Guru Dutt

by Yasser Usman

‘Am I looking like a Bengali girl?’

  ‘Hundred per cent!’ replied Bimal Mitra.

  The women were referring to each other as Geeta Ji and Waheeda Ji. Post lunch, Guru and Waheeda left for the shot. Bimal Mitra and Geeta were left alone at the table.

  Mitra asked Geeta, ‘How did you like the shooting?’

  Geeta replied, ‘It was good! There was a time when I had asked him not to make this film.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because, Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam is the story of our lives.’

  The next seven days Guru Dutt was neck-deep into shooting. He was trying hard to distract himself from the fire of unrest and restlessness burning in his mind.

  And then a tragedy struck.

  On 22 January 1961, Guru Dutt’s father, Shivashankar Padukone, passed away suddenly. He used to live with Guru Dutt at the Pali Hill bungalow. Lalitha Lajmi remembers, ‘Father was ok that morning. Guru Dutt had gone for work as usual. But as soon as the news reached him, he came back and was furious at our family doctor, Dr Robero. He was so angry that he had a fight with the doctor as he thought father died because of some allergic reaction due to wrong medication. Guru Dutt said he would take the doctor to court.’115 No one was prepared for his sudden death but Guru Dutt particularly took it badly. He couldn’t bear to be in Bombay. After the last rites, Guru Dutt left for Lonawala.

  In the later years Guru had not spent much time with his father owing to his work and personal life. ‘Father was a self-contained, talented man who pursued literature but was bored by the pursuit of worldly success.’ While growing up, Guru resented his father’s lack of enterprise. It was after his father was gone that Guru Dutt realised that in his worldview, he was similar to his father. He wrote, ‘It was years later that I realised that worldly success is not so important.’ His life’s dichotomy was strange—he wanted to rule the world of movies and at the same time he wanted to run away from this world.

  Already dealing with personal turmoil, the death of his father was too traumatic for him. He visited the Haji Malang dargah (shrine) looking for peace and answers to his pain.116

  ‘Sometimes he used to say that an astrologer had predicted that he would go mad at the age of thirty-two and he believed it,’ shared Guru Dutt’s younger brother, Atmaram, in Nasreen Munni Kabir’s book Guru Dutt: A Life in Cinema.

  He further added, ‘I think it really was true. He had started drinking heavily, but never when he was shooting. He was a strict disciplinarian as far as work was concerned, but totally undisciplined in his personal life.’

  Not just the mental condition, but his physical condition was also worsening. All the alcohol and those sleeping pills were taking their toll on his nerves and liver. His family doctor, Dr Robero, gave him regular injections. Guru hated them. The doctor repeatedly told him to quit both drinking and smoking. Guru Dutt laughed. A sad laughter. Then he said, ‘Doctor, you know everything about my life and even then you are telling me to quit whiskey. Yeh jo main abhi bhi zinda hoon, yehi bohot badi baat hai…that I am still alive is a big thing.’

  51

  SECOND SUICIDE ATTEMPT

  ‘Studio ke darwaaze aur ghar ke darwaaze mein jitna faasla rakhoge, sukhi rahogey. Nahi to ghar mein kaam ki baatein hongi aur studio mein ghar ki baatein hongi.’

  —Johnny Walker

  The accounts of most of Guru Dutt’s close friends suggest that during the making of Sahib, Bibi aur Ghulam, Guru Dutt and Geeta had grown further apart. They had realised that their marriage was not working. Geeta Dutt too had taken to alcohol and sleeping pills majorly and left the Pali Hill bungalow to live in his mother’s house.

  While Geeta had left the house, the corridoors of the film studios and film magazines in Bombay were having a field day blaming Waheeda Rehman as the reason of discord between Guru and Geeta. The gossip mills were churning regular columns about their alleged relationship.

  According to Abrar Alvi, it was a cause of much concern for Waheeda’s mother. She once had this conversation with Abrar, ‘Abrar, what will happen to my daughter? My daughter is not the type to flit from man to man, and he is a married man…she tells me that he says he will give up his life for her.’117

  And then a crazy thing happened.

  In author Sathya Saran’s book, Abrar Alvi narrates this strange incident. According to Alvi, Waheeda Rehman’s brother-in-law, Rauf (Waheeda’s elder sister, Sayeeda’s husband) made an announcement after the Friday namaz at the Jama Masjid in Bombay. Rauf declared publicly, ‘Listen my friends, there’s good news. The famous director Guru Dutt is going to become a Muslim and marry my sister-in-law, Waheeda.’118

  Guru Dutt was in panic. He felt deep embarrassment. He called his close friends Johnny Walker, Rehman and Abrar Alvi to handle Rauf. Somehow the situation was salvaged.

  Johnny Walker used to say, ‘Studio ke darwaaze aur ghar ke darwaaze mein jitna faasla rakhoge, sukhi rahogey. Nahi to ghar mein kaam ki baatein hongi aur studio mein ghar ki baatein hongi. Tum confuse ho jaaoge ki tum aa rahe ho ya ja rahe ho.119 And you’ll pay a price for it and it’s very very costly. Nobody can afford it.’

  It was a relief that when this incident happened Geeta Dutt was in London. But Guru Dutt was hurt. He had always been intensely private. He never discussed his personal life in public. He was perhaps scared that things will go out of his hands.

  The shooting of Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam continued. He shot his scenes with Waheeda. Though Abrar was directing the film, he looked keenly involved in the shooting process. For the songs, Guru Dutt took the mantle. But no one really knew what was going on in his mind.

  Then one night, Guru Dutt swallowed thirty-eight sleeping pills. It was his second attempt at suicide.

  52

  THE BIG DECISION

  ‘We called a psychiatrist but he charged Rs 500 for a visit. My brother Atma laughed that he is just talking with Guru and he is so expensive.We never called him again.’

  —Lalitha Lajmi

  ‘It was an overdose of sleeping pills. We rushed him to Nanavati Hospital but his condition was very serious. His body had gone completely cold. He was unconscious for three days. Then on the fourth day we heard his scream. My brother was shouting. The first person he asked for was Geeta. It was strange because their relationship was going through hell. They were thinking of separation but in those moments, he wanted Geeta to be near him. I think they deeply loved each other despite their major differences.’ recalled Lalitha Lajmi.

  Lalitha believed this suicide attempt had been preplanned. Guru Dutt had even written a letter for his brother Atmaram in which he asked Atmaram to take care of Geeta and his kids and look after the studio and Guru Dutt Films.

  It was personally very traumatic for Lalitha too. She went into depression and had to take medication for a long time. But she says Guru Dutt never talked about the reason why he tried to end his life. ‘Sometimes if there was an altercation with Geeta he used to call me. I would rush to him even in the middle of the night. But he would sit quietly, not say anything. I felt he wanted to say something. But he never did. Never.’

  A person who attempted suicide twice yet never talked about it with his family. It was as if through these suicide attempts, Guru Dutt was crying for help. On the doctor’s suggestion, the family called a psychiatrist for counselling. ‘I was much younger than him and in those days no one really talked about such things. We also called a psychiatrist but he charged Rs 500 for a visit. My brother Atma laughed that he was just talking with Guru and he is so expensive. We never called him again,’ said Lalitha, adding that sometimes she blames herself for not doing enough for her brother.

  Guru came back from the hospital and in a few days the shooting was resumed as if nothing had happened. The team was happy to see him back at the studio.

  But apperently there were numerous other times that Guru Dutt experimented with sleeping pills.

  Screenwriter Nabendu Ghosh recounts, ‘Let me tell you about a doctor whose name was A.J. Ribero, a v
ery stubborn man. He was an MBBS, and a sweet-spoken doctor, who had [his] clinic in Santa Cruz. Ribero was a general physician. Because of Ribero’s goodwill, all affluent people of Santa Cruz, Khar and Bandra would visit him. Especially all those who were associated with films. Famous film personalities like Filmistaan’s Shashadhar Mukherjee, director Aurobindo Sen, Shakti Samanta, etc. Guru Dutt was no exception. I have already said how I often visited Guru Dutt’s Pali Hill home for discussions. One morning, I reached his house and found out that the situation was tense. I saw Dr Ribero, going inside the bedroom and coming out every two or three minutes with a tense look on his face. I asked, “What’s up, doctor?” Dr Ribero said, “Guru took sleeping pills, he’s still not coming back to his senses, I have been trying for half an hour, Geeta is crying.” But about five minutes later, Dr Ribero came out of the room, sat down on the chair and said, “Thank god, he’s now conscious.” Then again one day, about three months later, I saw a similar situation at their house. I asked Dr Ribero, “Now what has happened?” Ribero said, “Today Debi [Geeta] is unconscious. She took a lot of sleeping pills. Guru is sitting quietly. I will wait for another ten minutes. If she doesn’t recover, I’ll be forced to call the police.” But five minutes later, Geeta came back to her senses.’

  ‘The news may not have reached you. I tried to commit suicide,’ Guru Dutt once told Bimal Mitra.

  Though Guru Dutt explained his reasons citing his father’s demise, some income tax problem, and certain other disturbing personal episodes. Mitra just kept looking at his face. This was a man who had attempted suicide and eventually survived. Now hearing the story of his experience of attempted suicide sounded surreal, unnatural, and unbelievable.

  ‘So what did you do that day?’

  ‘A tube contains thirty-eight tablets. I dissolved all of them in water and drank.’

  Guru added that there is no rational reason for the torture that his life has been going through for the last few years. He said all the events are happening only after his father’s death. There is a lot of unrest…and a lot of wealth as well. ‘Who gives so much turmoil? And why is so much money coming? Nowadays, I often wonder what unrest was this…what was the restlessness that I was hellbent on committing suicide? When I think about this, I get terrorised with fear. But that day, I felt no dilemma in swallowing those sleeping pills.’

  But now, after going through this traumatic experience he perhaps wanted to get his life back on track.

  But the decision Guru Dutt took, surprised everyone.

  53

  AND THEN, WAHEEDA LEFT!

  ‘He never offered me another role after Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam.’

  —Waheeda Rehman

  By late 1961, Abrar Alvi had completed most of the shooting of the film Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam except for the role of Chhoti Bahu. The scenes of Waheeda Rehman were also shot. For years, the sets and studio of Guru Dutt Films Pvt. Ltd had been home for Waheeda. She was a crucial part of the team. She even had a personal make-up room in the studio. But now, one fine morning, she wasn’t allowed to enter the make-up room. This happened again the next day.

  Without any explanation, Guru Dutt had decided to end his association with Waheeda Rehman. This was perhaps done to give a final chance to his relationship with Geeta.

  Some film magazines also said that disturbed by the speculations of their relationship, it was Waheeda Rehman who decided to end her association with Guru Dutt. But neither she nor Guru Dutt ever talked about the episode. Her work in the film had been completed and she stopped coming to the studio.

  In Nasreen Munni Kabir’s Conversations with Waheeda Rehman, Waheeda says, ‘It must have been in 1961 or 1962. I don’t remember the exact date, but it was during the filming of the final scene in Sahib Bibi. Jabba is waiting for Bhoothnath in a carriage in the haveli ruins. That was the last time we worked together. He never offered me another role after Sahib Bibi.’

  Geeta and Guru Dutt patched up. They even went for a holiday to Kashmir with their two sons, Tarun and Arun. For some time they did seem like a happy family. Geeta was soon pregnant with their third child.

  In March 1962, Guru Dutt called Bimal Mitra again to Bombay. This time Guru Dutt asked him to bring his wife too. During this visit, Mitra saw Guru and Geeta happy together. Eating and laughing with each other. They discussed the shooting of Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam. Guru Dutt gave him the good news that super-star Meena Kumari was finally playing the role of Chhoti Bahu; and as it was for the world to see later, she was truly outstanding in the film. Guru was bursting with excitement when he said that producers now wanted him as a lead actor in their films. He even talked about the director of Mughal-e-Azam, K. Asif, who wanted to cast him in his next magnum opus: Love and God.

  It was difficult to look beyond Guru Dutt’s enthusiasm and know what was really going on in his mind. The next few days went like a dream. The families of Guru Dutt and Bimal Mitra went out for long drives and a spent a few days in the Lonavala house. Guru’s mother also went to Lonavala and told Mitra that it was after a long time that she had seen Guru Dutt laughing.

  But the happiness didn’t last long.

  By the end of March, Mitra was planning to go back to Calcutta. Daily, Geeta would prepare the breakfast and they would eat together. But that morning, a strange silence hung in the air inside the bungalow. Soon they realised that Guru and Geeta had been fighting. An angry Geeta had left late in the night for her mother’s house. Mitra’s wife went to meet Geeta at her mother’s home in Santacruz and came back with a shocking news.

  Geeta had tried to end her life by cutting her wrist veins with a blade.

  Guru Dutt went to meet Geeta. She said she’ll come back when she starts feeling better. Guru was sad and silent. He came back alone and got busy with work.

  Sahib, Bibi aur Ghulam was almost completed but director Abrar Alvi realised that for the last scene, Waheeda Rehman’s presence was required. The task of convincing Waheeda was left to Abrar himself.

  According to Abrar, Waheeda initially had reservations about coming back to shoot with Guru Dutt.

  ‘Waheeda and Guru Dutt had almost parted and she did not want to come for shooting of the carriage scene in Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam…perhaps it was after this incident l had visited him and for the first time he told me do not keep in touch with her any more,’ Lalitha Lajmi told this author.

  Waheeda Rehman finally relented with certain conditions. She would not talk to Guru Dutt, they would not touch each other and they would have no dialogues. Abrar agreed.

  On the designated day, Waheeda arrived, gave her shot. She did not interact with Guru Dutt at all.

  Then Waheeda Rehman left.

  54

  CHHOTI BAHU

  A desperate Guru Dutt had completed the entire shooting of Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam by 1962 except for the part that needed the character of Chhoti Bahu. In a memorable passage, Meena Kumari’s biographer, Vinod Mehta, narrates how she finally accepted the role that came to define her.

  ‘Negotiations with Meena Kumari were resumed and this time they were more successful. Forty-five clear and consecutive days were offered and the fee raised by 25 per cent.’120

  Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam was a dark story of the decline of a Bengali feudal family. The personal story of the family depicting the disintegration of the old zamindar families— the landlords in Bengal and the rise of a new social class in the late 19th century.

  The film opens at the ruins of an old haveli in Calcutta, where a group of labourers are busy pulling down what remains of the structure. When the workers break off for lunch, the overseer (Guru Dutt) wanders through the haveli. As he sits at a place, there begins a flashback to the end of the 19th century. Abrar Alvi, Dutt’s screenwriter, is credited with directing it. Officially, Dutt produced the film and directed its song sequences. Yet, the film is quintessential Guru Dutt, imbued as it is with his poetic sensibility, romantic melancholia and unique visual style.

  Meena Kumari was devastated o
n losing the part of Paro 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—she made for a finely imprinted memory. That year, she was the only actress up for Best Actress at the coveted Filmfare Awards with two other nominations apart from Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam—Aarti and Main Chup Rahungi.

  An enduring saga of decaying feudalism with a parallel sub-plot of the downward-spiral of a zamindar’s neglected wife, loaded with unforgettable performances, lilting music, Bhanu Athaiya’s costumes, Biren Naug’s art direction and V.K. Murthy’s cinematography have made this film an unforgettable gem.

  Guru Dutt had also wanted S.D. Burman and Sahir Ludhianvi for the music and lyrics, but Burman was unwell and Sahir declined the offer. In walked Hemant Kumar and Shakeel Badayuni on their second project after the mega hit Bees Saal Baad, released earler that very year. Hemant Kumar’s baton had Geeta Dutt rendering ‘Koi door se awaaz de chale aao’, ‘Piya aiso jiya’ and ‘Na jao saiyan’ for Chhoti Bahu, plus his melancholic background music evoked looming tragedy.

  Geeta Dutt didn’t playback for Waheeda in this film although in Pyaasa she sang for both Mala and Waheeda. Guru Dutt used Asha Bhosle’s voice for Waheeda and Geeta sang for Meena Kumari. Amazingly Waheeda Rehman was was not happy with the rushes of the song ‘Bhanwara bada nadan hai’ and had Guru Dutt reshoot the song. And it was only this ditty from the film which went up to number thirteen on the annual list of Binaca Geetmala in 1962.

  55

  HAPPINESS AT LAST

  ‘I don’t care even if no one watches my film, even if I lose millions. I don’t care. But I will not change the climax of my film.’