Guru Dutt took an overdose of pills twice, once even swallowing opium, calling out for Geeta Dutt even when he was not fully conscious. One suicide attempt, according to sister Lalita Lajmi, was definitely deliberate with Guru Dutt leaving a letter for brother Atma Ram asking him to take care of the production company, his wife and the kids. But she always wondered if the third attempt was actually suicide since there were no calls and no letters.
'The pain of not having a home is bearable, but the pain of having one -- and not finding peace in it -- is far worse.'
'Everyone at Guru Dutt Productions would get monthly salaries. Waheeda didi would get Rs 2,500 per month. And that was the reason why she left.'
'Guru Dutt taught me that pitying oneself can be beautiful, and that heartbreak is cinematic.'
'I always considered him as a director, never an actor. Do you know he always considered other actors for his films first?' 'For Pyaasa, he wanted to cast Dilip saab; only when Dilip saab refused did Guru Duttji decide to do the role himself.'
S D Burman enjoyed a productive partnership with Dev Anand's production house Navketan for two decades, but their collaboration reached its apogee with Guide.
'You have become a big star. How can you play a secondary role to Meena Kumari?'
'Abrar uncle said he had started drinking from the afternoon on that fateful day. And he continued drinking till late at night.' 'Thereafter, he must have consumed some sleeping pills, as was his habit.' 'I think that combination went fatally wrong.'
The song that best encapsulates Geeta Dutt's unfairly abbreviated life would probably be: Yaad Karoge, Yaad Karoge, Ek Din Humko Yaad Karoge. On her 95th birth anniversary on November 23, Dinesh Raheja pieces together the life of this talented singer.
Subhash K Jha continues Guru Dutt's birth centenary celebrations by listing 10 immortal songs.
The budget of this bio-pic is said to be Rs 1.2 billion.
'He began to find her boring. She felt lonely and unwanted.'
Cinematographer V K Murthy talks about his old friend Guru Dutt.
Sathya Saran talks about Guru Dutt and Abrar Alvi at the launch of her book Ten Years with Guru Dutt: Abrar Alvi's Journey.
'It was only after he passed away that the family realised he was crying for help.'
Arun Dutt talks about his famous father Guru Dutt and how it was like growing up under his shadow.
It's more than just a career in show business.
V K Murthy is the first ever cinematographer to be chosen for the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke award for his outstanding contribution to films.
We bring you an excerpt from the book Kaagaz Ke Phool: The Original Screenplay written by Dinesh Raheja and Jitendra Kothari.
V K Murthy gives insight in Guru Dutt's life.
Bhavna Talwar will direct a film based on the life and loves of the iconic filmmaker.
Shatrughan Sinha on Sushant Singh Rajput: 'I identify with his struggle to make a place in the Hindi film industry without any godfather.'
'Mr & Mrs 55 was breezy, romantic and so Hollywood.'
The cinematographer, famous for his camera work in Guru Dutt's classics like Pyaasa and Sahib, Bibi Aur Ghulam, believes that only Aamir Khan can play Guru Dutt onscreen.
'If you watch songs like Acha Ji Main Haari Chalo Maan Jao Na, Lag Ja Gale or Jhumka Gira Re, you'll notice they're not just a distraction. There's a story unfolding within them.'
Can anyone forget S D Burman's classic songs in Devdas, Sujata and Bandini?
'One day, I was working in my office late in the evening when suddenly the peon comes and says Saif Ali Khan has come to meet you.' 'Saif told me, "I'm desperate. I've been thrown out by Sattee Shourie, I'm homeless and penniless. Can you do a film with me?"' 'I thought about it and saw him in the character which I was writing.' 'So I gave him a cheque of Rs 5,000 and said, "We'll work together".'
'The behaviour, body language and attitude of a streetwalker were alien to me.'
Ranbir Kapoor recalled how his grandfather Raj Kapoor sent a telegram to Vyjayanthimala, convincing her to join the 1964 romantic musical drama, Sangam.
'A majority of filmmakers cannot truly understand the city because they don't live here,' says Anusha Rizvi, Director, The Great Shamsuddin Family.
After three post-pandemic years of an upcycle, it was a mixed bag for the realty sector in 2025, with sales volumes in the residential real estate moderating across top cities, and commercial real estate and institutional investments emerging as standout performers. Residential: Volumes soften, value holds firm.
'At a time when the 'my country, right or wrong' attitude is sweeping over the majority, the Pyaasa song Jinhe Naaz Hai Hind Par Woh Kahan Hain brings a much-needed sense of reality. It questions: How can one feel any sense of pride when women are treated like this? Utkarsh Mishra salutes Guru Dutt's classic that turns 68 this month.
S D Burman is that unique composer who remained successful right up to his death with his creative engines never running on empty.
'I don't have many friends. The ones that I have, I'm very proud of and happy with.'
The going has never been easy for author Cyrus Mistry, who suffers from a nervous disorder. The reclusive author, who bagged the prestigious South Asian literature award, talks openly to P B Chandra about his illness and how writing has helped him cope with it.
Nasreen Munni Kabir: The Berlin Film Festival was held between 21 June and 2 July 1963. So that means you did not meet him for a whole year, and then you heard he had passed away in October 1964. Is that right? Waheeda Rehman: Yes. The last time I saw him must have been in Berlin. We did not work together after Sahib Bibi...Waheeda Rehman on Guru Dutt, and the last time they worked together.
'I fell in love with Suraiya and that was my first real gafla. The more I couldn't get her, the more I wanted her. When I couldn't marry her because the world didn't want it, I cried for the first time.'
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