Guru Dutt, my idol

Guru Dutt is today renowned as one of the greatest directors of Indian cinema, to such an extent that he is often touted as the greatest ever in the Bombay world. It is a curious reflection of the sentiments he so unforgettably evoked in his masterpiece, Pyaasaa. The sole difference is that the real Guru Dutt did not live to see the steady rise in his popularity with time and also that he did not have a Gulabo to fade into the horizon with. He died a lonely man caught in the web of his own dark artistry.

Watching Guru Dutt's films is an experience. My exposure to Guru Dutt started unforgettably. In 1984, when I was touching 10, I went to Dubai with my parents a die-hard Amitabh Bachan fan. Like any youngster then, I did not know that cinema existed beyond him. My father was a Guru Dutt fan and he used to enact sequences from "Pyaasaa" to us. In my imagination, I visdualized Guru Dutt to be a turbaned man, rather old, perhaps thick spectacles. I was not too enthused by the image, especially when I had Amitabh Bachan to admire. Then Dad got "Mr & Mrs 55" saying that was a good, lighter introduction to Guru Dutt. "Lets not jump in directly to Pyaasaa", he said. I enjoyed the film immensely. It was a ncice, light-hearted satire. Of course, it is rather cliched but that didnt matter then. The stage was set for "Pyaasaa". It was on a week-day that Appa got the film. We watched the film right through.. I didnt budge through the film and it was all I could do to keep from crying at the end of the film. My life was changed forever.. everything about the film clicked with me. The brilliant performances by one and all, the vivid images, even at that age I could admire the suicide scene which goes on for almost 3 minutes without a dialogue, the music.. it was unforgettable.

I have since then lapped up all Guru Dutt's films multiple times. While his serious films are his best, his lighter efforts like "Mr & Mrs 55" are thoroughly enjoyable for their sophisticated humour, something uncommon in our films. Pyaasaa continues to wow me whenever I give it a see and Kaagaz ke phool has only improved with time. I saw it again a week ago and was again bowled over by the sheer mastery of the camera work and the story-telling. Though morose, the film actually moves at a fast pace and is overall very enjoyable.

I can honestly say that Guru Dutt changed my taste in cinema and music in Indian cinema forever. His films opened the window to the music of S.D.Burman and O.P.Nayyar from where I have slowly graduated to Anil Biswas and Pankaj Mallick. Through his films, I learnt to appreciate the finer points of cinema and have acquired the taste to enjoy the films of Orson Welles, Bergman, Satyajit Ray etc. He remains my favorite, and I hope future generations would continue to be inspired by his art and films.