Guru Dutt

Guru Dutt Biography

Guru Dutt was a versatile film maker of Black and White movies of Bollywood, who had a pathetic end. He was a wonderful actor as well who delivered many magical roles on screen. Despite being failed in many suicide attempts, he succeeded at last in 1964 comparatively at a very young age of just 39! Before he left the world, he has give uncountable classics to Indian cinema which are still counted among the priceless gems of Bollywood cinema. If we tell the brief history of Bollywood, it is not at all possible to complete the discussion without mentioning Guru Dutt’s name. Within a short life span, his achievements are counted among the golden letters of Indian cinema. He is often referred to as ‘India's Orson Welles’ whose works has placed him among the top directions all time in Directors’ poll. He was ranked 73 by Sight & Sound poll in the year 2002.

His most magnificent movies include Pyaasa, Kaagaz phool, Chaudwin ka chand and Saheb biwi aur ghulam (as producer) and Kaagaz ke phool. He was a director far ahead of time. Kaagaz ke phool was the first cinemascope Indian movie. Though the movie failed at box office, it is considered a classic, the movie for which he remembered most. When he committed suicide, the belief became strong that the movie was a life sketch of himself. He was deeply in love with the heroine of the movie Waheeda Rehman, despite being married to famous playback singer Geeta Dutt and father of 3 kids. It was true too! The movie has been included in Time’s magazine, in ‘All time best 100 movies’, along with Pyaasa. His works had a cult following, typical Guru Dutt style.     

Guru Dutt was born as Vasanth Kumar Shivashankar Padukone in the city of Bangalore in the year 1925. He had a tough childhood and his younger days were spent in Calcutta. Due to financial troubles, he couldn’t attend school or college, but joined performing arts troupe of Uday Shankar who taught him dance, drama, and music. He did small roles in movies and later entered the field as choreographer and assistant director.

When Dev Anand offered him a role under Navkettan’s banner, his first movie Baazi was released in 1951. Later Guru Dutt’s production company ‘Guru Dutt movies private limited’ produced CID which was a big successful movie of Dev Anand, though Guru Dutt didn’t direct him. After Baazi, his hit movies (as producer or director) include Jaal, Baaz, Pyaasa, Kaagaz phool, Chaudwin ka chand, Kaagaz ke phool, Saheb biwi aur ghulam and Mr and Mrs.55.      

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Updated: June 10, 2013