Between Us

Although he had passed away more than 60 years ago, yet Guru Dutt remains one of the greatest filmmakers of Indian cinema.

- Pankaj Vohra

"Pyaasa," a landmark movie produced and directed by him, figured in the list of 100 best films released by Time Magazine, and CNN rated him as amongst the top 25 actors of Asia.

Had Guru Dutt been alive, he would have turned 100 on July 9th. However, his body of work continues to be both admired and appreciated by connoisseurs of cinema, and his grasp over the medium is visible in his movies even after so many years.

The younger generation may not be fully acquainted with this legend, but there is no denying that some of the youngsters interested in film music are enthralled by both the picturization and the powerful musical score in his movies, featuring some of the most celebrated composers of that time such as Sachin Dev Burman, O.P. Nayyar, and Hemant Kumar.

Guru Dutt died prematurely at 39, and it was suspected that his death was because of an overdose of sleeping pills and alcohol. The story, which was narrated to me by Mohammad Shamim, my mentor in political journalism, and who was at that point in time a staffer with Filmfare, reflects what had actually happened.

Guru Dutt was in deep depression, and his obsession for one of his leading ladies had driven him to a point where he was prepared to commit suicide. He had launched "Baharen Phir Bhi Aaayengi," his new venture after "Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam," but was unable to concentrate on his work.