Alvi also takes the reader through Guru Dutt’s romance with Waheeda Rehman. Aware of his troubled relationship with wife Geeta even from the Pyaasa days, he says; “in fact, his first attempt at suicide was during Pyaasa.” It might have been the result of an ugly fight with Geeta, which again was the reason for a drunk Guru Dutt ingesting a dose of sleeping pills on the fateful night of October 10, 1964.

Geeta Dutt was naturally resentful of Dutt’s love for Waheeda, and retaliated by taking off to Kashmir for an unusually long stay, pretending her collarbone was broken. Later Guru Dutt found the real reason — a handsome Pakistani young man.

The cuckolded man could not digest this and abruptly and cruelly ended his relationship with Waheeda, even before Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam could be finished, by banning her from his makeup room. A furious Waheeda had to be persuaded by Alvi to agree to shoot the last scene where she comes to pick up her husband Bhootnath. He has just discovered chhoti bahu’s skeleton — the bony hand wearing her bangle — as the haveli that he had loved so much was being demolished under his supervision.

Alvi reveals many facets of his friend and colleague of 10 years. Guru Dutt, he says, had a “whimsical interest in astrology” and after his film Baaz had flopped and Aar Paar was in the making, he consulted an astrologer on whether this film would succeed and change his luck. The pundit looked intently at Guru Dutt’s horoscope, and said all would be well for 10 years. “After 10 years I can see a great turmoil, I can see upheaval. And I see a break in this partnership (with Alvi).” The year was 1954; 10 years later Guru Dutt was dead.

Aar Paar did quite well and the next film, Mr and Mrs ’55 established him as a maker of fine comedy films.

But it was Pyaasa that launched Guru Dutt in the league of master filmmakers.

Alvi’s journey with Guru Dutt, beginning as a writer and evolving into a director, also gives readers glimpses of yesterday’s superstars such as Madhubala, the star of Mr and Mrs ‘55. Though “regal and beautiful, her skin often broke out in acne, but the filters hid it well. But what they could not hide was her dazzling smile, which made her unique and set her apart.”

On the sets, Madhubala was a load of fun. She had an infectious laughter and a healthy sense of mischief. Alvi remembers Madhubala matching Guru Gutt in mischief, trick for trick, but while Guru Dutt was engrossed in the making of the film, his heroine had plenty of time to amuse herself. Though a thorough professional, she was also very conscious of her need to be the only star in the film, and was always wary of someone stealing the limelight away from her.

“Thus whenever Kumkum’s sister, who played the role of a secretary, had to cry for a very important scene, Madhubala would start laughing loudly. Peal after peal of loud, full-throated laughter that would not only distract everybody on the sets, but also ruin the mood for the actress emoting the scene. At every retake she would start laughing, ensuring that it would lead to another take.”

Interestingly enough, the character of Gulabo (played by Waheeda Rehman in Pyaasa) was introduced to Guru Dutt by Alvi. Alvi met Gulabo, who worked at a brothel on Grant Road in Mumbai, through some rich friends. The two developed a deep friendship. He was broke most of the time and it was she who would order all kinds of food and feed him. “I think she found me different because I was the first man to treat her like a human being. She had a deep thirst for knowledge and would ply me with questions. Of course she had imbibed some of her trade’s habits. She could be loud and foul-mouthed. Her gaalis might have even made a sailor blush.”

He discovered that Gulabo was born in a Brahmin family, and as an adolescent girl she fell in love with a policeman as he rode through her village and eloped with him. Too late she found that he was already a married man; after being ditched by him she ended up in a brothel. Her name Devi was changed to Gulabo, “a screen behind which she could hide her origins and her identity.”

As Alvi got caught up in his work, he could not keep his rendezvous with Gulabo, who finally died. When he related the story of this relationship to Guru Dutt, the latter asked if he could evolve a film script around the story. Thus Pyaasa was born; the hero was originally supposed to be a writer, but to facilitate the inclusion of songs he became a poet!

The titling of various chapters after the immortal songs from Guru Dutt’s films — janam safal ho jaey; bade dhoke hain is raah mein; kahin pe nigahen, kahin pe nishana; kaliyan ki muskan hai; baat kuch ban hi gayi — adds to the charm of the book. The saddest one of course is bichde sabhi bari bari… a blow-by-blow account of the events leading up to the night when Guru Dutt ended his life. Alvi was with him till late in the night, both were drinking through the evening. Guru Dutt, after an argument with Geeta on the phone, was in a foul mood and retired before his writer friend left. At 3 a.m., he came out of his room, asked for Alvi and was told he had left, asked for more liquor, returned to his room and locked it from inside. That was the last anybody saw him alive.

An absorbing read, especially for those who have been impressed, amazed, influenced and fascinated by Guru Dutt and his work… by Pyaasa and Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam... by Vijay and Gulabo and by chhoti bahu.

Response may be sent to rasheeda@thehindu.co.in

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