Where to begin with Guru Dutt

Guru Dutt remains one of Indian cinema’s most enigmatic and tragic figures, a director, producer and actor whose body of work continues to captivate generations with its haunting beauty, emotional depth and artistic finesse. Dutt created films that blend poetic storytelling with visual innovation, tackling themes of love, identity, societal disillusionment and artistic struggle. His signature cinematic style, marked by chiaroscuro lighting, intricate mise-en-scène and heart-wrenching music, left an indelible impact on Indian and global filmmaking, influencing auteurs worldwide, from Satyajit Ray to Martin Scorsese.

While watching Dutt’s films, it’s impossible not to sense the emotional and philosophical weight he carried. Dutt’s work was often a mirror reflecting the angst of a sensitive artist against the backdrop of a changing India. Despite professional success, Dutt struggled with depression and inner demons. His untimely death on 10 October 1964, at the age of just 39, is shrouded in mystery, widely believed to be a suicide. But his films live on, immortalising his pain, his poetry and his pursuit of cinematic truth.

Approaching Dutt’s filmography can be an emotional and aesthetic journey – one best navigated in a structured manner. His films are not meant for passive consumption; they invite introspection and empathy. They remind us that beauty and sorrow often walk hand in hand. And through his lens, even suffering becomes a form of grace.

Dutt’s directorial debut Baazi (1951) marks the beginning of the noir aesthetic in Hindi cinema. With a crime thriller plot reminiscent of American noir, this film introduces Dutt’s love for dramatic shadows, smoky nightclubs and morally ambiguous characters. It also marks the beginning of his collaborations with key figures such as Dev Anand (producer and lead actor), cinematographer V.K. Murthy (who was the camera assistant here), and music director S.D. Burman. 

Baazi may lack the philosophical gravitas of his later work, but it’s a stylish, engaging way to start understanding his cinematic eye. The song ‘Tadbeer Se Bigdi Huyi Taqdeer’, where Dutt reimagines a ghazal (a form of poetry defined by rhyming couplets) as a nightclub cabaret number, foreshadows his innovative approach to music and mood.

In Dutt’s films Jaal (1952) and Aar Paar (1954) notice the evolution of his craft and the refining of his directorial voice. Jaal is again a suspense thriller, while Aar Paar mixes comedy, romance and noir elements. The latter, in particular, is a great example of Dutt’s command over pacing, music integration and urban storytelling. Aar Paar also features some of the wittiest dialogue and most memorable songs in Hindi cinema, including ‘Kabhi Aar Kabhi Paar’ and ‘Babuji Dheere Chalna’. In the camera movements, clever framing and earthy portrayal of Bombay city life, Dutt’s affection for everyday people is palpable.

Often considered his most commercial film, Mr & Mrs ‘55 (1955) combines romantic comedy with subtle jabs at modernity, feminism and societal expectations. The chemistry between Dutt and Madhubala is delightful, and the screenplay, penned by Abrar Alvi, is crisp and layered. The way Dutt uses humour to make serious observations about gender roles and urban relationships is commendable. It’s a breezier film, but still carries his thematic DNA.

The soul of Guru Dutt can be found in his masterpiece, Pyaasa (1957). This is the essential Dutt film. Pyaasa tells the story of Vijay, a struggling poet in a materialistic world, searching for love and meaning. It’s deeply autobiographical, not in events but in emotion. Every frame is soaked in despair and beauty. Dutt’s performance as Vijay is restrained yet searing, and Sahir Ludhianvi’s lyrics lift the film to poetic brilliance. 

Pyaasa is also a masterclass in visual storytelling; its use of light and shadow remains unmatched. Featured in Time Magazine’s list of the 100 all-time greatest films, it is often compared to Orson Welles’s Citizen Kane (1941) due to their shared themes of disillusionment, societal critique and the exploration of an individual’s struggle against a corrupt world. The ‘Yeh Duniya Agar Mil Bhi Jaye To’ song sequence is cinema at its most potent and philosophical.

Dutt’s subsequent and most ambitious film was underappreciated in its time, but Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959) is now regarded as one of Indian cinema’s most visually stunning films. The first Indian film to be shot in CinemaScope, this semi-autobiographical story of a film director’s rise and fall is heartbreakingly prophetic. Dutt plays Suresh Sinha, a man destroyed by the very industry he helped build. It’s poetic, haunting and arguably his most personal work. The lighting, especially in the Kaifi Azmi-penned song ‘Waqt Ne Kiya Kya Haseen Sitam’ involving Suresh (Dutt) and Shanti (Waheeda Rehman), evokes a painterly melancholy that echoes the film’s themes of fleeting fame and love. The film’s failure at the box office further exacerbated Dutt’s emotional turmoil, leading to a period of deep depression. It would become his final directorial effort.

While Dutt didn’t direct Chaudhvin Ka Chand (1960) (the credit goes to M. Sadiq), it bears his unmistakable stamp as a producer and actor. This Muslim social drama is gorgeously mounted, with lush set design, graceful storytelling and one of Hindi cinema’s most iconic songs, ‘Chaudhvin Ka Chand Ho’, penned by Shakeel Badayuni. The film is noteworthy for its poetic dialogues, visual elegance and the sensitivity with which love and sacrifice are portrayed. It was a commercial hit and marked a temporary emotional revival for Dutt after the failure of Kaagaz Ke Phool.

Guru Dutt’s final film as producer before his tragic death was Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962). This deeply melancholic film, which was directed by his longtime writer Abrar Alvi, tells the story of a decaying zamindari household and a young servant’s relationship with a neglected but spirited wife, played unforgettably by Meena Kumari. The film is an allegory for the dying feudal order, drenched in emotional and architectural decay. Dutt’s influence is all over it – from the baroque interiors to the tragic, disillusioned tone. The set design and music echo the collapsing world the film mourns.

Dutt’s 1956 outing Sailaab was a disaster both commercially and critically. An amateurish attempt at entertainment, this is one film no Guru Dutt devotee even wants to acknowledge. Noted film critic of the period Baburao Patel wrote: “Boring, stupid and incoherent – that is Sailaab in three words.”

Dutt’s third film, Baaz (1953), was also something of a miss. A period swashbuckler, the film found criticism for its awkward placement of songs, which disrupt the narrative flow, and the overall quality of the acting and script. But Baaz was made during a time when Dutt was exploring different genres and styles, and on the cusp of breaking into his most productive and adventurous period.

The BFI Film Classic on Kaagaz Ke Phool (Paper Flowers) is published in November.