From the magical notes of Jaane kya tune kahi and Chaudavi ka chand to tales of how actress Waheeda Rehman was discovered due to a buffalo, the re-launch of the book 10 Years With Guru Dutt: Abrar Alvi’s Journey by Sathya Saran at Olive Bar recently chronicled the most productive period of filmmaker Guru Dutt’s life.
“The book spans the precious ten years and candid conversations between Dutt sahab and his close friend, scriptwriter Abrar Alvi. The book came about when I read an article in a newspaper about Guru Dutt and met Abrar. He beautifully narrated every important part of their life and even acted out some of the important scenes. It was like living in that era and watching a part of the film on the sets,” says Sathya.
The book, now translated in Hindi, celebrates that era in a captivating manner. The evening saw the narration of excerpts from the book and renactments of some of the scenes from his films interspersed with movie clips. The presentation included photos from archives, film posters and other memorabilia.
While Vidushi Mehra was an epitome of grace and beauty as she played Waheeda Rehman from Kagaz ke phool, Esha Chopra brought alive the scenes of Sahib Biwi Aur Ghulam by enacting Meena Kumari’s role. Actors Raaghav Chanana and Damandeep Sidhu played Guru Dutt and Rehman.
An avid admirer of Dilip Kumar, author Sathya wants to discover the not-so-explored veterans from the film industry. “Hindi film music and films sets have always inspired me. I’m a great fan of Dilip Kumar, but his life has be written and portrayed by several writers in all forms. I want to portray people through special and undiscovered stories. After writing a book on Guru Dutt, I discovered his child-like quality and innocence,” she sums up adding that she would soon be writing a book on Bengali singer and composer S.D. Burman.