Baazi: Where noir meets nonsense in Dev Anand and Guru Dutt's early experiment

India Today

04-05-2025

As part of our series on Hindi films from the past, we revisit Baazi, the film that started one bromance, and two romances — off the screenFilm: Baazi (1951)Cast: Dev Anand, Geeta Bali, Kalpana Kartik, KN Singh and Krishan DhawanDirector: Guru DuttBox-Office Status: Super-hitWhere to Watch: YouTubeWhy to Watch: For Guru Dutt's camera angles and Dev Anand's complex love triangleMoral of the Story: None, not every movie gives free gyaanadvertisement'Baazi' poses a mathematical riddle so profound, it could stump even Pythagoras: If one person can fool you for one hour, how many people are required to dupe you for three? The film's solution? A trio of titans—Dev Anand, Guru Dutt and (et tu?) Balraj Sahni.If math is not your thing, don't worry. Baazi also imparts a timeless lesson: too many geniuses spoil a plot.Once the film ends, only one question endures: How could three contemporary greats sabotage a decent film with a climax so ridiculous, it feels like a prank? And, more intriguingly, how did our ancestors fall for it, making Baazi the second-highest grosser of 1951? Truly, a mystery for the ages.The Backstory
Baazi was the result of a pact between Dev Anand and Guru Dutt. Both had promised each other that whoever makes a film first will cast the other—Guru Dutt as director, if Anand produces it, and the actor as the hero if the other directs it.advertisementSo, when Dev Anand launched his production house Navketan, named after his nephew Ketan–later linked to the controversial death of actor Priya Rajvansh—-he kept his word. Another Bollywood legend, Balraj Sahni, joined the project as a writer.Apart from this bromance, Baazi also marked the beginning of the romance between Guru Dutt and Geeta Dutta (who sang most of the songs), and Dev Anand and Kalpana Kartik, the actor's future wife, after his failed romance with Suraiya.
Dev Anand, Rashid Khan and Geeta Bali in a still from 'Baazi.' Photo:IMDb
The StoryMadan (Dev Anand) is almost a reincarnation of Mama Shakuni from the Mahabharata. An accomplished gambler, every time Madan rolls the dice, you can imagine Duryodhan screaming, 'Six, Mamashri, six.' Lo and behold, six it always is.But, Madan doesn't play against the Pandavas to rid them of their wife and kingdom. His mission in life is humbler. He snares rich gamblers into a seedy underground casino run by Maalik, a shadowy figure whose face is always hidden by Guru Dutt's legendary use of shadows.advertisementMadan is born not just with lucky hands, but also lucky lips. For no particular reason, two women are madly in love with this Bombay tapori, who doesn't have money for his sister's treatment but is never without a cigarette, and is always kitted out in a scarf and a cap.The first victim of his unexplained charm is the local Doc, Rajani (Kalpana Kartik), who gets smitten by him after he harasses her at her clinic. Simultaneously, the cupid's arrow srikes Leena (Geeta Bali), a coquettish club dancer referred to as 'Madaam' (pronounced like badaam), who also works for Maalik.An evolving love triangle, with the usual ameer-girl-gareeb-guy trope and some hummable songs. So far so good. To make it spicier, Guru Dutt even adds a post-interval twist by revealing the identity of Maalik—our Kaliyug Shakuni's employer.
Dev Anand and Geeta Bali in Baazi. Photo:IMDb
Then the film slides down the path of absurdity. Madan is accused of a murder he didn't commit. Yet he confesses because the real perpetrators threaten to harm his sister. The investigating officer, Krishan Dhawan (always in the same khaki suit), knows Madan is being framed. Yet, in record time, Madan is sentenced to death (presumably without even a chargesheet). But, just an hour before the hanging, the inspector accidentally discovers evidence previously non-existent. Time rolls back, literally. The real culprit implicates himself. And, The End.The ending feels rushed and is wrapped up in just 15 minutes. If only Guru Dutt had kept it simple, replacing it with some dishoom-dishoom at the edge of a Khandala hill, where Madan's sister is convalescing, the climax wouldn't have looked like a byproduct of a bad hangover.Except for the ending, the film is quite decent— time-pass stuff, if not memorable. The pace is brisk, the dialogue snappy and weighty, delivered without excess melodrama. The choreography, another defining feature of Guru Dutt's films, is innovative (one of the sequences was later copied in Sridevi's 'Chaalbaaz'). Dev Anand looks roguishly charming and Geeta Bali's audacious flirting and bold dresses light up the screen.The noir feel is enhanced by dramatic use of shadows, lighting, and smoke—though it's sometimes overdone. Every male character wears sharp suits, and smokes nonstop, leaving behind a trail of soot like an old locomotive engine. (Ironically, it is the women who keep coughing).
Dev Anand in a still from Baazi. Photo:IMDb
SD Burman's music and Sahir Ludhianvi's lyrics create timeless classics like 'Taqdeer se bigdi hui tadbeer', 'Suno Gajar Kya Gaye,' and 'Ye Kaun Aaya Ki Meri Duniya Main Bahaar Aayee.' But, the soundtrack also features a monstrous blunder.advertisementKishore Kumar gets to sing 'Mere Labon Pe Chippe' in a nasal voice with an exaggerated treble, the style made famous by KL Saigal. Lip syncing the song on the screen, Dev Anand rides a donkey, making one wonder if Kishore got confused who among the two he was lending his voice to.advertisementComing back to the original question, how did this mediocre film with an ending that insults common sense make it big? The only possible answer is that people got lured by the charm of Dev Anand.Or, they mistook it for a free math class. No other explanation adds up.