A prolific filmmaker, producer, actor, choreographer, and writer, Guru Dutt’s 96th birth anniversary was on Friday, 9 July. The visionary director has given Hindi cinema some of the classic gems including Pyaasa, Kaagaz Ke Phool, Chaudhvin Ka Chand, and Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam. “Yeh duniya jahaan aadmi kuch nahi hai, wafa kuch nahi, dosti kuch nahi hai. Yahaan pyaar ki qadr hi kuch nahi hai, yeh duniya agar mil bhi jaye to kya hai.” Through these lyrics from the film Pyaasa (1957), Vasanth Kumar aka Guru Dutt reveals the harsh realities and the natural tragedies which a man faces in his lifetime. Also known as India’s Orson Welles, Dutt is among the greatest filmmakers of all time who used social satires with superb performances and great music to leave a mark on the viewer’s mind. He is in the top tier of directors along with Bimal Roy, Raj Kapoor, V. Shantaram, K. Asif, and Mehboob Khan.
He led to the creation of the Guru Dutt Team — one of the finest filmmaking teams who individually continued to achieve milestones even after his demise. The team included writer Abrar Alvi, cinematographer V.K. Murthy and editor Y.G. Chawan, the legendary musicians — O.P. Nayyar, S.D. Burman and Hemant Kumar, singers Geeta Roy and Muhammad Rafi and lyricists Sahir Ludianvi and Kaifi Azmi.
“A man is what he does.” When one watches the masterpieces of Dutt, he is instantly indulged in the sensational art of darkness, which the filmmaker often used as a depiction of grey areas of his life. Pyaasa and Kagaaz ke Phool can be seen as semi-autobiographies of his life which, in itself, was full of agony: Career rejections, disturbed marriage, a failed muse relationship, and three suicide attempts. His thirst for perfection also created disturbance and disgust in his life.
He was adept at expressing ideas and emotions metaphorically which can be briefly seen in shots in Pyaasa and the lyrical dialogues. Despite living only for 39 years, Dutt was the famous crucifixion way ahead of time in his enigmatic approaches to portray the social realities, which is impeccably parallel even in the 21st century.
“Yeh daulat key bhookhey rawajon ki duniya, Yeh duniya agar mil bhi jaaye to kya hai,” brings a poignant commentary on society’s crass commercialisation in turn leading to the materialisation of human relationships. Being a major critic of capitalism, Dutt picturises how the world is seeing a growing wealth divide, which has induced a culture difference in the people’s mindset. The fair level playing field is now long gone, with opportunities only in the hands of the affluent. This is quite evident from the fact that even though Dutt was included among CNN’s ‘Top 25 Asian actors of all time’, he never received a Filmfare Award for the best director because of his low-key attitude and presence in the film industry. His movies also showed the opportunistic nature of man, which changes his priorities according to his own needs and abandon others with time. The world is full of great minds like Galileo Galilei, William Shakespeare, Van Gogh who were neglected by society in their lifetime but got fame and recognition after their death. “Garmi chahe mausam ki ho ya daulat ki sirf gadhe hi magan rehte hai us mein,” aptly points out Dutt’s thoughts on capitalism, which tends to blur one’s mind and wedges it in a world of self-supremacy and vanity.
“Tang aa chuke hain kashm-e-kash zindagi se,” talks about the current youth’s struggle with sheer unemployment and the tagged along with social stigma. This is especially true in “unconventional” career fields, which society declares as folly. This is the result of an engineered system of education and learning which has pushed our youth towards wealth building rather than valuing creativity and innovation. “Ajkal padhe-likhe sajaan bhi coolie bangaye hai.” This dialogue from Pyaasa is also analogous to the current situation wherein thousands of postgraduates are applying for the post of a clerk in a government office.
He also gave a hint about the enthusiasm and optimism among the youth just after the independence through his song “Peeche Peeche duniya aage aage hum.” This is apparently fading away with time.
“Jinhe naaz hai Hind par woh kahan hain,” examined the debilitating condition of a newly built nation back in the 1950s that’s mistreating its women and does not see the error in its ways. However, this song is still relevant in the current state of the nation where jingoism is in an uptrend with no real substance, women’s rights are disregarded and the religious divide is at its peak. Dutt tried to summon the inner patriot of his audience to act tangibly against these evils of society and give up the discourse of pseudo nationalism.
Through his films, he also left a remark on the void and muffled voice of the media today. Rather than showing an unbiased opinion and letting the people form their opinion, the media today has got prejudiced with a set agenda in the mind. This selective approach has turned the media houses into a corrupt commercial enterprise, dancing on the tunes of the influentials.
The sterling music-savvy director-actor, Dutt made his audience cherish the black and white piece of art, adorned with power-packed dialogues, intense camerawork, and once-in-a-lifetime performances from the newcomers of that time — Johnny Walker, Waheeda Rehman, Rehman and Abrar Alvi.
Dutt’s movies continue to inspire directors, technicians, and musicians all across the world. His movies have got huge applaud in international festivals across the globe. It is sad that Dutt died so young and instead of maybe finding refuge in spirituality or a trusted friend, he found solace in alcohol. The portrayed withering pain of a common man and dissatisfaction with the materialistic society still forces the viewers to look within and question their actions in life. People still resonate with Dutt’s dialogue, “Zindagi ki asli khushi doosron ko khush rakhke haasil ki jaati hai.”
Rajesh Mehta is a leading consultant & columnist working on Market Entry, Innovation & Public Policy. Uddeshya Goel is a researcher with specific interests in economics, international business and capital markets.