Guru Dutt

Profile
Date of Birth: 9th july, 1925.
Debut Film: "Chand"
Film Awards: Filmfare Best Film Award for "Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam"
Mini Biography
Guru Dutt was born at Bangalore in Karnatka to Shivsankar Rao Padukone and Vasanthi Padukone. Guru Dutt did his schooling at Kolkata, where his father was an administrative clerk in Burmah Shell Company. Guru Dutt joined the Uday Shankar India Culture Centre at Almora, Uttaranchal on a five year scholarship of Rs. 75 annually. After completing his studies at Almora Dutt moved to Mumbai where his uncle arranged a job under three year contract with Prabhat Film Company in Pune. Guru Dutt met two great actors Rehman and Dev Anand in Prabhat Film Company and they developed good friendship.

Guru Dutt made his debut in films with a small role as Sri Krishna in the film "Chand". Then he acted as well as assisted director Vishram Bedekar in the movie "Lakhrani". Prabhat Film Company collapsed in 1947 and Guru Dutt moved to Mumbai. In Mumbai Guru Dutt worked with two leading directors of that time- Amiya Chakravarthy and Gyan Mukherjee. Thereafter Dev Anand offered him a job as director in his new production company, Navketan. As director at Navketan his first film was "Baazi". Guru Dutt used close-up shots with 100mm lens camera in the film "Baazi", which later became famous as 'Guru Dutt Shots' in the Indian cinema. The film "Baazi" was an immediate success. Guru Dutt gave many super hit films as director as well as actor. Some of them were "Aar Paar", "Mr. & Mrs. 55", "Pyasa", "C I D", "Sailab", "Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam" and "Chaudhvin Ka Chand'. Guru Dutt took his last breath on 10th October, 1964, in his rented apartment at Pedder Road in Mumbai.

Filmography
Picnic, Sanjh Aur Savera, Suhagan, Bahurani, Bharosa, Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam, Sautela Bhai, Chaudhvin Ka Chand, Kaagaz Ke Phool, Pyaasa, Mr. & Mrs. '55, Aar Paar, Suhagan, Baaz, Hum Ek Hain and Baazi.

Trivia

• Guru Dutt was married to the famous playback singer Geeta Dutt.
• He is credited with introducing Zohra Sehgal, Johny Walker and Wahida Rehman to the Indian cinema.
• Unfortunately, his married life was not happy. According to his brother Atmaram, Guru Dutt was "a strict disciplinarian as far as work was concerned, but totally undisciplined in his personal life". He smoked heavily, he drank heavily, and he kept odd hours.
• Guru Dutt's relationship with actress Waheeda Rehman also worked against their marriage. At the time of his death, he had separated from Geeta and was living alone.
• Geeta Dutt, his wife died in 1972 at the age of 41 after excessive drinking and which resulted into liver damage.
• Dutt's birth name was Vasanth Kumar Shivsankar Padukone.