Showing posts with label Mr & Mrs 55. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mr & Mrs 55. Show all posts
100th anniversary special: How Guru Dutt made the camera sing
9:12 AM
The director of Pyaasa and Kaagaz Ke Phool, whose 100th birthday anniversary falls on July 9, brought a lyricism to his craft that shone through in some unforgettable tracks
Avijit Ghosh (THE TIMES OF INDIA; July 6, 2025)
Songs are bookmarks of mainstream Hindi films. Long after a movie disappears from theatres and memories, they suddenly waft over a cabbie’s FM radio or emerge on an algorithm-driven app. They become a movie’s reference point, keeping them alive. In Guru Dutt films, the songs are more eloquent. Works of care and empathy, they not only take you on a guided tour of his art and aesthetics, but also offer a peep into his emotional world.
The songs also carry his signature. Dutt, who spent his early years in Kolkata, loved dance, having trained at visionary dancer-choreographer Uday Shankar’s centre in Almora and performed with his troupe. The films he made had a dance director but his contribution to their picturization is well-acknowledged.
“He was the first to make the songs visually interesting... he gave them much thought, he would spend nights thinking of song situations,” lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri is quoted as saying in Yasser Usman’s biography of the actor-producer-director.
Tight close-ups, interplay of light and shade, symmetry of movement — Dutt, in tandem with cinematographer V K Murthy, produced a bouquet of soundtracks that feel contemporary even today, both visually and musically. They also provide meanings beyond the frame. Here are four songs, all from black-andwhite movies directed by him, that offer a glimpse into his craft:
HOON ABHI MAIN JAWAAN AE DIL
FILM: Aar Paar, 1954
MUSIC: O P Nayyar
LYRICS: Majrooh Sultanpuri
SINGER: Geeta Dutt
In ‘Aar Paar’, Dutt lensed songs in the unlikeliest of places: a construction site (‘ Kabhi aar kabhi paar’), a taxi (‘Ee lo main haari piya ), a garage (‘Sun sun zalima’). ‘Hoon abhi main jawan ae dil ’ is set in a storeroom of sorts. The actual filming hardly uses 10ftx10ft space. But we never feel the need for more.
The track begins with the sound of the accordion. The movie is halfway through and we see the back of a familiar head, the one always with a tilted cap and mostly a cigarette on lips. The protagonist follows the music. Philosophically, ‘Hoon abhi main jawaan ae dil’ is the B side of ‘Babu ji dheere chalna, pyaar mein zara sambhalna’.
The gangster’s moll (played by Shakila) who invitingly sang those words of warning, while dancing amidst covetous men in a crammed nightclub, did not follow her own advice. She has fallen for the amiable rake whose heart belongs to another girl. Unrequited love has taken the fire out of her eyes. But she doesn’t want to be pitied. When she falls on the ground and the protagonist picks her up, she gently brushes him off. She has lost in love, but she isn’t a loser. Through these little directorial gestures, Dutt imbues her persona with strength and beauty. The song is filmed in tender close-ups, underlying the director’s empathy for the outsider.
JAANE KAHAN MERA JIGAR GAYA JEE
FILM: Mr & Mrs 55, 1955
MUSIC: O P Nayyar
LYRICS: Majrooh Sultanpuri
SINGER: Geeta Dutt, Mohd Rafi
Offices served as avenues for fun numbers in the past, too, notably ‘Lara lappa’ (film: Ek Thhi Ladki, 1949). But in this romantic comedy by Dutt, we witness Office Romance 2.0 in the energy and the effervescence of funnyman Johnny Walker and Yasmin, the dimpled steno with eyes that seem eager to spring out of their sockets. The newspaper office transforms into the most romantic place in the world.
Majrooh prefers using ‘jigar’, instead of the normally used ‘dil’ for heart. And it adds to the song’s distinctiveness. So does the expression, ‘Kahin maare dar ke chuha to nahi ho gaya’. How many times before or since have we heard of the heart being compared to a rat? Crawling on the floor in search of a lost heart, amid chairs, tables and typewriters, never looked cuter.
THANDI HAWA KAALI GHATA
FILM: Mr and Mrs 55, 1955
MUSIC: O P Nayyar
LYRICS: Majrooh Sultanpuri
SINGER: Mohd Rafi, Geeta Dutt
We don’t feel the breeze blowing. Or, see the dark clouds the song talks about. Shot by an open swimming pool at Bombay’s well-known PM Hindu Bath in Chowpatty, ‘Thandi hawa kaali ghata’, could have been just another number that a heroine and her friends sing in a 1950s movie. Only that it is better and different. The camera showcases and maximizes every inch of the physical space that the outdoors offers. The track is marked by a fluidity and symmetry of movement, evident in every frame. The girls slide slowly on the railing. The distant men swim to its melody. And the boys dive into the pool to its rhythm. It is the twirling umbrellas, though, that’s the song’s takeaway visual. Holding these, the group of girls, with the ethereal Madhubala in lead, frolic and frisk like a musical marching band. The track is more than its infectious melody and easy-on-the lips lyrics. It is a celebration of space, freedom and dancing umbrellas.
BICHDE SABHI BAARI BAARI
FILM: Kaagaz Ke Phool, 1959
MUSIC: S D Burman
LYRICS: Kaifi Azmi
SINGER: Mohd Rafi
He walks into an empty studio, a metaphor for his own isolation. Everything is in the shadows. He, too, is a shadow of his old self. This was his empire. The empire remains, but the kings have changed. He is a trainwreck now; broken in personal and professional life. The protagonist’s life, told in flashback, begins with the song that has the melody of a requiem, its words his distilled truth of the film world. The track sets the movie’s tone, prepares us for the denouement.
The movie ends with the song, too. The man who had created the star is worn out, like the sweater he is wearing. But she, his one-time protégé, recognizes him. He can’t bear to talk to her and runs away as the song plays in the background. When he steps out of the studio gates, she cannot catch up with him as fans besiege her. The film cuts back to the scene where it all began. The perch where he sees his life flash by. How it starts and how it ends. The silence that accompanies the protagonist’s death is music at its best. It’s hard to encapsulate a life in a song. Guru Dutt Padukone captures it.
Just before he died, Dutt had planned a visit to TOI office
On Oct 7, 1964, a reporter from TOI visited Guru Dutt Studios, where ‘Baharen Phir Bhi Aayengi’ was being shot. Dutt was playing a journalist in the film and asked the reporter if he could visit the newspaper’s Bombay office for research. A visit was planned. But three days later, Dutt was found dead. There was a Hindi novel by his side, and a glass with a pink liquid — sleeping pills Sonaril crushed and dissolved in water. The movie would be finished with Dharmendra in the lead.
(Source: Guru Dutt: An Unfinished Story by Yasser Usman)
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COMING SOON: SEVEN RESTORED DUTT FILMS
Seven Guru Dutt films, including the iconic Pyaasa (1957), are being restored by National Film Archives of India (NFAI) as part of the National Film Heritage Mission (NFHM), a govt-funded initiative for digitisation and restoration of Indian cinema.
The other films are: Baazi (1951), Jaal (1952), Baaz (1953), Aar Paar (1954), Mr. & Mrs. 55 (1955), and Chaudhvin Ka Chand (1960). Barring the last, which was directed by M Sadiq, the other films were all directed by Dutt, whose 100th birth anniversary falls on July 9.
“The restoration is likely to be complete by Aug 15. The larger aim is to exhibit the restored films on the big screen after discussion with the rights holders,” said Prakash Magdum, managing director, NFDC-NFAI. NHFM’s budget is about Rs 550 crore.
Experienced industry professionals have been brought in for the task. “Senior cinematographers, familiar with Dutt’s cinematographer V K Murthy’s work, are supervising the restoration,” Magdum said.
The restoration is being done keeping in mind a film’s genre. Chaudvin Ka Chand was a blockbuster romantic drama where Dutt played the lead. The film’s music, composed by Ravi, was a chartbuster. “It was important for us to maintain the vocal texture as well as the innocence in the vocals to do complete justice to the landmark songs in this film,” said Leenali Khairnar, manager, film preservation, NFDC-NFAI.
“The music was rather muffled in the original print we had. We were fortunate that another print with a matching film type had the desired quality and punch. We restored from the primary print and replaced the songs from the alternative source, which allowed us to bring out what was perhaps intended by Dutt,” she said.
Earlier this year, NFDC-NFAI had restored Muzaffar Ali’s Umrao Jaan (1981). Sholay (1975), now in its golden jubilee year, was restored by Shivendra Singh Dungarpur’s Film Heritage Foundation. — Avijit Ghosh
Everything in my life has brought me to this moment. This is where I belong-Janhvi Kapoor
8:11 AM
Madhureeta Mukherjee (BOMBAY TIMES; July 17, 2018)
She comes from great stock, growing up in a family that’s flourished in Indian cinema for generations. The fact that Sridevi and Boney Kapoor’s gorgeous girl Janhvi brings a lot of promise is unquestionable. She has that rawness and spark that’s attractive; and even with all the hoopla around her debut, the girl has her head on her shoulders and her feet firm on the ground. With the whole Kapoor khandaan, along with ardent Sridevi fans rooting for her, you would imagine that this 21-year-old debutante would be a bundle of nerves. But she is evidently not. With her grand launch, Dhadak, starring Ishaan and directed by Shashank Khaitan, coming up for release this week, the poised and pretty Janhvi who is boarding her flight to stardom, tells us that, “Cinema is the only thing that I know and it is the only thing that I’ve been exposed to my whole life.” Open your heart out and welcome her on board…
The spotlight has been on you for a while now; you have been posing for the paps and the camera follows you almost everywhere you go. But with Dhadak, you are engaging with the media for the first time. How has that experience been? Was this also a part of your debut prep?
It has been fun, and during the course of the promotions, sometimes you meet interesting people, and engage in some conversations that make you think. Of course, I don’t think I am very good at all this, and I don’t have much to say at this point beyond telling people to watch my film. If people like my work, then I will earn the right to talk about myself. There was no real prep that I went through to interact with the media. However, I would like to say that I want to portray who I am in front of them. Yes, at times I am not comfortable at media interactions, but it is human to let that show. I am not perfect and I think it is fine being that way. I am trying to be myself and I want to be as real as I can.
Being in the limelight is something you have grown up with, like attending events and parties with your parents (Sridevi and Boney Kapoor). Did that help you ease into this space?
It was about the way we were as a family; Khushi and I would always attend events with mom and dad. If mom was performing or getting an award somewhere, or dad was shooting, we would make it a family affair. I happened to be with my parents on these occasions, hence, I was exposed to the media. People thought that my parents were pushing me into the limelight, but it was nothing like that. If Manish Malhotra was having a fashion show, I just wanted to go and see it. The purpose was just that.
Your understanding of the industry must be deeper and probably more practical and realistic, right? Your mom was a superstar, who had her own fascinating journey and your dad is a producer of high credibility, hence, you have closely seen two different aspects of the film business...
I am very thankful for the environment that I have grown up in and I have so much to learn from it. My mom was such a fine actress and I think my dad is one of the most creative producers. He doesn’t just think business, instead, he works with a lot of heart. Through the years, I have seen the kind of stress and struggle producers have to go through, and it has given me a perspective. It made me understand how to behave and what not to do. There is huge value to being professional in this industry. For me, normal life is talking about cinema and art. Cinema is the only thing that I know and it is the only thing that I have been exposed to my whole life.
I am assuming that cinema was a huge part of conversations at home? Do you all have different tastes in the kind of movies you like to watch as an audience?
As a family, we all have had different tastes in cinema. Mom and Khushi would love watching animated movies all the time. After school, our evenings were always reserved for the three of us to watch movies. We would fight, as I would want to watch some old classic, while Khushi wanted to watch Hollywood movies like Tarzan. I feel like I was born in the wrong era, as I am fascinated with classics, Indian and Hollywood. Some of our Indian classics have such a different charm, they are films, which are progressive and ahead of their times. Recently, I was watching Mr & Mrs 55 (1955) starring Madhubala and Guru Dutt, and in that era, the film talks about feminism. Of course, that apart, I think Madhubala is pure magic, and I am so obsessed with whatever she does that I think I could marry her. Even films like Mother India (1957), Pakeezah (1972) and Chaalbaaz (1989) were ahead of their time. Interestingly, these movies never had the tag of women-centric films, they were just known as good films. I hope we can get to that place in today’s times. As for mom, she has done so many films and she truly admired some great films, but when it came to watching movies, she loved fantasy films, animation and thrillers. In that sense, she was a child at heart.
Did you always aspire to be an actress? In your head, did you often play out that moment of your life when you would see yourself on the big screen?
As a child, I didn’t think of being an actor, even my mom didn’t want me to. However, I think in my head I already thought that I was an actor. In my school days, people would think that I was schizophrenic, because I would make up these wack stories. I remember, calling up my friend and saying that I am a secret agent and that I need to spy on someone in school. They would believe me. Once I told my friends that Shakira has flown down to Mumbai to personally teach me belly dancing, so now, I can teach all of you. My friends’ parents called up mom and asked, ‘You got Shakira down? How is she? That’s so cool, could you send Janhvi home so she can teach my daughter’. My mom would be amused by all my stories. I was like this comedy character at home.
So, tell us about your first shot, and your first day on the set of Dhadak.That moment must have extremely special and unforgettable, right?
On our first day, we shot smaller scenes, but I think that by the time we were there, we were all raring to go. Being in front of the camera was a euphoric feeling. It felt like everything in my life has brought me to this moment. And all that I have done has added up to this. On my first day on the set, I felt… this is where I belong.
Did your mom and dad drop in on the sets often?
They were there on the first day. I was comfortable around everyone; I would only get nervous around mom. So, I told her that I can’t have you around here. Khushi dropped by for two days in Jaipur, and mom came during the shoot of the song Zingaat again. Even Anshula didi came for one day. I wanted to be by myself while shooting for Dhadak. I have been handheld by my family through most things in life, for this one, I wanted to be on my own. This (acting) is the only thing I know how to do without my mom. However, ironic that might sound. The (movie) set life, is the only thing that I don’t associate with her. Yes, I feel closer to her when I am on a film set, but it’s also the place where I feel that I don’t need her to be around.
When you have someone like Karan Johar taking you under his wing and mentoring you, I’m sure that gives you a sense of security and confidence, right?
The thing that I like the most about Karan is that, there is a personal involvement and he makes me feel at home. I know that I can count on him and he has this wonderful ability to make you feel like you are the most important person in the world. Dhadak is the biggest blessing of my life. I am so fortunate to also have Shashank Khaitan as my first director, as he creates such great energy on the set.
Your co-star Ishaan is one film old, but he comes across as super confident. Did he help you ease in to your character?
Well, he is comforting in a lot of ways and he brings such great energy on the set that it feels amazing. Ishaan is so unbelievably talented. I have seen his first film about three-four times and I think it is unheard of for an actor to give such a brilliant performance in his first film.
Earlier I didn’t think much about it, but now, I am being constantly asked about it. I am fully aware that whatever mom has achieved is untouchable. Well, 300 films isn’t a joke. I think each film is a lifetime of experience, so imagine how many lifetimes that is. She has got so much love and given so much back, so I really want to make all her fans happy. I want to make my parents proud and I am also absolutely in love with what I am doing. Acting is not a selfish profession, you can love it as much as you want, but eventually, other people need to love your acting. I just hope that they do. The only thing that I can promise to do is, work honestly and give it all that I have.
In your family, who is the most anxious about your launch?
Mom was very anxious, but papa is very chilled out and so is Arjun bhaiyya. Anshula didi and Khushi are the two people that I go to if I need a reality check or if I need to calm down. They are very honest and blunt, and they tell me things as they are.
Talking about family, it is great to see how the entire family has come together; all of you (Arjun, Anshula, Khushi, dad and you) have become a solid support system for each other.
Touchwood! My family gives me strength and courage. (Pauses)… I get emotional when I talk about them. Khushi and I are very different. I am the kid in our family, and everyone treats her as the more responsible and independent one. I am the one that needs to be babied, and my mom shared that equation with me. She liked to baby me, as she knew that Khushi was too independent. I would tell her… mamma khana chahiye, mamma ni-ni nahin aa rahi hai. I am still like that, and now Khushi and papa have stepped into that role. My whole family has supported me so much; I want to really make them proud.
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