Guru Dutt

Guru Dutt (in Hindi: गुरुदत) is a realizer, producer and actor Indian, born on July 9th, 1925 with Bangalore, and dead on October 10th, 1964 with Bombay. He is regarded as one of the largest Indian scenario writers of the Fifties, in spite of his short career (9 films in 10 years). Its work is characterized by its lyricism, and its technical innovations.

Training

Guru Dutt Shivsankar Padukone was born in Bangalore, of Shivsankar Rao Padukone, teacher, and of Vasanthi Padukone, old mother with the hearth of only 16 years at the time, but which will become itself teacher and translator. The modest family moves in Bhawanipore close to Calcutta, where Guru Dutt continues its studies.
In 1941, at 16 years, it joined the training center of Uday Shankar, (older brother of Ravi Shankar) to devote itself during 5 years to the training of the dance, the music and the theater. It will not go until the end, since in 1944, the center is closed with the approach of the Second world war. His/her uncle then gets to him a 3 year old contract with the Studios Prabhat with Poona.

Beginnings with the cinema

During these 3 years, it will exert all the trades of the cinema: actor, assistant-realizer, and choreographer. It also made there the meeting of the actor Dev. Anand with whom it signs a pact of friendship: the first which will succeed in the trade will involve the other with him. If Dev. Anand produces a film, Guru Dutt will carry it out, if Guru Dutt carries out a film, Dev. Anand will be the main actor. And this promise is accompanied by a rapid first success: the film Hum ek Hain (1946), choreography by Guru Dutt, which launches the career of Dev. Anand. In 1947, at the end of its contract, Dutt moves with Bombay, where he is assistant-realizer of Amiya Chakravarty, or Gyan Mukherjee.

First film

Dev. Anand , become a famous actor, holds his promise. He has just created his production company: Navketan Films. The first produced film was a failure, it proposes in Guru Dutt to carry out the second.
Baazi leaves in 1951.
C' is a Black film influenced by Hollywood, interpreted by Dev. Anand, Geeta Bali and Kalpana Kartik, which will launch a durable fashion of Indian police films in the Fifties.
Le film innovates on several aspects, which will be the first contributions of Guru Dutt to the history of the Indian Cinéma:
- the closes-up with a Focal of 100mm (they are 14 in film), which will remain in the vocabulary of the Indian cinema under the name of " plan Guru Dutt"
- the use of the songs to make progress the action, and not only like one number distrayant

The band its of film is also a success; the songs are mainly interpreted by the singer of Playback Geeta Roy, which becomes the woman of Guru Dutt on May 26th, 1953. She will continue her career under the name of Geeta Dutt.

Masterpieces

It carries out the following years Jaal (1952) and Baaz (1953), film of which it is for the first time the main actor at the same time as the realizer. It is Aar Paar , in 1954, which will devote it among the realizers who count. It is again about a police film, made in outsides in Bombay, which also reveals its direction of humor. These first experiments also enabled him to be surrounded by collaborators of talent to which it will remain faithful, such as the actor Johnny Walker or the type-setter S.D. Burman.
Then the films will follow which remain regarded as its masterpieces today: Mr. & Mrs. 55 in 1955, a brilliant comedy of seduction, Pyaasa ( Assoiffé ) in 1957, of a very lyric invoice, history of a cursed poet who in spite of the assistance of a prostitute in the large heart meets the dedication only after his death. At the same time its private life becomes chaotic since it maintains a extra-marital connection with the main actor Pyaasa , Waheeda Rehman.
In 1959, it turns Kaagaz Ke Phool ( Fleurs of Paper ), first Indian film in Cinémascope. It is an ambitious film and melancholic person, who evokes the end of the golden age of the Indian cinema, a film-mirror on the fall of a realizer with success which loses all, while falling in love with its main actor. The film will be a commercial failure which will affect it deeply, and will mark the end of its career as a réalisateur.

End

In the years which follow, it continues to work as actor and producer within the company which it created, Guru Dutt films, but it will not sign any more a film, persuaded that its name carries misfortune to the box office. October 10th, 1964, it is found died in its bed, at 39 years, of a mixture of alcohol and tranquillizing. It cleared up forever if it were of a suicide or a simple overdose.

Catalog of films

Realizer

Actor

  • 1946 : Hum Ek Hain , of P.L. Santoshi
  • 1953 : Baaz
  • 1954 : Aar Paar
  • 1954 : Suhagan , of Anant Basket
  • 1955: Mr. & Mrs. 55
  • 1957 : Pyaasa ( Assoiffé )
  • 1958: 12 O' Clock , of Pramod Chakravorty
  • 1959: Kaagaz Ke Phool ( Flowers of Paper )
  • 1960: Chaudhvin Ka Chand , of Mr. Sadiq
  • 1962: Sautela Bhai , of Mahesh Kaul
  • 1962: Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam , of Abrar Alvi
  • 1963: Bharosa , of K. Shankar
  • 1963: Bahurani , of T. Prakash Rao
  • 1964: Suhagan , of K.S. Gopalakrishnan
  • 1964: Sanjh Aur Savera , of Hrishikesh Mukherjee
  • 1964: Picnic

Producer

  • 1956 : C.I.D. of Raj Khosla
  • 1960: Chaudhvin Ka Chand
  • 1962 : Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam

International recognition

Pyaasa was classified among 100 best films of all times by the American magazine Time in May 2005. See the complete listing

External bonds

  • Guru Dutt on ''' indian cinema vents ''' (Biography)
  • Urbain Bizot: '' Thirst and mourning - in connection with a masterpiece ''

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