When Guru Dutt’s wife Geeta Dutt refused to sing for Waheeda Rehman; read some facts about Pyaasa star

On Guru Dutt's 96th birth anniversary, let us know some unusual facts about one of the greatest icons of the commercial Indian cinema.

Richa Barua

Bangalore, First Published Jul 9, 2021, 12:41 PM IST | Last Updated Jul 9, 2021, 12:44 PM IST

Today is Vasanth Kumar Shivashankar Padukone, better known as Guru Dutt's 96th birth anniversary. He was born on this day in 1925. He gave us a few cult classics that inspired many filmmakers.

In an interview with a leading daily, Shahid Kapoor had stated, “My love for Hindi film arose when I saw Guru Dutt in Pyasa and Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam. These are the films that left me with me” On the birth anniversary of Guru Dutt, let’s take a look at some of the lesser facts.

Many thought Guru Dutt was a Bengali, but he was not. He was born in Bangalore, now called Bengaluru. Dutt’s parents were initially settled in Karwar, Karnataka but later relocated to Bombay now called Mumbai. Guru Dutt spent his childhood in Bhowanipore, West Bengal; therefore, he spoke Bangla like a pro. His sister named Lalita Lajmi was a famous Indian painter.

Before entering Indian cinema, Guru Dutt worked as a telephone operator at the Lever Brothers factory in Calcutta. Later he took help from his uncle and got another job with the Prabhat Film Company in Pune. There he first worked as an actor, then choreographer, and the rest is history.

In his personal life, Guru Dutt got hitched in 1953 to famous playback singer, Geeta Roy Chaudhary, later know as Geeta Dutt. The duo had two sons and a daughter. It was reported that Dutt had an unhappy marital life due to his undisciplined behaviour in his personal life. He was a heavy drinking, and his smoking habits created lot of problems in his married life.

Not just that, Dutt was allegedly linked to actress Waheeda Rehman, which again affected his married life. It was so much that Geeta Dutt had refused to sing for Waheeda Rehman in Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam.

Guru Dutt was said to be a ruthless professional in real life. When Sachin Dev Burman fell ill during the shooting of Baharen Bhi Ayengi Dutt, he replaced him with O P Nayyar within no time.

Guru Dutt passed away at an early age, 39, on October 10, 1964. It was then reported Guru Dutt’s death may have been suicide or an accidental overdose.

However, his son Arun Dutt thinks that his father died due to an overdose of pills and extreme liquor consumption. Guru Dutta lived alone in Peddar Road, Bombay (Mumbai), and was found dead on his bed. During that time, Dutt was already separated from his wife Geeta Dutt.

For more reliable and latest news