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Guru Dutt - Legacy of an Overlooked Genius

"Yeh Duniya Agar Mil Bhi Jaae to Kya Hai:"

This heartfelt anguish was literally personified by film maker and actor extraordinaire - Guru Dutt, whose birth centenary happens to be tomorrow (July 9). 

Maestro or Failed Genius?

All his life, he strove to depict his vision, his dreams on celluloid. Yet, even as he strove for success, for renown, he was a bit of a recluse, a black sheep himself. It was as if he wanted to challenge the language of popular cinema by being within the format, from the inside. His women had brains, taxi drivers and masseurs were philosophers, sex workers pined for spiritual ecstasy, and friendships blossomed between unlikely people. Common people on the street spoke wiser logic than academics or high-nosed editors. The topics of the films may seem dated now, but the eternal truths voiced in them remain relevant.  

His films were distinctly different from other popular Hindi films. They had all the commercial elements of song, dance, comedy, romance, yet nuggets of truth and authenticity shone through the gloss every now and then.

Sample this (From the film - Mr. & Mrs. 55)

Image Source https://cinephilesfiles.wordpress.com/2014/06/13/couple-of-the-year-mr-mrs-55/

"Communist ho?" A stuffy rich dowager warily asks a commoner who has been mouthing a few witty rejoinders.

"Ji nahi, Cartoonist hun" he replies, tongue firmly in cheek.

Brilliant or what? Time has shown us that cartoonists and humorists have become the sole voice of reason when people with wealth and power have shut up to save their skin. And who better than a cartoonist to speak truth to power, to mask criticism in humour?

Guru Dutt's protagonists - however unsuccessful or imperfect, never shied away from speaking truth to power. Whether it was a failed poet denouncing a chance to redeem himself, or a film maker insistent on doing things his way, or a cartoonist determined to stay happy-go-lucky, his characters were flawed yet firm.

Song as Storytelling and Critiquing Technique

The way he used songs to convey harsh truths was nothing short of remarkable.

"Sar jo tera chakraye, ya dil dooba jaae" may be a light-hearted ditty, but the words have loaded connotations, satire filled in them.

"Tadbeer se bigdee hui takdeer bana le" urges action over dependence on fate.

"Jine naaz hai Hind pe woh kahan hai?" Another soulful cry to awaken the conscience of a sleeping nation.

"Bichhde sabhi baari baari..." The last sigh of a once popular man written off and relegated to the background, public memory being fleeting and unreliable.

Pyasa was his best film, in my opinion.

Image Source - YouTube

Armed with Sahir Ludhiyanvi's literary genius, Dutt gave us a hard-hitting, scathing critique of a post-independence India  - pointing out the hypocrisies, the shallowness and corruption all too clearly.

Sahib Bibi aur Ghulam, Aar aur Paar, Mr. & Mrs. 55, and his swan song - Kaagaz ke Phool were gems that were way ahead of their time. Now these are revered as path-breaking creations, but at that time, he faced flak and failure for making them. 

And who knew the fleeting nature, the shifting loyalties of time better than Guru Dutt? His magnum opus flopped big time, disillusioning him beyond repair.

"Waqt ne Kiya, Kya Haseen Sitam

Tum Rahe na Tum, Hum Rahe na Hum"....


#GuruDutt #MasterFilmMaker #Centenaryof GuruDutt 

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