Dev Anand and Guru Dutt, icons of Indian cinema, began their journeys in the shadows of struggle, where dreams were large and pockets were empty. For a brief but brilliant time, their lives ran parallel, fuelled by friendship, promises, and a shared hunger to create. They would eventually walk different roads, shaped by fate and fame, yet the warmth of their connection never faded. While researching my book 'Guru Dutt: An Unfinished Story', I found myself endlessly captivated by the bond between Guru and Dev. It was something rare in showbiz. A friendship rooted in sincerity, not spotlight.
Guru Dutt and Dev Anand met at Prabhat Studio in Poona (Pune), both young strugglers chasing a foothold in the Hindi film industry. Guru Dutt was hired as a dance director for a modest salary of Rs 50, while Dev Anand landed the coveted ‘break’ as the lead in ‘Hum Ek Hain’ (1946), earning Rs 350 (a significant sum in those days). While staying at Prabhat Film Company’s guesthouse, Dev Anand’s missing shirt led to a chance encounter with a bespectacled stranger who had received it by mistake. Dev introduced himself and said he was the lead actor of 'Hum Ek Hain'. Shaking hands with Dev Anand, the bespectacled man had replied, "I am the lead choreographer of 'Hum Ek Hain'. My name is Guru Dutt." Dev recalled later, "We had a hearty laugh and embraced each other. We were to be friends for all times."
In the quiet corners of that studio town, over shared dreams and late-night conversations, a promise was made: "We promised each other that the day I became a producer, I’d take him on as a director, and the day he directed a film, he’d cast me as a hero," recalled Dev Anand.
It was a promise meant to last.
Their journeys continued in the Bombay film industry. After the success of 'Ziddi’ in 1948, Dev Anand shot to stardom and launched Navketan Films with his brother Chetan in 1949. Dev Anand stayed in touch with Guru Dutt, who was going through a difficult time in the film industry. Veteran film producer and lyricist, Amit Khanna, who worked closely with Dev Anand for many years, told me, “Dev Anand remembered fondly how he and Guru would go together to watch English films. He said Guru Dutt believed strongly in the popular appeal of cinema. Commercial success of his films was really important for him.’
For Dev Anand, it was time to honour a promise he had once made to his close friend. Though Guru Dutt had never directed a film, Dev Anand decided to gamble on his friend from the days of struggle. He asked Guru Dutt to direct Navketan’s second production in 1950. The film was 'Baazi'. Recalling that moment, Guru Dutt’s sister Lalitha Lajmi had told me, "One evening, he returned home laden with gifts and the news that he was directing a film. He told my mother that Dev Anand remembered his promise. We have never seen him so happy."
It was during the making of 'Baazi' that another significant event unfolded in Guru’s life. His meeting with the star playback singer Geeta Roy. While rehearsing a song with music composer S.D. Burman, Geeta pointed out the young man and asked, "Who is the Bengali gentleman?" S.D. Burman laughed. "He’s not a Bengali! But his name is Guru Dutt. He is the director of 'Baazi'. Don’t you know him?" And so Geeta Roy and Guru Dutt were introduced to each other.
Geeta Roy was already a celebrated singer. Those days she travelled in a limousine. Guru Dutt in buses and local trains. Dev remembered, "Guru Dutt would travel by buses and trains to pick me up from my home in Pali Hill and take me to his place in Matunga. His mother would take us into her kitchen, make chapattis and serve us food." As 'Baazi' came to life, Dev and Guru’s friendship grew stronger, and quietly, a love story between Guru and Geeta began to blossom.
Dev Anand’s elder brother, filmmaker Chetan Anand, wasn’t happy with the choice of Guru Dutt as the director of 'Baazi'. But Dev Anand was adamant and to prove his point he made sure that each department of the film should boast of stellar talent. Chetan wasn’t directly associated with the film but the story of 'Baazi' was written by his close friend, actor Balraj Sahni. Zohra Sehgal was asked to choreograph the dance sequences. S.D. Burman was the music composer while the brilliant poet, Sahir Ludhianvi, was writing the lyrics. A young Raj Khosla, who arrived in Bombay chasing dreams of playback singing, began his journey as Guru Dutt’s assistant on 'Baazi', long before becoming one of Hindi cinema’s most successful directors.
And then there was Badruddin Jamaluddin Kazi, who made his debut in 'Baazi' and went on to become Hindi cinema’s simple-hearted comic legend, Johnny Walker. The film credits him by his real name, Badruddin. But it was Guru Dutt who gave him the screen name inspired by his favourite whiskey brand. Ironically, Badruddin had never even touched alcohol in his life.
The story of 'Baazi' was about Madan (Dev Anand), an out-of-work taxi driver who falls for the proverbial ‘fallen woman’ with a golden heart, Neena (Geeta Bali), who reciprocates his love. There was also a ‘Hitchcockian appearance’ of Guru Dutt in the opening shots of 'Baazi' where he plays the role of a poor man smoking was a precursor to his days as a full-fledged actor. Guru Dutt shared the story credit with Balraj Sahni in the film’s credits but during the making, Balraj was unhappy with Guru Dutt’s style of working. Their worldview and vision could not match. Balraj, a staunch leftist, was an active member of IPTA (Indian People's Theatre Association) and for him films were meant to spread social ideas and messages about equality and justice. Guru Dutt belonged to the Gyan Mukherjee school of filmmaking and wanted to make commercial films. He was interested in dances, songs and mainstream elements to make a successful and entertaining film rather than ‘teach’ the audience something. In his autobiography, Sahni has written about how Guru Dutt’s sense of script was weak. While Sahni felt that screenplay was the most important element of a movie, Guru Dutt focused more on song sequences that were to become his signature in Hindi cinema.
Despite frequent clashes, Dev Anand stood firmly by his friend Guru, often playing the peacemaker during heated arguments between the director and the scriptwriter. Balraj was upset when he realized that the screenplay had been changed by Guru Dutt. They never collaborated again. But Dev Anand’s faith in his friend was rewarded. 'Baazi' was a smash hit.
The first success of Navketan Films and Guru Dutt’s first step into the big league, 'Baazi' had truly changed lives.
The success of 'Baazi' also ended Guru Dutt’s financial struggle. He bought the first ceiling-fan for the family flat and a radio, which the family kept as a memento for years. "There was a time when he couldn’t attend a shooting schedule because he had only two pairs of trousers: one was dirty and the other was at the laundry," Lalitha Lajmi told me. Guru also asked his mother to leave her job at the school as she had "toiled and sacrificed enough" for the family and it was time for her to relax.
'Baazi' was also a landmark film in Dev Anand’s career. Till then he had given some successful films that belonged to social, comedy or romantic genres but 'Baazi' gave him a brand-new screen persona with grey shades which was starkly different from his previous clean-cut, cute-looking roles. The cap, the cigarette and the styling did wonders for Dev’s projection as the rebellious romantic star. In his autobiography, 'Romancing with life', Dev Anand wrote: "'Baazi' gave me an image that stayed in the minds of people, and made a genuine star out of me. For the first time I felt and saw what stardom was in terms of adulation and fan following. I became a phenomenon after the release of 'Baazi.'"
Guru and Dev Anand had fulfilled the old promise they had made to each other.
Their second outing, the 1952 thriller 'Jaal' wasn’t as big a commercial success as 'Baazi'. As a director, 'Jaal' became Guru Dutt’s last film with Dev Anand. According to Raj Khosla, Dev was steeped in his mannerisms while Guru Dutt wanted his performances to be more realistic. It wasn’t easy to force Dev Anand, the star. There were instances when Guru Dutt used to get irritated. But they remained close friends. Dev Anand told Open Magazine, “So many people came into my life, but Guru and I shared something different. Our journey began together. I’ve always said he was my only friend and I repeat that today because jab Dev Anand star ban gaya toh phir kaun sachcha dost banta hai? (After one becomes a star, how does one really make true friends?)"
Guru and Geeta tied the knot on May 26, 1953. Their early years were filled with happiness, but cracks soon appeared in their relationship leading to many struggles. Yet through it all, Geeta stayed a vital force in Guru Dutt’s cinema. In the years that followed, something restless was stirring within Guru Dutt. He produced the thriller 'C.I.D.' (1956) with Dev Anand in the lead but stepped back from the director’s chair. His assistant Raj Khosla made his directorial debut. The film became a runaway hit, marking Waheeda Rehman’s debut in Hindi cinema.
Shifting from thrillers to more intense, serious cinema.
Having moved beyond thrillers and comedies, Guru Dutt now yearned to create something deeper and profound. For years, he had been shaping his dream project 'Pyaasa'. When it released in 1957, it stunned audiences and critics alike, achieving both critical acclaim and commercial success. The film went on to become a timeless classic, earning a place in Time magazine’s list of 100 films to watch before you die.
But beneath his creative brilliance, Guru Dutt was battling deep personal turmoil. His relationship with Geeta was constantly growing strained. During the making of 'Pyaasa' came the news that he had attempted suicide. His first attempt. His sister, the late artist Lalitha Lajmi, shared with me that during these years of personal turmoil and mental health struggles, Guru Dutt’s personality underwent a noticeable change. She believed that the intense, serious films he was making also had an impact. "The kind of serious films he was making had also affected him. His personality had changed. He had become more reclusive... sometimes he used to call me saying he wants to talk about something. But whenever I went to meet him, he never really confided. He was disturbed."
Meetings with Dev Anand had grown sparse, each caught up in their own busy worlds. Despite being a part of showbiz Dev was observing his friend Guru never wanted to be part of a crowd, “He always looked and felt melancholic… We used to meet regularly even after 'Baazi' but gradually both of us got busier.”
By the time Dutt’s magnum opus 'Kaagaz Ke Phool' took shape, Guru Dutt’s marriage with Geeta had fractured beyond repair. The brooding, semi-autobiographical film mirrored his own life - his unhappy marriage with his wife and his confused relationship with his muse. It also eerily ends with the death of the filmmaker after failing to come to terms with his acute loneliness and doomed relationships. He poured his soul into it, hoping perhaps for catharsis. But when it released in 1959, 'Kaagaz Ke Phool' was an instant disaster at the box office.
Over time, 'Kaagaz Ke Phool'
'Kaagaz Ke Phool' became a cult classic and it’s been taught at many film schools across the world. But back in 1959, its failure hit Guru Dutt hard. The grand premiere in Delhi was no different. Absolutely crestfallen at the complete rejection of 'Kaagaz Ke Phool', Guru turned to his old friend. He called Dev Anand that night after the premiere at the iconic Regal theatre in Delhi, "Dev! My film has been a disaster. Completely rejected." Dev Anand had told Open magazine, “The day he realized that his 'Kaagaz Ke Phool' did not do well - he’d gone to Delhi to open it in the presence of President S. Radhakrishnan - he was a sad man. He never went behind the camera to direct; he only acted. He took Abrar (Alvi), but never had the courage to direct. Woh cheez khatam ho gayi thhi.”
Professionally, Guru Dutt made a smashing comeback with his next, 'Chaudhvin Ka Chand' (1960), a massive box-box-office success. He also launched his next film, 'Sahib Biwi Aur Ghulam' with screenwriter Abrar Alvi as the director. But personally everything went downhill. His mental health was fragile, his marriage with Geeta in ruins, and the tabloids were alive with whispers of his closeness to Waheeda Rehman. Another suicide attempt followed. But he was saved.
In a stunning turn of events, Guru Dutt ordered the demolition of the dream bungalow he had lovingly built in Pali Hill. Geeta believed they would never find happiness in that house. Guru Dutt’s sister, Lalitha Lajmi, told me that Guru Dutt never quite recovered from that day, “They had moved into a rented flat nearby, in a building called Ashish, opposite Dilip Kumar’s bungalow in Pali Hill. But peace didn’t follow. Arguments returned. Within a few months Guru and Geeta fought again and realized that their relationship was over and a reconciliation was no more possible.” Geeta Dutt and the three children moved to a rented place near Mehboob Studios in Bandra, while Guru Dutt withdrew into a small flat in Ark Royal Apartments on Pedder Road in central Bombay.
The home was gone. So was the family. Friends drifted. What remained was a haunting loneliness. And in that silence, Guru Dutt’s thoughts turned again to his old friend, Dev Anand
“We were and remained friends till the last, though our meetings started becoming rarer and rarer as we both grew, physically, emotionally and artistically," said Dev Anand about his old friend Guru. In his loneliness when there was no one to talk to, Guru Dutt used to call Dev Anand at midnight saying he had a brainwave. Dev remembered, "He wanted to make another movie with me and I would always tell him, 'Come over'. He always 'came over' and he always discussed his plans...as soon as he set his foot back in the studios, he had another idea and the previous one paled into insignificance. Then I would not hear from him for months at a stretch until he had another brainwave."
Perhaps Guru Dutt did not plan to make any film with him. He just wanted to go and meet his old friend. Just sit and talk like old times. But he could never share his turmoil even with Dev Anand.
On 6 October 1964, Guru Dutt called Dev Anand again. "In the last days of his life, he called me and said he’d love to have me over. I saw the man then, he’d lost his hair and was weak. He was suffering. He was not the same Guru I’d known. We discussed making a film together. I told him, 'Look, why don’t you write a great script? Let’s do it,’" said Dev Anand.
Veteran lyricist and film producer Amit Khanna who worked closely with Dev Anand for years, recalled, ‘Guru Dutt came to the Navketan (Dev Anand’s film company) office and said he wanted to come back and make a film there. Dev Anand told him, “Yaar, tumhara ghar hai. Come and make a film soon.” Guru smiled and said he wanted Goldie (Vijay Anand) to edit the film. Dev Anand often told us about this last meeting with Guru Dutt."
The two friends Guru Dutt and Dev Anand made a promise to work together once again, like the promise they had made years ago at Prabhat Studios in Poona during the beginning of their respective journeys.
‘Guru, Uth!’—The Day Dev Anand Wept
10.30 on the morning of October 10, 1964. It was a Saturday. Thirty-nine-year-old Guru Dutt was lying there. Insensate. Lalitha Lajmi has vivid memories of that morning. She’s teary eyed while recounting it, "He was dead, his right arm out, half-opened eyes, an unfinished book and the right leg folded as if to get up from his bed.”
Johnny Walker and Waheeda Rehman were travelling to Madras the day Guru Dutt passed away. Johnny Walker recalled, "As soon as I entered my room in Hotel Connemara, the telephone rang. It was a trunk call from Bombay, and I was told about the tragedy: “Johnny! Guru gaya!”’ Johnny broke down. His friend was gone. Waheeda Rehman was completely stunned. "I knew he had tried to commit suicide before, but it was still a terrible shock," recalled Waheeda who came back to Bombay immediately with Johnny Walker to see Guru Dutt one last time. "I know that he had always wished for it, longed for it...and he got it," wrote Waheeda Rehman later on Guru Dutt’s death.
But the first one from the film industry to reach was a shocked Dev Anand who had cancelled the shoot of his film 'Teen Deviyaan', "I was the first man to go into his room. His dead body was lying there. There was a glass of blue liquid on the floor. He was sallow. And dead."
Consoling a speechless Geeta, Dev Anand broke down. Kneeling beside Guru Dutt, he gripped his cold hand and wept, "Guru, uth! Kahan chala gaya tu?’ (‘Guru, get up. Where have you gone?’)
There’s a haunting photo Lalitha Lajmi gave me from her family album where Dev Anand and Raj Kapoor are standing over Guru Dutt’s lifeless body. Their eyes heavy with the weight of a promise now broken. The vow to work together again, to chase one more cinematic dream, lay in ruins. So many untold stories, so many golden days, vanished like smoke on a fading reel.
"Deep-seated within was a tremendous ambition to fight against the stereotyped, set conventionalism of the early fifties, to be original and different," Dev Anand would later recall. And in that ambition, perhaps, lived the brightest spark of a man who burned too fast, and far too beautifully.
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