Guru Dutt

Golden Age 1944–1964

An actor-director of rare vision, Guru Dutt fused poetry, light and shadow into some of world cinema’s most enduring images. His introspective films about art, love and disillusionment were often ahead of their time. He remains a byword for tragic genius in Indian film.

Honours: Pyaasa and Kaagaz Ke Phool are on many all-time-greatest lists worldwide.

Filmography

The Golden Era

1959

Kaagaz Ke Phool

Drama Dir. Guru Dutt

India’s first CinemaScope film — a haunting tale of a fading director.

1957

Pyaasa

Poetic Drama Dir. Guru Dutt

Guru Dutt’s poetic masterpiece on art and a hypocritical world.

Signature Roles

Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam

Aar Paar

Mr. & Mrs. 55

Best known for: Pyaasa · Kaagaz Ke Phool · Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam · Aar Paar · Mr. & Mrs. 55

Did You Know?

Kaagaz Ke Phool was India’s first film shot in CinemaScope.
Pyaasa featured in Time magazine’s All-Time 100 Movies.
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) has run continuously at Mumbai’s Maratha Mandir cinema for decades — the longest theatrical run in film history.
Sholay (1975) ran for over five years at Mumbai’s Minerva theatre and its dialogues are quoted to this day.
Mother India (1957) was India’s first film nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

← Back to the Bollywood Hub