There’s a shot in Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959) that is practically imprinted upon every Indian cinephile’s memory, irrespective of whether or not they’ve watched the last film that Guru Dutt directed. It’s part of the picturisation of the song “Waqt Ne Kiya” and shows a shaft of light cutting through the shadowy darkness of a film set. Two figures stand on either side of the light, phantom-like, while the paraphernalia of a vintage film studio is all around them. The moment is richly cinematic and uses the ambient moodiness of monochrome to make the viewer feel for the star-crossed lovers in the song. 63 years later, that moment in a film studio with that shaft of light would be recreated as a homage in Chup: The Revenge of the Artist (2022), which tries to weave in a tribute to the legendary film director into a murder mystery. Leaving aside how well Chup works as a film, it’s a testimony to the lasting charisma of Guru Dutt and his beloved Kaagaz Ke Phool.
Actor, director and producer, Dutt directed only eight films in his career, beginning with Baazi (1951), which was also when he met playback singer Geeta Dutt (whom he would later marry). Some of his films — Aar Paar (1954), Mr. & Mrs. ’55 (1955), C.I.D. (1956), Sailaab (1956) and Pyaasa (1957) — were blockbuster hits. Dutt played the lead role in three of these films. He quickly established himself as a director who told complex narratives with a stylish touch, and (thanks to cinematographer V.K. Murthy) used light and shade ingeniously. Then came Kaagaz Ke Phool.
Dutt had maintained that Kaagaz Ke Phool was dedicated to his mentor, Gyan Mukherjee, who retired in obscurity after delivering hits like Jhoola (1941) and Kismet (1943) early in his career. The parallels between his own life and the successes enjoyed by Kaagaz Ke Phool’s protagonist, Suresh Sinha, who is a film director (Dutt cast himself in the role). The movie follows his fall from grace, beginning with the divorced director losing custody of his daughter, a turbulent break-up with his partner and the tragic relationship with his protege, an actor named Shanti (played by an incandescent Waheeda Rehman). Ultimately, Suresh tumbles into alcoholism and Kaagaz Ke Phool ended with the erstwhile director spending his final moments in the same film studio where he had once ruled the roost, and where now he’s dismissed as a homeless beggar. Dutt was far from being forgotten when he made the film, but his marriage with Geeta had collapsed (the two were separated) and he had an alcohol dependency problem. His closeness with Rehman — no one filmed her quite as poetically as Dutt did and Rehman was regularly cast in Dutt’s films — had led to scandalous rumours.