Guru Dutt was born Vasanth Kumar Shivashankar Padukone at Bangalore, Karnataka on 9th July 1925. His family originally belonged to Karwar, Karnataka but later relocated to Bhowanipore, West Bengal, which is where he changed his name to Guru Dutt for unknown reasons. His family later moved to Mumbai. Dutt’s career in show business started in the year 1944 as a choreographer under a three-year contract with the Prabhat Film Company. It is at the studio of this prestigious company that he met the actors Rehman and Dev Anand and sealed a friendship of a lifetime. It was during his tenure at the Prabhat Film Company that he made his debut as an actor with a small role in a film named Chand (1944). After the film company shut down in late 1940s, he moved back to Mumbai, and was one day approached by close friend Dev Anand to direct the first film of his company Navketan. The film was Baazi (1951), and went on to become a massive hit. It immediately sealed Guru Dutt’s name as a talented director and filmmaker. Baazi marked the beginning of Guru Dutt’s formal career as a filmmaker and then came a slew of films, along the same time Guru Dutt’s marriage to Geeta began, notable of them are Pyaasa (1957), Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959) and Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962), which are considered outright classics.
During the making his directorial debut Baazi, Dutt happened to meet the young versatile singer Geeta Roy. Geeta was born Geeta Ghosh Roy Chowdhuri in 1930, and is often regarded as the first pre-eminent playback singer of Hindi cinema. Dutt and Geeta had a brief meeting but the singer’s melodious vocals and ethereal looks left a lasting impact on Guru Dutt’s mind. By the end of the making of the film, Dutt made it a point to befriend Geeta, and after few weeks of friendship, started an amorous courtship.
Geeta’s parents were vehemently against her relationship with Guru Dutt. Dutt and Geeta had taken the decision to tie the knot within months of their courtship but their decision met stiff resistance at home. They did not lose hope though and kept investing in efforts to convince their families, and finally Geeta’s mother caved in.
Geeta Roy and Guru Dutt’s marriage took place on 26th May 1953 at Geeta’s residence in Mumbai in the presence of family members who had given their consent to the relationship. The couple were blessed with three children, two sons, Tarun (b. 1954) and Arun (b. 1956) and a daughter, Nina (b. 1962). Things were smooth for the initial first years of their life but Dutt was said to be a workaholic, leading him to spend minimal time with his family. His lack of earnest interest in family life, led to cracks in his relationship with his wife, who herself slowly slipped into a distressful state that caused her to totally lose touch with her talent. By late 1950s, Geeta was soon ousted by the likes of Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle, since Geeta lost practice and could not meet their standards. And Guru Dutt’s marriage to Geeta Roy continued to sink.
In late 1950s, Guru Dutt got romantically involved with actress Waheeda Rehman, who was his co-star of many films. Their alleged affair reached its peak with Guru Dutt’s Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959), which ironically told the story of a director falling for an actress while his marriage gets estranged. As if that was not enough, the film also had the heart-rendering song Waqt Ne Kiya Kya Haseen Sitam sung by Geeta Dutt, in which Geeta poured out every pain of her real life through her poignant vocals. Guru Dutt’s fling with Waheeda Rehman fizzled out by 1961 but not before taking a permanent toll on Guru Dutt’s marriage.
After the birth of their third child in 1962, the couple separated owing to a mix of numerous factors viz. Dutt’s previous fling with actress Waheeda Rehman, his alcoholism, his bouts of depression, Geeta’s dipping career and the piling financial problems. Guru Dutt’s marriage was at it’s end, and they moved out of their home together, having had to give it up, owing to financial issues. Dutt rented a posh flat at the Peddar Road vicinity of Mumbai. Geeta returned to her mother’s place with the children, and lived there permanently.
Guru Dutt was found lifeless on 10th October 1964 at his rented apartment where he was living alone after his separation from wife Geeta Dutt; the papers spoke of Guru Dutt’s marriage and his failed relationship. Nobody really knows what happened on 10th October?
After Dutt’s death Geeta slipped into depression herself, and the next thing we know she took to alcohol exactly like her husband. She was no longer in touch with her talent, and no music director was keen on signing Geeta who had lost all the melody of her voice. Invariably it led to a financial crisis. She later got some music directors to give her work, and the Bengali film Badhu Baran (1967), and the Hindi film Anubhav (1971) were her last works. By late 1971, Geeta’s alcohol dependence had become acute and in 1972, her health took a hit. She was eventually diagnosed with liver cirrhosis caused by excessive alcohol consumption, which sadly led to her death on 20th July 1972. She was just 41 years old.
After her marriage to Shashi Rekhi (screen name Kamaljeet)on 27 April 1974, Waheeda Rehman shifted to a farmhouse in Bangalore. She has two children named Sohail and Kashvi, who are writers. On 21 November 2000, her husband died following a prolonged illness. She moved back to her ocean view bungalow in Bandra, Mumbai where she currently lives.
In a recent interview, veteran actress Waheeda Rehman, who has done a number of memorable films with Guru Dutt, refused to talk about her reported relationship with the late film director.
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