Guru Dutt – the thoughtful actor of bollywood.

Guru Dutt – the thoughtful actor of bollywood.

Guru Dutt is one of the most thoughtful actors who had glorified bollywood cinema during the 50s and 60s. Although he had impressed the viewers with films like Aar Par and Mr. & Mrs.55, he has created his identity with the film Pyasa opposite Wahida Rehman and Mala Sinha. In Pyasa, he played the role of a poet who loved a rich girl during his student life who was married to a rich person by her family members.

He was not interested about materialistic things and showed Mala Sinha, that the society very wrongly salutes rich people even without examining the virtues of other sections including the loyalty shown to him by a tawaif played by Wahida Rehman. The films in known for outstanding songs composed by SD Burman, including “yeh mahalon, ye takhton, yeh tajon ki duniya” sung by Rafi, “sar jo tera”, sung by Rafi, “jane who kaise” sung by Hemant Kumar, “jane kya tune kaha”, sung by Geeta Dutt.


He also experimented with an abstract subject in the film Kagaz ka phool, opposite Wahida Rehman, where he showed the eternal truth that the directors, actors and people involved with the film industry are worshipped like Gods during their good days but once they lose their market, nobody remembers them. It is another film where the songs had become history including “waqt ne kiya” sung by Geeta Dutt and “bichre sabhi bari bari” sung by Rafi.


Guru Dutt acted in romantic films like Chaudavi ka chaand, opposite Wahida Rehman, and depicted the muslim royal culture in the film. The songs in the film were composed by Ravi and the title song sung by Rafi “chaudavi ka chand”, remains as one of the most outstanding ghazals he had sing in his entire tenure. Guru Dutt also acted in historical films like Saheb Bibi aur Ghulam, which was the hindi version of Uttamkumar’s Bengali film having the same title. The film showed the feudal rule in Kolkata during the period when the British Government ruled Indian from the capital Kolkata. The lives of the zamindars were depicted including the oppression towards their wives which was displayed by Meena Kumari very well in the film. Guru Dutt, died in 1964, after acting in films like Saanjh aur sawera, 12 0’clock, bharosa, opposite Asha Parekh, etc. The film industry lost a great producer, director and a thoughtful actor who had provided entertainment and social message to the viewers. Retrospectives should be held in TC channels to show respect to the legendary creator.

By: CR Chatterji.