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.
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.
'Guru Dutt taught me that pitying oneself can be beautiful, and that heartbreak is cinematic.'
'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.'
'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.'
'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.'
Shatrughan Sinha on Sushant Singh Rajput: 'I identify with his struggle to make a place in the Hindi film industry without any godfather.'
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.
'A majority of filmmakers cannot truly understand the city because they don't live here,' says Anusha Rizvi, Director, The Great Shamsuddin Family.
Can anyone forget S D Burman's classic songs in Devdas, Sujata and Bandini?
'Mr & Mrs 55 was breezy, romantic and so Hollywood.'
'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.'
S D Burman is that unique composer who remained successful right up to his death with his creative engines never running on empty.
Ranbir Kapoor recalled how his grandfather Raj Kapoor sent a telegram to Vyjayanthimala, convincing her to join the 1964 romantic musical drama, Sangam.
'I don't have many friends. The ones that I have, I'm very proud of and happy with.'
'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.'
The budget of this bio-pic is said to be Rs 1.2 billion.
'Madhubala in Kala Pani looks divine and yet, she's not just there for glamour.' 'In Do Raaste, the character of Neelambari (played by Bindu) isn't a heroine in the traditional sense but she has such a pivotal role.' 'That Raj Khosla gave a non-heroine such a central role, instead of the heroine, says a lot about how he valued female characters.'
'The behaviour, body language and attitude of a streetwalker were alien to me.'
'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.
'It was only after he passed away that the family realised he was crying for help.'
'He began to find her boring. She felt lonely and unwanted.'
'When you are a pioneer and someone who's put on a pedestal, but then the pedestal gets dusty, people don't look at the statue anymore.' 'They would say, 'Yes, yes, of course I know Bimal Roy. He made Do Bigha Zamin.'.'
'The way the anticipation is built up for Gabbar Singh's introduction scene with sound, image and details of his personality, like the combat boots he wears.' 'The camera comes so close -- not a tele lens shot, but a wide-angle close-up -- that you can almost smell Gabbar's breath.'
Bollywood's biggest stars arrived at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai on May 1 to take part in the inaugural edition of World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) 2025.
Sathya Saran talks about Guru Dutt and Abrar Alvi at the launch of her book Ten Years with Guru Dutt: Abrar Alvi's Journey.
Cinematographer V K Murthy talks about his old friend Guru Dutt.
Arun Dutt talks about his famous father Guru Dutt and how it was like growing up under his shadow.
As Hrithik Roshan announces his plans to turn direct films, one looks forward to an altogether different grammar coming into action.
'My mom had told me a great deal about Meena Kumari and how she could make a tear drop at the right moment. A legend who was in total control. But when I finally met her, I saw a frail, shrivelled and petite woman -- just a bag of bones. Very tiny. She was dying.'
V K Murthy is the first ever cinematographer to be chosen for the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke award for his outstanding contribution to films.
It's more than just a career in show business.
'They can't take even the smallest step.' 'The mental abuse is so insidious that sometimes they don't even realise it's happening.'
Bhavna Talwar will direct a film based on the life and loves of the iconic filmmaker.
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