Telephone operator to Auteur: Guru Dutt’s life is as glorious and eventful as his films

Guru Dutt, the multi-hyphenated genius, continues to remain an enigma. A pioneer and an auteur, Dutt’s life wasn’t devoid of the same drama and melancholy that one encountered in his films and it's that exact overlap, most likely, which lent his work all the authenticity. July 9 marks Guru Dutt’s birth anniversary and his legacy as a filmmaker and thinker has only grown in magnitude over the years, with many across the world still tipping their hats.

His filmmaking journey too brims with the same strife that he saw in his personal life, especially in the later years. Having grown up in the city of Calcutta (now Kolkata), Guru Dutt’s professional career began as a telephone operator at a Lever Brothers factory but his heart lay in the world of films and he soon found himself quitting the job to try his luck in Bombay (now Mumbai). Through the 1940s, Dutt played bit roles in films like Chand and Lakhrani and even choreographed dance sequences in films like Hum Ek Hain. Impressed by his commitment and a distinct vision for cinema, Dev Anand offered him his first big break in 1951.

There is a solid Bengaluru and Karnataka connection that Guru Dutt shares, for he was born in the city exactly 97 years ago. Although his filmmaking aspirations would eventually lead him to Mumbai, or Bombay, the same regional connection was retained through cinematographer V.K. Murthy, a fellow Kannadiga. The two would begin working together in 1951 with the iconic Dev Anand starrer Baazi (the first Bombay Noir, in myriad ways) wherein the latter functioned as an assistant to V. Ratra – V.K. Murthy would impress Dutt with his smooth and fluidic camera movements and be promoted as the main cinematographer on the follow-up film Jaal. The Mysuru-born V.K. Murthy also shot Rajendra Singh Babu’s 1993 film Hoovu Hannu, his sole Kannada endeavor.

Guru Dutt’s life came to a tragic end in 1964 when he was found dead in his Bombay apartment on October 10. Having led a life that was rigged with mental health issues, the filmmaker is rumored to have made multiple suicide attempts and was known to mix alcohol and sleeping pills which eventually resulted in his passing. He had multiple unfinished projects at the time of his death.