Guru Dutt

Suffused with the dark poetry of the death wish, Dutt’s classics were nihilistic, self-portraits of the artiste as a depressed, disturbed and deluded young man.

Surprisingly, Guru Dutt Padukone’s childhood could have hardly been more normal. Born near Bangalore, of middle-class but intellectual parents, he was fascinated by dance. He joined Uday Shankar’s Dance Academy and his first film assignment was as the choreographer of Lakharani (’45). His friend from his days of struggle, Dev Anand, asked him to direct Baazi (’51) and its success made Dutt a sought after name. Thereafter, Dutt made shadowy, film noir inspired thrillers like Jaal and Aar Paar or comedies like Mr & Mrs 55.

Waheeda Rehman and an all-blanketing pessimism entered his films with Pyaasa (’57). Although self-obsessed and symbol-laden, the film was a commercial success and an undeniable classic.

The Christian symbolism rampant in Pyaasa was an early indication of Dutt’s persecution complex. In the song, `Yeh duniya agar mil bhi jaaye toh kya hai’, Dutt poses like Christ during the crucifixion; later, when he renounces the world, the light rushing towards him suggests his enlightenment and the film is peppered with references like `Kaaton ka haar’, which is akin to the crown of thorns synonymous with the Son of God.

The audience might not have responded to Dutt’s intellectualizations but they were captivated by his gift for story telling. He knew when to subdue the music, where the lyrics had to be given full voice (‘Jinhe naaz hai Hind par’) and how to create the atmosphere of a man triumphing over a spiritual wasteland.

Pyaasa was a blistering attack on worldly fame. When the long ignored poet finally gets recognition, he reacts with the climactic denouncement ‘Yeh duniya agar mil bhi jaye toh kya hai’. It seemed to suggest that this was Dutt’s point of view too. This, however, was not absolutely true. As Kagaz Ke Phool (’59) showed, success did mean a lot to Dutt. Both Pyaasa and Kagaz Ke Phool were intrinsically about Dutt’s relationship with fame. In Pyaasa, his alter ego rejected fame, albeit only after achieving it; while Kagaz Ke Phool showed his character’s frustration when he becomes a failure.

Off screen too, the failure of the elaborately scaled Kagaz Ke Phool left Guru Dutt devastated. His brilliantly shot, cinemascope attempt to reflect the world of Bollywood denizens through a cynical prism won him praise as the maker of a classic but set him back by Rs 17 lakhs. He agreed to produce a nakedly commercial Chaudhvi Ka Chaand (’60), to recoup the losses.

Strangely, Dutt refused to take credit as the director of the classic, Sahib Biwi aur Ghulam (’62). The film was set in a nineteenth century Calcutta mansion, that stood as an architectural metaphor for a crumbling age, succumbing to British exigencies. Meena Kumari was the mansion’s chhoti bahu — lovely but unloved. There was much that her fascinated factotum, Dutt (whose feelings for her were left undefined), wished to do for her but could not. Never has the human incapability for communication been so beautifully communicated.

Even as he sculpted classics, commercial factors continued to weigh heavily on Dutt’s mind. With tears in his eyes, Raj Kapoor praised Dutt highly after seeing Sahib Biwi Aur Ghulam, only to have him counter, “But will it run?” The film had an unremarkable run at the box office. Meanwhile, a personal maelstrom caused Guru Dutt to lose himself in the dark cloisters of his own mind. He suffered a shattering break with his discovery Waheeda Rehman, as she sought to establish her own identity outside his films. A hurt Dutt tried to repair his relationship with wife Geeta, but to no avail.

It led to his drowning his sorrows in drink — his life had became a suicide note. Nobody could stop the final, inevitable overdose of sleeping tablets. Dutt died,-probably still wondering: ‘Jaane woh kaise log the jinke pyar ko pyar mila.’

Munawwar Sultana

Munawwar Sultana (not to be confused with Pakistani playback singer from the same time period) was a Bollywood actress who was popular in the late 40s. She started her career probably around early 40′s under the filmi name of Asha in films like Khazanchi (1941). She first gained some recognition in Pehli Nazar (1945), where she was seen in close-ups of the superhit song sung by Mukesh in Saigalesque style- Dil jalta hai to jalne de.

Mehboob Khan casted her in his controversial  and most stylized Muslim social Elaan (1947). Elaan was the first and last film to look at Indian Muslims from the inside. It was melodramatic and rhetorical. But it did go into ‘forbidden’ areas and make statements which would be considered controversial even today. For instance, it legitimized marriage with a foreigner. It laughed at traditional Muslim reactions to women’s bare legs, it dealt in detail with Indian Muslims backwardness and lack of education. Elaan met with official disfavor because it showed Quranic reform as the way out and it was banned temporarily during 1947.

The same year, she acted in A.R. Kardar’s Dard – a love triangle between Munawwar Sultana, Nusrat Kardar and upcoming actress Suraiya. The film proved to be money maker at the box-office especially because of its songs sung by Suraiya and Uma Devi (Tun Tun) and music by Naushad. One of the songs Afsana likh rahi houn picturized on her was very popular in those days.

The highpoint of her career proved to be Babul (1950), where she was cast opposite Dilip Kumar and Nargis. Munawwar played the role of haughty daughter of zamindar, with whom Dilip Kumar falls in love. Munawwar’s role, though initially vain and shallow, proved to be the more complex as the plot progressed, and she rendered it effectively. Despite the presence of great stalwarts like Nargis and Dilip, it was Munawwar Sultana who stole the show.

Inexplicably, after Babul, Munawwar’s career went into sharp decline and she was reduced to B-Grade films Babooji (1950), Tarang (1952), Apni Izzat (1952), Watan (1954), Toofan (1954) and Ehsan (1954). After completing her last film Deewar (1955), she married a jewellery merchant named Sarafali Bhagat and settled down in Bombay – Ummer Siddique

Shakila

At a filmi function, the evergreen Dev Anand politely greeted a lady and then went right back to socializing with others. The lady approached him, smiled warmly and this time introduced herself as Shakila, his leading lady in his famous film, CID. Dev Anand, of course, couldn’t believe his eyes. “You have changed so much!” he said, happy at meeting her after so long, “And where have you been all this while? I thought you must have married a rich Arab and disappeared from India! I am really very happy to see you.” Shakila, of course, was equally happy and touched with the meeting. “Very few of us are as lucky as Dev saab, who is not affected by time at all. All of us have grown old and are ageing accordingly. There’s nothing to feel bad about it! Dev saab didn’t recognize me as we haven’t been in touch. But as we parted, we promised to meet up again soon,” she said.

This was the same Shakila who made her debut as a child artiste in Suraiya’s starrers Duniya (1949) and Dastaan (1950). After working in some nondescript films in secondary roles including Gumasta (1951), Sindbad the Sailor (1952), Rajrani Damyanti (1952), Aagosh (1953), Shahenshah (1953), Raj Mahal (1953), Armaan (1953) etc, people finally noticed her in Guru Dutt’s Aar Paar (1954). In Aar Paar, she played the other woman in Guru Dutt’s life, the cabaret dancer, who is disdained by society and is a complex and embittered person. Aar Paar was a superhit film and its best songs including Hoon abhi main jawan and Babu ji dheere chalna were picturized on Shakila.

Unfortunately, with the exception of Guru Dutt’s C.I.D. (1956) [even there she was eclipsed by Waheeda Rehman who made her debut in that film], Shakila was reduced to B-grade mythological and fantasy films because of her rudimentary acting skills. Some of these films include Alibaba and Forty Thieves (1954), Lalpari (1954), Veer Rajputani (1955), Roop Kumari (1956), Agra Road (1957), Al-Hilal (1958) etc. She created some stir in 1957, when her film opposite Kishore Kumar - Begunah was banned after 10 days of its release. The film was a carbon copy of Hollywood’s Knock on Wood (1954) starring Danny Kaye and the producers of that film went to court and won the case to stop the further screening of this film. As a consequence, all the negatives of this film were destroyed.

In 1958, she starred opposite Sunil Dutt in suspense/thriller Post Box. 999 where the evergreen duet by Lata and Hemant Kumar Neend na mujhko aaye was picturized on them. In the latter part of her career, China Town (1962) opposite Shammi Kapoor is a film worth mentioning because of its songs which were a rage back then.

Her last film Rishte Naate was released in 1965. After that, she quit the industry and got married. “My priorities changed after I tied the knot and my career assumed secondary importance,” Shakila said in an interview.

One wonders why she never thought of a comeback? “I keep getting film as well as television serial offers. But I don’t like any of them. Moreover, the industry has changed so much. I don’t know whether people will even recognize me!” she smiled. “And after being at the top and seeing all the glory, suddenly to be in a place where the same respect and dignity may not be accorded can be scary. But at the same time, we’ve seen the best of times and today if the limelight is on somebody else, why feel bad about it?” Shakila said. Youth and beauty may have faded, but Shakila is thankful for the wonderful friends who’ve been there for her all these years. “Waheeda, Nanda, Mala Sinha and Sairaji and Dilip saab, Nimmi…. the list is endless. We meet very often. Zindagi ke kuchh hi toh pal hain abhi, sab apni apni raftaar main chale gaye, saath reh gaye toh bas dost,” she said serenely – Ummer Siddique

Did you Know?

Shakila’s sister Noor also acted in Aar Paar (1954), Noor later married famous comedian Johnny Walker.