Waheeda Rehman picks ‘Pyaasa' as her favourite collab with Guru Dutt: Gulabo is unforgettable

Time of India

09-07-2025

In the golden era of Indian cinema, few collaborations resonated on an emotional level, not just with the audience but with artists and filmmakers as well. The joint forces of
Guru Dutt
and
Waheeda Rehman
created such magic with their every project.
The onscreen synergy can't be explained in words. However, we tried to articulate the same via a candid conversation with Waheeda Rahman, who spoke about her and Guru Dutt's cinematic marvels that to date are celebrated and studied to understand the core of Indian cinema.
When asked if the veteran actress ever imagined that her work in Pyaasa and other films would create such a lasting imprint on the canvas of Indian cinema, Waheeda Rehman replied, 'Even the world's great directors or actors or painters, or musicians like Lataji and Pandit Ravi Shankarji, when they are doing it they don't think, we have we touched the sky.
They are doing it because they have to. They are passionate about it.
They are in love with their work.'
She continued, 'And their whole life, their whole soul, heart, is in that project. Then it comes out later, and no one knows the impact their work will have. I remember what Shyam Benegal, who was Guru Dutt's cousin, once told me. When he used to get an award and I congratulated him, he said, 'Waheeda, it is like this: when you plant a fruit tree after 5-8 years, the fruit comes.
And how sweet that fruit will be, who can say? No one can say.
'
Waheeda Rehman's first film with Guru Dutt was 'CID,' then came 'Pyaasa,' followed by 'Kagaz Ke Phool.' Waheeda told us she was a salaried person in Guru Dutt's company, and thus, whenever she was offered a role, it used to make her utterly happy.
Talking of her roles, when asked to pick her favorite from 'Kagaz Ke Phool' and 'Pyaasa,' she replied, 'I like Pyaasa more,' and then he added, 'Because in 'Pyaasa,' I was not at all raw and the moral values of the character, which were shown so beautifully, were so admirable.'
Speaking about her character in the movie, she continued, 'Gulabo was an ordinary streetwalker, but she is the only one in the film who was a pure heart. She was a noble soul. She went to the publisher and said, 'I have this much money, publish these poems by Vijay.' Where in society would you find such a noble soul? Everyone was trying to suppress her, but Gulabo stood her ground. It was a rare and strong character.'
'Gulabo is unforgettable.
She was a good person. She was very progressive. Vijay's other girlfriend (played by Mala Sinha) was looking at his income . Very practical. She was like the girls of today,' she added.
Last but not least, when we asked her what made Guru Dutt so special, Waheeda Rehman had the sweetest reply. 'He made great pictures. He was so totally involved in filmmaking, his obsession was all-consuming,' she said.
'Not that he was aware that he was making great pictures, but his obsession was to make movies. He was so involved in his work that he was not aware of anything else,' concluded the actress.