Vasanth Kumar Shivashankar Padukone (
Konkani: वसंत कुमार शिवशंकर पडुकोण}) (9 July 1925 – 10 October 1964), popularly known as
Guru Dutt, was an
Indian film director,
producer and
actor. He is often credited with ushering in the golden era of
Hindi cinema. He made quintessential 1950s and 1960s classics such as
Pyaasa (
Thirsty),
Kaagaz Ke Phool (
Paper Flowers),
Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (
The King, the Queen and the Jack) and
Chaudhvin Ka Chand (
The Fourteenth Day Moon). In particular,
Pyaasa and
Kaagaz Ke Phool are now included among the
greatest films of all time, both by
Time magazine's "All-TIME" 100 best movies and by the
Sight & Sound critics' and directors' poll,
where Dutt himself is included among the greatest film directors of all time.
He is sometimes referred to as "
India's
Orson Welles".
In 2010, he was included among
CNN's "top 25
Asian actors of all time".
He is most famous for making lyrical and artistic films within the context of popular Hindi cinema of the 1950s, and expanding its commercial conventions, starting with his 1957 film,
Pyaasa. Several of his later works have a cult following. His movies go full house when re-released; especially in
Germany,
France and
Japan.
The latest book on him is
Ten Years with Guru Dutt: Abrar Alvi's Journey by Sathya Saran based on the recollections of his chief scriptwriter and friend.
Death
On 10 October 1964, Guru Dutt was found dead in his bed in his rented apartment at
Pedder Road in
Mumbai. He is said to have been mixing alcohol and sleeping pills. His death may have been suicide, or just an accidental overdose. It would have been his third suicide attempt .
Guru Dutt's son,
Arun Dutt views this as an accident in an interview with India Abroad in October 2004 on the 40th anniversary of his father's death. Guru Dutt had scheduled appointments the next day with actress,
Mala Sinha for his movie,
Baharen Phir Bhi Aayengi, and
Raj Kapoor to discuss making colour films. According to him, "my father had sleeping disorders and popped sleeping pills like any other person. That day he was drunk and had taken an overdose of pills, which culminated in his death. It was a lethal combination of excessive liquor and sleeping pills."
At the time of his death, Guru Dutt was involved in two other projects,
Picnic starring actress,
Sadhana and Director
K. Asif's epic,
Love and God.
Picnic remained incomplete and
Love and God was released two decades later with
Sanjeev Kumar replacing Dutt in the leading role.
The extra-feature on DVD of
Kaagaz Ke Phool, has a 3 part Channel 4 produced documentary on life and works of Guru Dutt titled,
In Search of Guru Dutt.
Everyone, especially
Abrar Alvi seem to suggest that it was a suicide. Abrar and Guru Dutt sat late that night discussing a movie and during conversation according to Alvi, Guru Dutt was very morbid in his thinking and conversation.
He was, according to many, distressed by his then personal situation - his wife,
Geeta Dutt;
Waheeda Rehman had distanced herself from him. He had a sleeping disorder that made him take sleeping pills, and he had been drinking since 5:00 pm that evening.
