Thrilled by the idea of a three-day retrospective lined up to mark Guru Dutt’s birth centenary in August, his granddaughter Gouri notes that the filmmaker’s unique perspective made his movies timeless
(L-R) Waheeda Rehman and Guru Dutt in Chaudhvin Ka Chand
Guru Dutt’s granddaughter has the same grievance that cinephiles around the country do — that the filmmaker left us too soon. He might have been only 39 when he breathed his last, but in his two-decade career, the actor and filmmaker gave Hindi cinema some of its best works. To mark his birth centenary, Ultra Media is hosting a nationwide retrospective of his classics from August 8 to 10. His granddaughter Gouri says she is thrilled at the idea of the retrospective. “It gives old fans a chance to reconnect and discover his films again,” she shares.
Gouri Dutt
Screenings of classics — from Pyaasa (1957) to Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959), from Mr & Mrs 55 (1955) to Chaudhvin Ka Chand (1960) — will be hosted across Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, and other cities. That the filmmaker’s movies are relevant even today is the biggest sign of how foresighted he was, notes Gouri. “The way my grandfather perceived the world, they were original to who he was and that made his movies unique. Today, young filmmakers are pressured to make formula films, but his films stand out as they were original even then.”
While much has been known of Dutt, the filmmaker, Gouri gives us a peek into the man behind the movies, as she says, “I wish we got to spend some time with him. We’ve heard that grandfather was a very strict parent, and my dad [Arun Dutt] used to be scared of him. But at the same time, he was generous with his time and care. He loved animals. What I find inspiring about him is regardless of success or failure, he kept working hard.”
Guru Dutt in Pyaasa
Rajat Agrawal, COO, Ultra, reveals that the three-day festival will kick off with a grand event on August 6 in Mumbai. He explains, “We’ll have a round-table discussion with prominent figures from the film industry. This will be followed by a screening of Pyaasa in the restored 4K version. The festival will run in 25 cities and 250-300 screens across the country.”
25
Cities where the screenings will be held
Aug 8-10
When the nationwide retrospective will be held
The restoration of Pyaasa and other films was undertaken by NFDC’s National Film Archive of India.
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