama Sengupta says, ‘Guru Dutt also made certain changes in the story and turned it into that of a film-maker and his muse. What’s notable is when Kaagaz Ke Phool film released in 1959, the story was not attributed to anybody, only the screenplay was attributed to the new screenwriter. So an upset Nabendu Ghosh met Guru Dutt and asked, ‘This is my story, why isn’t my name there in the credit titles?’ The director replied, ‘I have changed it—I have personalized it, now it is my story.’
The legendary screenwriter went on record about this controversy in his autobiography Eka Naukar Jatri where he concludes the entire story, saying, ‘I was deprived of being the writer of Kaagaz Ke Phool forever.’
There’s no version of Guru Dutt on this issue.
In Kaagaz Ke Phool, the relationship between the director and his muse (played by Waheeda Rehman) is conveyed only through intense expresssions, gestures and uncommunicated feelings. Throughout the film their relationship remains symbolic with no real romantic scenes. Their feelings communicated through the unsaid words and gestures are both poetic and beautiful. But the depiction of this platonic relationship where everything remains unsaid confused the audiences. Kaifi Azmi clearly remembered Dutt’s confusion and how he struggled to communicate his feelings during the making of the film, ‘Guru Dutt was a great craftsman behind the camera. Lekin jo baatein camera ke through khhobsurati se samjha dete the, woh is tarah express karne mein bahot kamzor the. Woh khud kya chahte hain ye batane mein unko bahot mushkil hoti thi. Unki yeh kamzori thi ki woh apne ko express nahi kar paate the.’87
Many associates and close friends have said on record that even while the film was being shot, his state of mind was far from balanced. The situation at home was volatile leading to major mood swings and his indecisiveness was also at its peak. He had also majorly overshot the film, shooting long sequences and scrapping them after he was unsure, wasting much money and resources. Kaifi Azmi recalled, ‘Jab release hui to kisi ki samajh mein nahi aaya ki kahna kya chah rahe hain. Aur us waqt unki mental haalat bhi aisi thi ki woh clear nahi the. Domestic life bhi unki bahot uljhi hui thi. To kahani change hoti chali gayi. Ye jitni film release hui hain issey zyada wahan kat ke dabbon mei padi hogi.’88
Lalitha Lajmi said that Guru Dutt took the failure to heart and never recovered from it as long as he was alive. Guru Dutt himself said in an interview later that the film ‘went over the heads’ of the audience.
In an essay titled ‘Classics and Cash’, Guru Dutt wrote, ‘In the formula-ridden film world of ours, one who ventures to go out of the beaten track is condemned to the definition which Mathew Arnold used for Shelly…“An angel beating his wings in a void.”’
Waheeda Rehman recalled, ‘He used to say, “Life mein, yaar, kya hai? Do hi toh cheezen hai—kamyaabi aur failure. There is nothing in between.’89
After the dismal failure of Kaagaz Ke Phool, Guru Dutt never officially directed a film again.
35
ONE FOR ALL, ALL FOR ONE
‘Enough of self-pity! Hum sab banaate hain na film saath mein, milkar!’
—Johnny Walker
The failure of Kaagaz Ke Phool caused a major financial disruption in Dutt’s life. He couldn’t pay salaries to his staff for two months and asked some of his senior people, including writer Abrar Alvi, to look for work outside his film company. Guru badly needed a successful film to keep his company solvent. It was also decided that he will take up acting roles in other productions.
It was Abrar Alvi, Johnny Walker and Rehman who told him, ‘Enough of self-pity. We know you’re sad but you can’t sit forever and do nothing. You have to start working on a new film.’ Guru Dutt replied, ‘But I don’t know how to make films, so how do I make one?’
Johnny Walker knew Guru Dutt already had a script for a social drama ready. Having earlier worked with director M. Sadiq, popularly know as Sadiq Babu in the industry, Johnny said, ‘You don’t worry, I’ll get Sadiq Babu to direct. You just act in the film and produce it.’ So together ‘Team Guru Dutt’ forced him to begin the film Chaudhvin Ka Chand.
Nasir, Johnny Walker’s son, remembers, ‘If you know how the film industry functions, you will know that if a big film flops, the stars are usually averse to working with the film-maker. But their bond was so strong. Everyone said, “Theek hai yaar, hum sab banaate hain na film saath mein, milkar!”90 It wasn’t just filmmaking for them, it was about standing with Guru Dutt.’ It was one for all, all for one.
Guru Dutt had to plan more films and agreed to complete his next, Chaudavin Ka Chand, in a few months to keep the studio running. Despite the storm going on in his life, Guru Dutt, with the support of his team, took up the challenge and decided to fight back.
But even in these desperate times, Guru Dutt didn’t stop dreaming. He wished to make a film in colour. So he sent his trusted cinematographer Murthy to London to learn about the technicalities of colour photography. Murthy was asked to observe a unit of Carl Foreman’s war film The Guns of Navarone. With Murthy gone, Abrar Alvi also signed a few films of other producers as asked by Guru Dutt. This meant Guru Dutt had to make Chaudhvin Ka Chand without two key members of his team.
The casting, however, included the Guru Dutt regulars. He and Waheeda Rehman were going to play the lead romantic roles, while other crucial roles went to Rehman and Johnny Walker.
Chaudhvin Ka Chand was based on an original story ‘Ek Jhalak’ (A Glimpse) by writer Shaukat Hussain Rizvi. It was a love story set in the North Indian city of Lucknow. It belongs to the popular genre then known as ‘Muslim social’, which used to be a successful genre in Hindi cinema for many decades. Guru Dutt also felt that Sadiq, being from an Urdu-speaking Muslim background, would be the apt person to convey the culture, etiquettes and customs of the Muslim society.
Guru Dutt wanted the top music director, Naushad, to compose music for Chaudhvin Ka Chand. But due to the financial crunch, he realised he couldn’t afford Naushad. So he opted for music director Ravi Shankar Sharma, popularly known as Ravi.
Remembering Chaudhvin Ka Chand, Ravi said in an interview, ‘I was in the process of establishing myself while Guru Dutt was a well-known and revered name by then. When I was called by him before the commencement of the work for Chaudhvin Ka Chand, the message worried and even upset me. People began to warn me that he was quite a difficult taskmaster and I too had my doubts. But it was a total contrast when I met him. He was so simple and straightforward.’91
The team of Chaudhvin Ka Chand was complete. Though the subject of the film wasn’t close to Guru Dutt’s sensibilities as a film-maker, he was in need of a commercial success.
It was also clear that despite the heartbreak of Kaagaz Ke Phool, he was still dreaming of making a classic. As Chaudhvin Ka Chand went on floors, Guru Dutt was already thinking about his next ‘artistic’ film.
36
BIMAL MITRA
‘It was just a three-minute conversation. But there was something special in his voice.’
—Bimal Mitra
It was early morning in Calcutta when the doorbell rang at writer Bimal Mitra’s house. The gentleman at the door introduced himself as Surya Ladia, the Calcutta distributor of Guru Dutt Films. Bursting with excitement he told Bimal Mitra that Guru Dutt wants to make a film on Mitra’s novel Saheb Bibi Golam.
Ladia said that Guru Dutt had sent an air ticket and would wish to meet him in Bombay. Before Mitra could spea
k, the overexcited distributor added that Mitra would be staying at Guru Dutt’s palatial bungalow in Bombay and since Guru Dutt’s wife is a Bengali, Mitra would be treated with authentic Bengali food.
Bimal Mitra was amused at this conversation but he kept listening quietly till the excited Surya Ladia paused. Then Bimal Mitra replied that he was busy writing his new novel, so it would not be possible for him to go to Bombay. Surya Ladia was shocked. He came to meet Mitra thinking that he would jump with joy at the offer. But Mitra was adamant that he cannot go. So finally Ladia requested and convinced Mitra to come to his office in the evening for a phone (trunk) call with Guru Dutt. Bimal Mitra agreed.
‘If you don’t want to give me the rights of your novel, I would not force you. But please come and be my guest,’ said Guru Dutt in his honeyed voice over a phone call that evening. Bimal Mitra recalled, ‘It was just a three-minute conversation. But there was something special in his voice.’
The next day at 3.30 PM Bimal Mitra’s flight landed at the Santacruz Airport, Bombay.
From the airport, the car took him to Guru Dutt’s Pali Hill bungalow. Bimal Mitra was amazed looking at the expansive bungalow. He saw some people were standing to recieve him in the portico. As the car stopped, Guru Dutt said ‘Namaskar’. Wearing a kurta and a silk lungi and chewing pan, Guru Dutt introduced himself to Bimal Mitra. He was talking in chaste Bangla that impressed Bimal Mitra, ‘Before I had met Guru Dutt, I had not imgined that a person’s smile can be so beautiful. I had never seen his movies but I was totally moved by seeing his smile.’
‘This is my wife, Geeta Dutt,’ said Guru while Geeta greeted Mitra with a namaste.