BOOK REVIEW: GURU DUTT: AN UNFINISHED STORY

BOOK REPRESENTS THE RICHLY LIFE ACCOUNT OF TROUBLED INDIAN DIRECTOR, PRODUCER, AND ACTOR GURU DUTT

"I am not dissatisfied with life, 

I am dissatisfied within myself." -Guru Dutt

Guru Dutt: An Unfinished Story is a deeply affecting biography of film director Guru Dutt. It never left chances to leave the effects on the reader's mind. Psychologically depressed life of Guru Dutt, yet same time a legend who gave birth to some artistic films also. The book represents the richly life account of troubled Indian Director, producer, and actor Guru Dutt from his birth in 1925 to his death in 1964. 

          Yasser Usman wrote the biography in a unique way that readers don't want to end the book. It was the saddest feeling that my most loved book finished within two weeks. Although the book is deep all in one accessible portrait of legendary personality, Guru Dutt. It is composed of the author's interviews and extensively quoting from three books; My Son Guru Dutt by Vasanthi Padukone, Guru Dutt: A Life in Cinema by Nasreen Munni Kabir, and Ten Years with Guru Dutt: Abrar Alvi’s Journey by Sathya Saran, and author's conversation with Guru's sister Lalitha Lajme and from many articles. 

"We all have heard his stories. Some true, some very true. All of them mysterious, melancholic and intensely resonant with our own lives. This is the story of those stories," Usman added.

The book started with the entry of Guru's Film Sahib bibi Aur Ghulam at international levels. Further, the book begins on a journey of his life since childhood. It was his father, (his first inspiration) who worked hard and did whatever he could for his growing family. At a young age, Guru follows his dreams and studied dance. But later never-ending life struggles and financial issues clipped with him. 

The book contains 15 sections, titled beginning of a dream, followed by the destruction of a dream. Beginning of dreams filled life into me while with every destruction of a dream, l was haunted by events and fall into an ocean of tears and sadness.  The final chapter is breath-taking for readers, called 1964, the year Guru Dutt died of a suspected overdose, after consuming copious amounts of sleeping tablets and alcohol at the age of 39. He said, “I’m not afraid of death but scarred for life. I think it's fear of being alive.”

Guru's marriage with Geeta Ray was like surviving in caves of darkness. His long friendship with Dev Anand and Johnny Walker and also rumors of having affair with Waheeda are mentioned highly by the author. Same time as his struggle against depression, alcohol never left him alone till death. The most admiring thing was his passion for books and movies. He used to read a lot and got new ideas. Guru's directed films reflected his intelligence, he adopt themes from English movies and new techniques as well. He was Indian cinema's Don Juan and Nietzsche rolled into one.

Guru Dutt is known for his classic filmms, such as Payasa, Khagaz Ke Phool, Mr. and Mrs. '55, Baazi, Baharen Phir Bhi Aayengi, Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam,  Chaudhvin Ka Chand, and many others. His way of directing a film was unique and different than his contemporaries. Phenomenal was his artistic talent of song picturization. He was the first one to introduce visual pictured songs in Indian History. 

'Yeh lo main haari piya’ picturized in a taxi- ‘Sun sun sun sun zalima’, 'kbhi aar kbbi paar', 'Chaudivi ka Chand ho ya aftab ho', and one of my favs, 'Jane wo kese log the jinke piyar ko piyar mila' and many other hit songs. 

Yasser Usman is a journalist, author, and biographer. He is well known for his famous biographies, one of them is Guru Dutt:An Unfinished Story. He writes like storytelling that suspense keeps pushing readers to read more. Also, he haunts a living soul by depicting the suffering and pain of that person. It feels like one is watching a film on the legend, his/her journey in short scenes piercing the hearts of audiences. He peppered the book with many touching remembrances from Guru Dutt’s sister, the artist Lalitha Lajmi. There are a bunch of photographs in the book including the famous Pyaasa shot and one of a chubby baby Guru Dutt. Some of his letters and postcards to his sister and mother make for fascinating reading.

   The way the author of this book narrated it felt like characters are coming out of pages talking and presenting themselves. Further, he wrote about Guru Dutt,  "The line between real and reel kept gradually blurring till it reached a point when the thin line vanished-because his cinema was mostly a reflection of his life and atimes."

But while much has been said and written about the lonesome film-maker and little is known about his deeply depressed personal life, his silently struggling against the world he was not made for. That's why he is called as Man ahead of his time. His ultimately death at the very young age of 39 left a hole in the audience's hearts. People couldn't believe that man who had family, money, love and last fame still choose death over life. Maybe it was easier for him to die than to live in a merciless time. What a heart-wrenching night, scene of the book, when he tipped his hat and said final Goodbye. 

“Mujhe director banna tha, director ban gaya; actor banna tha, actor ban gaya; picture acha banana tha, ache banne. Paise hain, sab kuch hai, par kuch bhi nahi raha”

Guru's style of direction and song picturization was outstanding. He was copied by others. His films have themes like corruption, love, marriage, aristocracy, nothingness, freedom, justice, and equality. One interesting thing is his characters used to be common people, who were mostly neglected by class, race, or have no value in society. He became worldwide famous for his hit trilogy. Khagaz me Phool for its combination of poetry and light, a director at the point of leaving his studio. Sahib Bivi or Ghulam has the beauty of Meena kumari and her bottomless eyes. That was a picture of how the destruction of the dream took place. Pyaasa, is a troubled poet from society. The film includes a famous shot of the crucifixion with the huge library in the background. Pyaasa is one of the greatest films in Indian cinema history.

       In the end, the reader is too attached to Guru. By reading, remnants refreshed wounds and got into his life that the reader suffered through trauma and felt the pain of loss to a closer one. It's for sure, readers won't get over this biography easily, once it went through the minds and blood of readers. With easy prose and short chapters, the author did a brilliant job the reader relive the moments of Guru's life and finding everything in it. It was simply a life and death book to me, where one finds emptiness from within and lonesome into this world. 

"Bichhad gaya har saathi de kar

Pal do pal ka saath

Kisko fursat hai jo thaame

Deewanon ka haath

Humko apna saaya tak

Aksar bezaar milaa

Humne toh jab kaliyan maangi

Kaanton ka haar mila

Jaane woh kaise log the jinke

Pyar ko pyar mila."

Watch video on it; 

https://youtu.be/lwYEslsiz5Q