RememberingGuru Dutt on his 96th birth anniversary:
The esteemed director, producer and actor put forth many films now considered cult classics such as Pyaasa (1957), Kaghaz ke Phool (1959) and Sahib Bibi aur Ghulam (1962).
Since I am more ept to talk about music, let me do so: the pairing of heroines with Guru Dutt and Geeta Roy’s magical voice brought us timeless classics such as Mohabbat Kar LoandYeh Lo Main (Aar Paar), Hum Aap Ki Aankhon Mein, Jane Kya Tune and the later-cancelled Rut Phire Par Din (Pyaasa), and of course, Waqt Ne Kiya (Kaaghaz ke Phool). The producer-singer duo also gave us gems like Na Jao SaiyyanandPiya Aiso Jiya Mein (Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam).
Chaudhvin ka Chand (1960) popularly called an ode to Waheeda Rehman’s beauty boasts of having perhaps the most romantic song of Indian cinema by the same name. Here are some of the absolutely dazzling lyrics by Shakeel Badayuni, sung in Mohammed Rafi’s dreamy voice:
Chaudhvin ka chand ho / Are you the full moon
Ya aftaab ho / Or the sun?
Jo bhi ho / Whatever you may be
Tum khuda ki qasam / I swear to God
Lajawab ho / You are beyond compare
Jaan-e-bahaar tum kisi shaair ka khwaab ho / My everyoung love, you are the dream of a poet
An interesting fact to note is that Guru Dutt participated in the picturization of his songs. The ingenuity of Waqt Ne Kiya’s haunting music video is largely credited to him.
Strangely enough, while his films had had more focus than ever before on female characters, he never extended that mindset to his own life. Something to wonder about.
