Guru Dutt is one among the greatest and the most renowned filmmakers of the Indian cinema who achieved a blend of artistry and commercial success in between mid 1950s to mid 1960s.
Guru Dutt was a multifaceted personality, he was an actor, director, producer, writer and a choreographer. He was a creative filmmaker and made new experiments with the films such as Kagaz Ke Phool, Pyaasa, CID, Baazi, Chaudhvin Ka Chandani and Sahib, Bibi Aur Ghulam. He directed totally 8 Hindi films and produced eight films.
Referring to the background of Guru Dutt :
Guru Dutt‘s birth name was Vasanth Kumar Shivashankar Padukone, he was born in 1925 in Bangalore, Karnataka in a Konkani Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmin family.
He was renamed as Gurudutta Padukone by his parents, it was an auspicious choice following a childhood accident.
Guru Dutt didn't have any filmy background, his father Shivashankar Rao Padukone was a school headmaster and a banker, his mother Vasanthi was a teacher and a writer.
He was brought up in Bhawanipore, Kolkata, so he was fluent in Bengali language.
Renowned director Shyam Bengal was his second cousin.
Actress Amrita Rao‘s grandfather and Guru Dutt were second cousins.
Guru Dutt made his acting debut in 1945 with a minor role in Lakharani.
For 1946s Dev Anand debut film Hum Ek Hai, he worked as an assistant director and as a choreographer.
Dev Anand and Guru Dutt were close friends, Guru Dutt made his directorial debut with Dev Anand‘s film Baazi in 1951 upon their earlier agreement that if Guru Dutt becomes a director he would take Dev Anand as a hero and if Dev Anand produces a film he would take Dutt as his director . After the success of Baazi they again collaborated in Jaal in 1952.
When Guru Dutt passed away, Dev Anand stated that he was a young man, he should not have made depressing pictures.
His films Kagaz Ke Phool, the first Indian CinemaScope film and Pyaasa are among the greatest films of all time. Kagaz Ke Phool was a commercially failed film but later it gained cult status.
He won National Film Award for his film Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam which won National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi, he also won BAFJA Award for Best Actor.
When we refer to his personal life, he got married to Geetha Dutt in 1953, the couple had 3 children. It was said that he was not happy with his married life , his brother Atma Ram said that Guru Dutt was fully disiplilined in his official life but totally undisciplined in his personal life.
At the time of his death in 1964 , Guru Dutt had already got seperated from his wife, he was living alone. He was found dead in his bed in his rental apartment in Peddar Road in Bombay. It was said that he had mixed alcohol and sleeping pills. If it's true it was his 3rd attempt to end his life forcibly.
But Dutt's son Arun claimed that it was an accident because next day Guru Dutt had scheduled appointments with actress Mala Sinha and Raj Kapoor for his film Baharen Phir bhi Aayengi. Dutt's son said that Guru Dutt had sleeping disorders and that day he was drunk and had taken overdose sleeping pills.
Guru Dutt‘s wife Geeta Dutt had passed away in 1972 at the age of 41, due to excessive drinking her liver got damaged. Guru and Geeta Dutt’s children grew up in the homes of Dutt's brother Atma Ram and Geeta’s brother Mukhul Roy.
Guru Dutt‘s mother Vasanthi Padukone published biography in Kannada, titled, Nanna Maga Gurudutta Jeevana Charitre (My son Gurudatta's life story) in 1976 12 years after Guru Dutt’s demise.
He was 39 years old when he had passed away in 1964. It was a big loss for Hindi Cinema. He made tragic films and his life also ended in a tragic way. Within a short period he achieved a big name and was listed among the greatest filmmakers of the Indian cinema. Even after 100 years of his birth his impact on the Indian cinema is as it is.