9 July : Guru Dutt's birth anniversary.

“Life mein, yaar, kya hai? Do hi toh cheezen hai – kamyaabi aur failure. There is nothing in between.” (”What's life about, friend? It's only about two things - success and failure. There is nothing in between.”) - Guru Dutt (On failure of Kaagaz Ke Phool and success of Chaudhvin Ka Chand)

Vasanth Kumar Shivashankar Padukone (b. 9 July 1925 - d. 10 October 1964), better known as Guru Dutt, was a film director, producer and actor.

 

He was born in Bangalore to Shivashanker Rao Padukone and Vasanthi Padukone in a Konkani Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmin family. His father was initially a headmaster, and then a bank employee. His mother Vasanthi wrote short stories and translated Bengali novels into Kannada. Guru Dutt spent his early childhood in Bhowanipore area of Kolkata and he grew close to Bengali culture and intellect. He started his film career at Prabhat Film Company in Pune in 1944 and later moved to Mumbai.

 

Guru Dutt made 1950s and 1960s classics such as Pyaasa, Kaagaz Ke Phool , Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam and Chaudhvin Ka Chand. In particular, Pyaasa and Kaagaz Ke Phool are now included among the greatest films of all time, both by Time magazine's "All-TIME" 100 best movies and by the Sight & Sound critics' and directors' poll, where Guru Dutt himself is included among the greatest film directors of all time. He is sometimes referred to as "India's Orson Welles". In 2010, he was included among CNN's "top 25 Asian actors of all time". He is most famous for making lyrical and artistic films within the context of popular Hindi cinema of the 1950s, and expanding its commercial conventions, starting with his 1957 film, Pyaasa. Several of his later works have a cult following. His movies go full house when re-released; especially in Germany, France and Japan.