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The Hindu
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Remembering Guru Dutt's connect with Madras on his centenary
Today, July 9, 2025, is when Guru Dutt, had he lived wisely and well, would have completed a hundred. And I could not let pass this opportunity to connect my favourite filmmaker with my favourite city. Much of what I write in this article is sourced from Nasreen Munni Kabir's Guru Dutt, a Life in Cinema (OUP, 1996). Though born in Bangalore and a Saraswat by community, it was Calcutta that Guru Dutt most closely associated with. It featured in many of his films, as also did Bombay where he spent much of his working life. But very interestingly, one film alone had a strong Madras connect in terms of its location, though in the movie this is not spelt out explicitly. It is today considered Guru Dutt's finest film – Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959), which was also the greatest commercial failure among his creations. In fact it so hurt him that he never directed another film, believing he brought bad luck. He produced films thereafter and in some such as Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam his touches are very evident, but the credit was always given to others. Kaagaz Ke Phool (Paper Flowers) deals with the rise and fall of a celebrated film director and is set in the glory days of cinema studios. Much of its backdrop, though not all, is provided by Vauhini Studios, Madras, though strangely, its name does not feature in the casting credits. The very opening sequence, where an aged Sinha Sahab, the director, totters into the gates, is shot at the studio. And so are many other scenes, where you can see studio floors, cranes, arc lights, sheds, and a long driveway where props, scenery and often equipment are being transported. It shows us what was always referred to as Vijaya Studios, as it was in its heyday. The final scenes of Kaagaz Ke Phool too show the studios at their best and as the principal character rushes out of the gates, we get a fleeting glimpse of Vadapalani in the 1950s – not a soul anywhere and just coconut trees. Incidentally, the most iconic scene of Kaagaz Ke Phool – the song Waqt Ne Kiya, with dust particles caught in rays of light even as Geeta Dutt's (Mrs Guru Dutt in real life) voice sings in the background, was not shot here. That record goes to Modern Studios, Bombay. For the record, Vauhini Studios was the facility of Vijaya Productions. Though they began separately, they were tightly intertwined by the late 1940s. The films that were produced by the Nagi Reddy-Chakrapani controlled units were always known as Vijaya Vauhini creations, and the vast precinct went by the name of Vijaya Gardens. This was also the home of that very popular children's magazine – Chandamama, in all its languages. A few decades later, Vijaya-Vauhini would become South Asia's largest film production facility. And then, hit by changing trends in cinema, it faded, leaving behind real estate that became hospital, hotel, and much else. Guru Dutt would have relished that, for he focused on dark themes. The absence of Vauhini in the casting credits, and the name Central Studios, Bombay had me puzzled. And that had me rushing to young Shiva Reddy Chirla, who immediately asked his granduncle Viswanatha Reddy, whose father B Nagi Reddy owned Vijaya Vauhini. Confirmation was immediate. And I had one more confirmation – in his unique introduction to the cast and crew of Bommai (1964), the brilliant veena maestro and filmmaker S Balachander shows us a shot of Vijaya Vauhini and it is identical to what Guru Dutt depicts!
The Print
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Print
‘He never spoke about why he wanted to die'—Guru Dutt's sister broke her silence
We spoke first about the fear and loneliness the pandemic had wrapped around us all. 'I have a son who lives in Europe,' she said softly. 'Do you think I'll ever see him again?' I didn't know her, didn't know her son, but I told her I believed she would. That the world, somehow, would find its way back, as it always has. Our talk stretched beyond 15 minutes. At the very end, she hesitated and said, 'I will talk about Guru… but you must promise me one thing: don't ask about…' She mentioned a deeply personal subject, and I promised I wouldn't press her on it. I kept that promise. The Covid-19 lockdown had just started when I decided to call Lalita Lajmi, the artist who was also Guru Dutt's sister. I told her that I was in the process of writing a book on her brother, the legendary filmmaker and actor. She was 88 then, and I could hear the hesitation in her voice right away. A stranger calling, asking her to share memories of someone so precious. Our first conversation felt formal and a bit distant, ending at a tentative promise that she would call back. As a biographer familiar with such delicate beginnings, I knew well that sometimes a promise is just a gentle way of saying no. The story of Guru and Geeta That one call opened the door to many more conversations. After the lockdown, I frequently visited her modest flat in Andheri, Mumbai, where she lived alone, supported by a caretaker. She welcomed me with Saraswat lunches and tender, unfiltered memories of Guru and Geeta Dutt. I had already done much research on Guru Dutt's cinema, but I longed to understand the man who created Pyaasa (1957) and Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959) while wrestling with shadows so deep he tried to end his own life repeatedly. And I wanted to understand why Geeta Dutt, a singer and brilliant star in her own right, was often absent from previous stories about her husband. Through Lalita Lajmi's words, the story of Guru and Geeta unfolded. Raw, honest, and heartbreakingly human. 'We had a disturbed childhood…Financially, it was a difficult life,' Lajmi told me. 'I was seven years younger than Guru Dutt. Our family lived in a tiny two-bedroom flat in Calcutta. There were our parents, my maternal grandmother and five of us kids. The flat was so small that we kept colliding into one another. Our father did not believe in success. He believed in poetry, which is not enough to survive. My parents would often have heated arguments. I looked up to our elder brother, Guru Dutt.' Lajmi witnessed Guru and Geeta's life closely, and I was quietly drawn to the stories she narrated, the moments she remembered with care. Guru Dutt was sensitive, deeply observant, and remarkably creative even as a child. His early training in classical dance at Uday Shankar's legendary institute in Almora shaped his sense of rhythm and visual expression. He began his film journey as a choreographer at Prabhat Film Company in Pune, working on Lakharani (1945). But when the studio fell on hard times, the late 1940s became a period of relentless struggle for him – marked by disappointment, rejection, and a quiet ache that left lasting scars. 'It was during this bleak phase, shaped by his father's own disillusionments and his personal setbacks, that he conceived a story idea called Kashmakash,' recalled Lajmi. This story, born of inner conflict, would become the soul of Pyaasa a decade later. The story of the star singer Geeta Roy and the struggling filmmaker Guru Dutt finding love in Tinseltown was a hot topic at the time. Lajmi witnessed their romance from the early days till the very end. 'All through their courtship days, I was their courier and chaperone,' Lajmi remembered. They took little Lalita wherever they went, and would exchange letters through her, too. 'We all loved Geeta. Lovely, wonderful Bengali lady. She used to come in a big car, but she was very humble, very good at heart.' They married in 1953, shortly after Guru Dutt's successful directorial debut, Baazi (1951). Geeta Dutt was the lead singer for all her husband's movies until Kaagaz Ke Phool. From the playful charm of Babuji Dheere Chalna, Ye lo Main Haari Piya, Jaane Kahan Mera Jigar Gaya Ji, to the haunting depth of Aaj Sajan Mohe Ang Laga Lo, and Waqt Ne Kiya Kya Haseen Sitam, her songs became inseparable from Guru Dutt's cinema. Her immense talent was often seen as a cornerstone of his early successes, including the timeless Pyaasa and Kaagaz Ke Phool. But in their personal lives, the happiness didn't last. 'They were deeply in love. But there was one major conflict in their relationship. Guru had promised that Geeta would continue singing even after their marriage. But now he wanted her to sing only in the films produced by Guru Dutt. He wanted Geeta to take care of the family, and the big house they had built. With every successful film, Guru achieved fame while Geeta felt that she had been denied her share of fame,' Lajmi told me. According to her, it was Guru's need for control that fractured his relationship with Geeta. Also read: Guru Dutt built Bollywood's most unlikely dream team—bus conductor, unknown writer, dancer Guru Dutt's growing turmoil Those close to Guru Dutt recall a man haunted by insomnia and inner unrest. Sleep evaded him. His sister later attributed his struggles to a deeper, undiagnosed pain. Lalita Lajmi also felt his turmoil grew with the kind of intense, emotional films he began making, far removed from the lighter thrillers and romances of his early days. 'The kind of serious films he was making had also affected him. His personality had changed. He had become more reclusive…sometimes he used to call me, saying he wanted to talk about something. But whenever I went to meet him, he never really confided,' she said. The emotional toll affected Guru Dutt as he turned increasingly to alcohol and sleeping pills. During the making of Pyaasa, he attempted suicide for the first time but was saved. Pyaasa turned out to be a major critical and commercial success and elevated his stature as a filmmaker. At Guru Dutt Films, he set a simple rule of striking a careful balance – follow each artistic gamble like Pyaasa with bankable commercial ventures like C.I.D. (1956) to keep the company thriving. But Pyaasa changed everything. Buoyed by its triumph, Guru Dutt skipped the 'safe rule' and flew straight into his most personal, expensive, and daring film, Kaagaz Ke Phool. The ambitious quasi-autobiographical film, now considered a classic, was the biggest failure of Guru Dutt's career. It broke his heart, and he officially never directed a film again. Though he produced his most successful film, Chaudhvin Ka Chand (1960), soon after, the sleepless nights and inner turmoil only deepened. The couple built a beautiful bungalow in Bombay's upscale Pali Hill. But as arguments grew more frequent, Geeta began to believe the house was haunted and that they could not be happy there. 'Someone had suggested to her that the major rift in their relationship began after they shifted to that bungalow. There was a particular tree in the house, and she said there's a ghost who lives in that tree, who is bringing bad omen and ruining their marriage,' Lajmi told me. According to her, it was Geeta who said that they should leave the bungalow and live somewhere else. The bungalow was Guru Dutt's dream house, one he had aspired to own since his early days in the city. One morning, he called in workers and told them to demolish it. 'He loved that house, and he was heartbroken when it was demolished. Their lives could really never come back on track after that,' Lajmi said. By the time Sahib, Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962) was in production, Guru and Geeta Dutt had realised that their marriage was not working. 'Geeta Dutt, too, had taken to alcohol and sleeping pills majorly,' recalled Lajmi. Guru Dutt tried to end his life again. 'The second time, it was an overdose of sleeping pills…His body had gone completely cold. He was unconscious for three days. Then, on the fourth day, we heard his scream. The first person he asked for was Geeta. It was strange because their relationship was going through hell. They were thinking of separation, but in those moments, he wanted Geeta to be near him. I think they deeply loved each other despite their differences,' she said. Also read: Guru Dutt turned melancholia into art. He was 'lost in filmmaking, lost to life' 'He never said anything' Lajmi told me that her brother never spoke about why he wanted to die. 'Sometimes, he used to call me. I would rush to him even in the middle of the night. But he would sit quietly, not say anything. I felt he wanted to say something. But he never did. Never.' During my multiple conversations with Lajmi for my book, Guru Dutt: An Unfinished Story (2021), there were many such moments when she was moved by her memories. She confessed to carrying a quiet guilt. She believed she hadn't done enough for her brother, who she later understood was silently crying for help. She sensed it in the recurring themes of his films – the loneliness, the longing, the quiet despair woven between the frames. Guru Dutt was found dead in his room on the morning of 10 October 1964. Lalita Lajmi had vivid memories of that morning. 'He was dead, his right arm out, half-opened eyes, an unfinished book, and the right leg folded as if to get up from his bed. There was some coloured liquid in the glass.' The coloured liquid was crushed sleeping pills dissolved in water. 'What is the first image that comes to mind when you think about your brother?' I asked her. She went silent for a few moments, her face acquiring a deeply melancholic look, as if travelling back in time. 'For years, I had dreams of Guru Dutt lying on his bed with his eyes half-open and an unfinished book. I try to wake him up. 'Get up! Get up! Your admirers are waiting below the balcony!' I keep looking at his face. He looks like he is in a deep sleep. I keep waiting for him to get up but he is dead. The moment in time is frozen for me forever,' she replied. In the end, it is those memories and his cinema that truly live on. Yasser Usman is an award-winning journalist, editor, and Bollywood biographer. His latest biography, 'Guru Dutt: An Unfinished Story', was published in 2021. His X handle is @yasser_aks. Views are personal. (Edited by Zoya Bhatti)
Time of India
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
House of gold: Indore contractor's 24-carat gold-plated villa draws fire online; triggers misuse of funds debate
Image courtesy: X A mansion in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, that is nearly covered in 24-carat gold was recently visited by content creator Priyam Saraswat, who is well-known for showcasing unusual residences in India. He demonstrated rooms with gold-coated walls, ceilings, and even switchboards in the video. A rare collection of vintage and high-end cars is also housed at the mansion. The owner, Anoop Agarwal, a government contractor who constructs roads and bridges, gave Saraswat permission to enter the residence. But there was a lot of criticism directed at the video. This was followed by a lot of anger on social media as people accused the owner of exploiting public monies for personal luxury. Saraswat consequently removed the original video. However, after being uploaded by the Kerala Congress's official Twitter account, which questioned the public's silence and called for responsibility from the wealthy contractor, the video reappeared. "Why are our bridges falling into the river and our highways collapsing?" the political party posted on X (previously Twitter). Here are the answers. A home with gold taps and switches was constructed by an Indore government contractor. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Ada jeragat, terus nampak tua! Minum ni je, beli kat Guardian URUHIME MOMOKO Undo With the construction of a Gau Shala in his home, he has ED-proofed himself. The ED wouldn't want to come to this gentleman's home if they were to raid the Pani Puri Wala, who worked hard to earn 40 lakhs. Reacting to the post, a social media user wrote, 'In India, flaunting riches gets a salute, fixing roads gets a shrug. Only the Pani puri wala gets grilled for working hard." 'Will EC, ED, IT raid the house now and investigate how a government contractor can live in such a lavish villa?", said another A comment read, 'No wonder the condition of Roads in MP is pathetic." 'Why isn't ED doing anything. This man and his CM connections must be investigated immediately, " quipped another. 'That cowshed is definitely built for the video, definitely temporary," claimed in the comment box. Another person tagged income tax department and added, 'Bridges collapse even before inauguration, and roads get potholes within a year of service because of you people. You create more corruption than you stop." Anoop Agarwal described the start of his adventure in the now-deleted video. He claimed that his 25-person family only had one petrol pump, but he quickly realized that it wouldn't be sufficient to run everything. He therefore made the decision to work under a government contract. His business gradually began taking on tasks like constructing bridges, highways, and other government buildings.
News18
03-07-2025
- Politics
- News18
Indore Contractor's Gold-Plated House Draws Backlash, Video Taken Down
Last Updated: Anoop Agarwal, who works as a government contractor, gave a tour of his Indore home, almost covered in 24-carat gold. Priyam Saraswat, known for showing unique homes in India, recently visited a mansion in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, that is almost covered in 24-carat gold. In the video, he showed rooms where the walls, ceilings and even switchboards are coated with gold. The mansion also has a rare collection of old and luxury cars. Saraswat entered the house after getting permission from the owner, Anoop Agarwal, who works as a government contractor building roads and bridges. However, the video caused a lot of criticism. Social media users accused the owner of misusing public funds for personal luxury, sparking intense backlash. As a result, Saraswat deleted the original video. However, the clip resurfaced after being shared by the official Twitter account of the Kerala Congress, which questioned the public's silence and demanded accountability from the wealthy contractor. Taking to X (Formerly Twitter), the political party wrote, 'Why are our highways collapsing, bridges falling into the river? Find the answers here. The Govt contractor from Indore has built a house where taps and switches are made of gold. He has ED proofed himself by building a Gau Shala in his house. People who wanted to ED to raid the Pani puri wala who earned 40 lakhs by working hard wouldn't want the ED to visit this gentleman's house." 'No wonder the condition of Roads in MP is pathetic," a comment read. An individual stated, 'Why isn't ED doing anything. This man and his CM connections must be investigated immediately." Another wondered, 'That cow shed is definitely built for the video, definitely temporary." Tagging Income Tax Department, one more wrote, 'Bridges collapse even before inauguration, and roads get potholes within a year of service because of you people. You create more corruption than you stop." In the deleted video, Anoop Agarwal shared how his journey began. He said that his family of 25 people owned only one petrol pump, and he soon understood that it wouldn't be enough to manage everything. So, he decided to enter government contract work. Over time, his company started taking projects like building roads, bridges and other government structures.
The Print
02-07-2025
- Business
- The Print
India becoming self-reliant in defence capabilities: Ex-DRDO chief
'Now, the trend has reversed and we produce 70 per cent of our needs indigenously,' Saraswat, a former chief of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), said. Addressing a press conference, Saraswat, who was in the steel city to participate in the fifth platinum jubilee lecture of CSIR-National Metallurgical Laboratory here, said India used to import 70 per cent of its defence requirements. Jamshedpur (Jharkhand), Jul 2 (PTI) NITI Aayog member and former DRDO chief V K Saraswat on Wednesday said India has been becoming self-reliant in its defence capabilities in the last 11 years of the Modi government. Barring a few equipment such as S-400 air defence system, a majority of the weapons and missiles — such as Akash and Brahmos — used during Operation Sindoor were manufactured in the country, he said. 'Today, the country is dependent on arms imports only for immediate requirements of the armed forces or where we do not have the technology,' he said. He said the country's self-reliance in defence capabilities has grown substantially in the last 11 years as the Centre promotes private sector participation. Saraswat said he was impressed with the work done in various fields by CSIR-NML scientists. The government has made provision of Rs 1 lakh crore to promote research and development in the private sector, he added. PTI BS ACD This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
