Guru Dutt

by Yasser Usman

  —Guru Dutt

  Initial audience reactions for Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam were not all positive. There were some scenes that the audiences were not liking. The second day Guru Dutt himself went to the Minerva theatre in Bombay to gauge the public reaction. There was a beautiful climax scene which showed Chhoti Bahu resting her head in Bhootnath’s lap as they travel in a carriage. The ambiguity about the relationship between Chhoti Bahu and Bhoothnath was taken by the public as a ‘relationship’ or ‘physical desire’ between the two.

  There was one more scene where Chhoti Bahu asks for one last sip of alcohol. Guru Dutt also realised that the last song ‘Sahil ki taraf’ was slowing down the narrative.

  An indecisive Guru Dutt went straight to K. Asif’s house.

  Asif asked, ‘How’s the box office report?’

  ‘Not bad, but not good either,’ said Guru.

  ‘Change the climax to comedy. It will run.’

  ‘But how do I make it a comedy?’ said Guru Dutt.

  ‘Listen, say in the end Chhoti Bahu has stopped drinking. She is fine now. Everything is good between husband and wife and they live happily ever after,’ K. Asif suggested.121

  Guru came out of his house and called his team in panic mode. Abrar Alvi and Bimal Mitra were asked to write a new climax. Meena Kumari was requested for a day’s shoot. Abrar reportedly wasn’t convinced but Guru was not listening.

  They began writing a new scene when a worried Guru Dutt appeared the next evening and said, ‘No, Bimal Babu, I have thought about it. I will not change the film’s end.’

  Everyone was startled.

  He continued, ‘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. This film…its climax, it can’t really be changed. It’s a different kind of a story. It is public’s loss if they don’t understand it, not mine.’

  He added, ‘Whatever K. Asif says, I am also a film-maker, I have my own mind and intelligence. I will not change the end at any cost. Never.’

  This was vintage Guru Dutt.

  Guru Dutt finally decided to remove the sequence which showed Chhoti Bahu resting her head in Bhootnath’s lap as well as the climactic song. Hemant Kumar went on to recycle the tune for ‘Sahil ki taraf’ for the song ‘Ya dil ki suno’ in Anupama (1966). The song was replaced with a dialogue exchange between Chhoti Bahu and Bhoothnath in the doomed carriage. The new scenes were inserted into every print that was running in theatres.

  Guru Dutt later wrote about it:122

  ‘I must say the press hailed this attempt with an acclaim which was beyond my expectations. The public reaction was also very encouraging as a whole. In its early screenings at Bombay there was an uproar against only two particular scenes. The first of these was the one in which Chhoti Bahu, out of affectionate affinity between them, rests her head on the lap of Bhoothnath. The second one was the scene in which she tells her husband, “Allow me to take the last sip of liquor. Only for the last time. I have decided to give it up completely.” We deleted those scenes.’

  The night before the reviews and reports were expected in newspapers, Guru Dutt couldn’t sleep. He called his close associates from the team early in the morning. When they reached, Guru was surrounded by a heap of newspapers: English, Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi. Every newspaper. The Times of India had declared it ‘A classic in celluloid’. A soft smile appeared in Guru Dutt’s eyes.

  The review in The Times of India (24 June 1962) said, ‘Within the framework of commercial cinema, Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam is an excellent film…the well-knit screenplay, achieving an effective balance between the various characters and emotional phases, provides a neat dramatic pattern. It appears to be a specially successful job considering the verbosity and digressiveness of the novel of Mr Bimal Mitra who, though often brilliant, writes in a highly disorderly way.’

  Then each member started reading the newspapaers out aloud. Ratan and driver Ram Singh were from Gujarat. They began reading the reports in Gujarati newspapers. Guru Dutt was smiling, quietly absorbing the praise.

  He praised Abrar Alvi for making a wonderful film. Everyone noticed how happy and cheerful Guru Dutt was that day. There was appreciation coming from all over. That always mattered to him a lot.

  That night the thirty-eight-year-old Guru Dutt slept peacefully after a long long time.

  56

  ESCAPE ROUTES

  ‘Even if I die nobody will mind. Is there anyone objecting to my death?’

  —Guru Dutt

  Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam went on to win Filmfare Awards for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress and Best Photography. The film won the President’s Silver Medal and the ‘Film of the Year’ Award from the Bengal Film Journalist Association and was screened at the Berlin Film Festival in June 1963, also was India’s fourth official entry to the Oscars that year, and was nominated for the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. The celluloid magic of Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam from which even younger masters like Anurag Kashyap and Tigmanshu Dhulia have drawn from!

  There was more good news on the personal front.

  19 August 1962, Guru and Geeta’s third child was born. They named her Nina. Guru always wanted a daughter and was immensely happy. He went to Beirut in Lebanon in October 1962, almost four months after the release of Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam. From there he wrote a letter to Geeta that was published in the book Yours Guru Dutt: Intimate Letters of a Great Indian Filmmaker.123 In the letter he is talking about the kids and ends with ‘love and kisses’ and ‘Ever yours Guru Dutt’. The letter suggests that things had improved between Guru and Geeta. Although his mother Vaasanthi wrote, ‘A girl was born to them. The couple’s wish was fulfilled. But alas, peace and harmony became once again unthinkable. The same unpleasantness was repeated.’

  Meanwhile, there were more films being offered to him as a lead actor. The biggest film he signed was K. Asif’s Love and God based on the epic romantic tale of Laila and Majnu. K. Asif was the legendary director who had made the epic film of Indian cinema Mughal-E-Azam. Signing Guru Dutt in his next film was a big proof of Guru Dutt’s acceptance as a lead actor.

  The other outside productions in which Guru Dutt worked as an actor were mostly South Indian productions produced in Madras. The Madras producers were very organised. They made the films quickly and offered good money to Bombay actors. Guru Dutt was working on films like Bahurani with Mala Sinha, Bharosa with Asha Parekh, Suhagan with Mala Sinha again and Saanjh aur Savera, a Hrishikesh Mukherjee film with actress Meena Kumari.

  Guru Dutt wanted to be away from Bombay and the shootings in Madras came as a huge relief.

  He used to say whenever he visited Madras, he felt better and even gained a few pounds that he lost as soon as he was back in Bombay. But was he happy with the kind of films he was working in as an actor? ‘Don’t ask me about it. I am not satisfied with acting in such films. I act in such films only for money. They pay me a lot of money. Whatever I earn from these films, I use it all to run my studio,’124 said Guru Dutt.

  He also thought about shifting to Calcutta, his soul city. He wished to make Bengali films. He got information that M.P. studio in Calcutta was available for sale. Guru Dutt wanted to buy it. He was even thinking about making staff quarters in the studio and shift his entire staff there. Guruswamy and other members of the staff were baffled. They thanked the almighty when the Madras films happened and Guru Dutt forgot all about buying the Calcutta studio.

  But was it really about Madras or Calcutta? Or Guru Dutt just wanted to run away from Bombay? An escape from the city, studio, family life. To anywhere.

  He couldn’t sleep in Bombay. His constant refrain was: ‘I think I will go crazy.’

  Lalitha Lajmi says, ‘Later he went into depression then slowly his entire personality went down. He kept to himself and became very lonely.’

  In Madras, there would be regular addas in Guru’s suite. Friends would eat, drink and play cards with Guru in the hotel r
oom. During one of the trips to Madras with Guru Dutt, Bimal Mitra was angry when he saw Guru losing money in a cards game. When he told Guru he had been conned, he replied, ‘It is good to have some loss. It’s not right to make only profit in life.’

  Mitra told him that his sleeplessness, heavy dependence on alcohol and sleeping pills can cause severe health issues.

  Guru Dutt replied, ‘What will happen? I’ll die. Listen, even if I die nobody will mind. Is there anyone objecting to my death? If I feel tortured, is it going to harm anyone?’

  He was too drunk to talk sense. But even in that state, sleep was evasive.

  57

  BEGINNING OF THE END

  ‘Guru Dutt was clearly heading towards turning into a mental and physical wreck. I instinctively knew that it was the beginning of the end.’

  —B.R. Chopra (Producer/Director)

  Since long Guru Dutt had wanted to make a film based on the 1937 film President directed by Nitin Bose. When he finally decided to make it, he named it Baharen Phir Bhi Aayengi. Guru Dutt asked Shahid Lateef to direct the film. The last film Lateef had directed was the 1958 hit film Sone Ki Chidiya. But since five years he hadn’t made any other film. Shahid Lateef was also the husband of famous Urdu writer Ismat Chughtai.

  O.P. Nayyar made a successful comeback in Guru Dutt Films. He composed memorable songs including the title track, written by poet Kaifi Azmi, and a chartbuster romantic song—‘Aapke haseen rukh pe’, written by Anjaan and sung by Mohammed Rafi. Guru Dutt filmed it in his distinctive style. The shooting was going on well and the film’s release was planned in 1964.

  But on the personal front things now simply spiraled downwards.

  Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam was India’s offical entry at the 13th Berlin International Film Festival. In June 1963, Guru Dutt, Abrar Alvi and Waheeda Rehman attended the festival. It was after more than a year that Guru and Waheeda came face to face. But according to Abrar Alvi they hardly exchanged a word. The screening happened but the film failed to create any flutter as the international audience could not relate with the overt melodrama and very Indian theme. But something else happened.

  Famous journalist and writer on Hindi film music, Raju Bharatan, writes in his book A Journey Down Melody Lane: ‘As for Waheeda Rehman, she was on her own Berlin trip, with something else on her mind. She, for her own reasons, had decided- conclusively yet gracefully to banish Guru Dutt from her life. The last thing Waheeda wanted was a scene, off the sets, in India. She thus waited until the two were in Berlin, where she finally chose to tell her Guru, most emphatically, that they were through.’125

  ‘Yes. The last time I saw him must have been in Berlin,’ confirmed Waheeda Rehman.

  According to Raju Bharatan, Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam’s outright rejection, coupled with Waheeda’s royal rebuff, dealt a body blow to Guru Dutt. Raju Bharatan also quotes the legendary filmmaker B.R. Chopra who was also in Berlin. Bharatan writes, ‘The redoubtable B.R. Chopra pulled no punches as he told me: “That man, Guru Dutt, drank all the way back from Berlin to Bombay while keeping all to himself in a corner seat. We knew all about Waheeda having told him, pointblank that she had made up her mind about him and that was it. She also discreetly, left Guru Dutt to find his own way back. Guru Dutt was clearly heading towards turning into a mental and physical wreck. I instinctively knew that it was the beginning of the end.’

  Back in Bombay, Geeta had started blaming the bungalow for their deteriorating relationship. Someone had suggested to her that the rift in their relationship began after they shifted to that bungalow. In desperation, she took it seriously. Lalitha recalls,126 ‘She believed that the bungalow was huanted. There was a particular tree in house and she said there’s a ghost in that tree who is bringing bad omen and ruining their marriage. She also had something against a Buddha statue that was kept in their huge drawing room.’ According to Lalitha, it was Geeta who said that they should leave the bungalow and live somewhere else. This prospect was heartbreaking for Guru Dutt. After all, it was his dream house.

  Section Thirteen

  BUILDING OF A DREAM

  1957–58

  ‘Of all the houses and buildings in Pali Hill, my home is the most beautiful.’

  58

  BUNGALOW NO. 48,

  PALI HILL

  ‘For years I had nutured a dream of building a house in Pali Hill.’

  —Guru Dutt

  It was a sprawling bungalow of about three bighas of land surrounded by beautiful dense trees and gardens. Guru Dutt’s dream home.

  In the 1950s, Pali Hill in Mumbai’s Bandra (West) suburb was forested with dense undergrowth. Situated on a rolling hill with alternate steep and shallow sides, it garnered the name Pali Hill, although more than one hill is present. In the Pali Hill of early 1950s, most people lived in cottages or bungalows. The bungalows initially were owned by the British, Parsis and the Catholics. Later, film stars such as Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand and Meena Kumari started moving into these properties. They perhaps took a liking to the place because of the greenery and the anonymity it provided. With time Pali Hill grew into an affluent neighbourhood.

  Guru Dutt’s childhood was marred by financial struggles of the family. The troubles never seemed to end. ‘We never had a proper home as kids. During our childhood our house was extremely small and the family was huge. Our father never really could afford any luxuries,’ says Lalitha.

  Home had eluded him so much that even the idea of a home appeared like a distant dream. ‘For years I had nutured a dream of building a house in Pali Hill,’ said Dutt. His friend, Dev Anand, had become a star and used to live in a bungalow in Pali Hill. Guru Dutt as a struggling director, used to visit Dev’s house often. They were finally working together on a film. During these visits Guru started thinking that if someday he had the means to do it, he would build his own bungalow in Pali Hill. That would be his home. A dream home.

  One day Guru Dutt noticed an advertisement in the newspaper about an old bungalow that was going to be sold in Pali Hill. Dutt bought it at Rs 1 lakh, a huge amount in those times. Bungalow No. 48, Pali Hill: Guru Dutt’s dream now had a real address. It was a sprawling bungalow situated on about three bighas of land. There were beautiful dense trees and a garden, standing gracefully in the middle of the plush bungalow. Guru and Geeta spend a good bit of time and money designing the home to be unique to their family. Carpets from London, pure Italian marble was ordered for the bathroom, wood was ordered from Kashmir for the roof.

  ‘The bungalow at Pali Hill was shaped into a beautiful house with a big garden, and a lawn in front. From upstairs, the whole area looked lovely on the western side from where the sea and sunset could be seen. He bought different kinds of dogs, lovely birds, a siamese cat, two pairs of hares, a monkey and even a tiger cub. He wanted to start a poultry farm…,’ recalled Guru Dutt’s mother.

  After his second son Arun was born, Guru Dutt and the family moved from their flat in Khar Road to this huge bungalow in Pali Hill. Guru and Geeta were surrounded by happiness. Two kids, success and dreams of a happy life together.

  It smelled like home.

  But when he had finally realised his dream, very soon he also understood the aching reality that a house is not always necessarily a home. This realisation was the worst part of the dream.

  The bungalow was a witness to hundreds of story and shoot planning sessions and musical evenings,. ‘Guru Dutt loved classical music. He once invited Akhtari Bai to his residence and only music lovers were invited for the concert,’ his mother remembered. He was very fond of animals. Close friends Johnny Walker and Abrar Alvi remembered the times when Guru Dutt summoned them to his bungalow. Alvi talked about the nights when he was woken up to be summoned to Guru Dutt’s side to watch with him as fluffy, yellow chickens hatched out of their eggs placed in an incubator by the curious director himself. He would keep observing them for hours.

  His mother wrote, ‘Guru Dutt being busy could not pay attention to his own home. His work inc
reased as he became more and more popular.’

  Guru Dutt now had a beautiful house, but little time to enjoy it.

  Section Fourteen

  DESTRUCTION OF A DREAM

  1963

  ‘Maine apna ghar tod-taad dala!’

  59

  DEMOLITION OF A DREAM

  ‘Ever since the bungalow was pulled down, Guru Dutt’s home went to pieces gradually.’

  —Vasanthi

  Geeta had constantly become superstitious about the bad omen the Pali Hill bungalow had brought to her married life. She had conveyed this to Guru Dutt many times. The same bungalow that was the perfect dream home for Dutt not very long ago.

  One afternoon Geeta was sleeping in the guest house of the bungalow when at around 4 PM she heard a loud noise. She came out and saw some labourers doing some repair work in the bungalow. But she noticed that they were breaking down the walls of the house. She immediately called up Guru who was in the studio and told him that the labourers were demolishing the house.

  ‘Let them do it! I’ve asked them to raze it to the ground,’ replied Guru Dutt.

  Geeta asked, ‘But where will we live?’ ‘We’ll live in a hotel. I’ve already booked a room,’ said Dutt.

  Guru Dutt had said this so nonchalantly as if it was one of his film sets that was being dismantled after the shooting of the film was completed. After a story was over, captured on celluloid.

  This time, it wasn’t a film set. It was the dismantling of a dream.

  Lalitha says, ‘Guru Dutt had agreed to what Geeta wanted but it broke his heart. He used to blame Geeta for the house. Geeta was suspicious and also believed in ghosts.’