Every now and then comes a reminder that Guru Dutt continues to be a source of inspiration long after he died in 1964. Filmmaker Bhavna Ta...
Every now and then comes a reminder that Guru Dutt continues to be a source of inspiration long after he died in 1964.
Filmmaker Bhavna Talwar is the latest example of that. The director, who made her debut with Dharm (2007) has recently completed the script of a biopic on Guru Dutt. It’s called Pyaasa, after Guru Dutt’s 1957 masterpiece, and is “the journey of how a maker of successful films became an artist”. Guru Dutt, whom Talwar since she has admired as a child, was the “thirsty one” who was trapped by success and seeking the artist within”.
Guru Dutt directed six films before Pyaasa, including Aar Paar (1954) and Mr and Mrs 55 (1955). Elements of the style that marked him out as a singular talent were refined and heightened in Pyaasa – his handling of actors, dexterous camera movements and poetic visuals, the ability to seamlessly integrate songs into the narrative, and interest in outliers.
“If you look at his trajectory, you can see that the playfulness and simplicity and pandering to the audiences reach a point where he produces a film like Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam,” Talwar said. Written and directed by Abrar Alvi, Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962) examines the sorrow and loneliness of a woman married to a philandering, tyrannical landlord.
The biopic...
