Guru Dutt (1925-1964)

Guru Dutt was born in Bangalore on July 09. He studied dance at the Uday Shankar Culture Centre at Almora under Uday Shankar from 1942 to 1944. His film career began at Prabhat Film Company, Pune, as dance director, occasional actor director's assistant. He patiently learnt every aspect of filmmaking. In the 1980s, many years after his death, his films stood out among other Indian films of the fifties that featured at international film festivals in France, Italy and the USA. Some of his films were shown on British television. 'Pyaasa' and 'Kaagaz Ke Phool' were released in Paris cinemas. 'Pyaasa' featured in a festival of Indian films in Tokyo. His films are characterized by a moving pathos enriched with the lyricism of poetry married to beautiful music (Pyaasa), love in its myriad manifestations (Baazi, Kaagaz Ke Phool, Chaudhvin Ka Chand, Jaal, Baharein Phir Bhi Ayegi, Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam), low-key acting, and brilliant Black-and-White cinematography immortalized by chiaroscuro lighting.

(Mini Biography by journalist and author Shoma A Chatterji. She has authored 16 published books of which seven are on cinema, five are on gender issues, three are short fiction and one is urban history. Shoma has won the National Award for the Best Writing on cinema twice. Her lucid narratives reflect her immense knowledge and passion for movies.)