Restless Artist in Quest for Perfection and Melody of Life

He was 39 when he was found dead, directed just eight films and took 104 takes for that searing climax shot of 'Pyaasa' where the poet protagonist stands framed in light and shadow as he asks, "Ye duniya agar mil bhi jaaye to kya hai?"

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Guru Dutt's life can perhaps be summed up in these three numbers: a superbly talented filmmaker and actor who died just too young from a cocktail of alcohol and sleeping pills and whose films went from being easy-breezy to dark and personal, reflecting his own turmoil and struggles with self.

The actor-filmmaker, one of India's most influential, turned 100 on July 9, a moment for cineastes and others to celebrate the work of a man who spelt magic on screen and remains an enigma all these years later.

Never perhaps has there been a showbiz personality - his life and work both underscored by tragedy - who has left such a profound impact and so many unanswered questions. His films, some of which he produced and others he directed, include 'Kagaaz Ke Phool', 'Baazi', 'Aar Paar', 'Chaudhavin Ka Chaand', 'Sahib Bibi aur Ghulam' and 'Pyaasa'.

In 'Pyaasa', Dutt's role as Vijay, the anguished poet, epitomises not just his artistic mastery as actor and director but also the man he probably was - an obsessive and uncompromising artist at odds with society and its rules.

In his biography 'Guru Dutt: An Unfinished Story', author Yasser Usman quotes close friend Dev Anand as saying Dutt would reshoot a lot and scrap most of it if he didn't find it perfect. "By the time he made 'Pyaasa' in 1957, the indecisiveness had magnified manifold. He'd shoot and shoot and was unsure about what he really wanted in a particular scene. Even with himself, for the famous climax sequence in 'Pyaasa', he shot one hundred and four takes!" Usman writes.