Two deeply impactful personalities were born today
Guru Dutt & Sanjeev Kumar.
Even though they belonged to entirely different Bollywood eras, it is no mere coincidence that Guru Dutt and Sanjeev Kumar, two of Hindi cinema’s greatest legends, were born on the same day .
As you will find out, Guru Dutt and Sanjeev Kumar have a few things in common starting, undeniably, with their tragic young deaths. Gripped by depression Dutt committed suicide at 39, leaving behind not only a rich legacy of popular classics such as Pyaasa, Kaagaz Ke Phool and Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam but also a handful of unfinished films, including Baharen Phir Bhi Aayengi which was ultimately released with Dharmendra as his replacement.
On the other hand, Sanjeev Kumar, who excelled at playing older characters complete with salt-and-pepper hair, languid gait and a shawl draped gracefully over his sturdy, manly shoulders, died catastrophically young at 47.
Like Guru Dutt, Sanjeev Kumar also left several incomplete productions and several projects that were released after his demise.
One of them was K.Asif's Love and God in which he replaced Guru Dutt.
(Some irony).
Like Guru Dutt whose birth name was Vasanth Kumar Shivashankar Padukone, Sanjeev Kumar was born Harihar Jethalal Jariwala, popularly known as Haribhai in the Hindi film circle. In Kaagaz Ke Phool’s iconic and poignant ending, we see Guru Dutt as a shawl-clad old man doddering about the film studios where he spent his salad days. This was to become, many years later, Sanjeev Kumar’s adopted look in several hit Bollywood films of the 1970s and 80s. Of course, it’s too far-fetched to say that Kumar was inspired by Dutt. He may have been, who knows, but there’s no evidence to suggest that.
Guru Dutt made his own identity in both acting and direction in Hindi cinema. The fact in itself suffices to gauge Guru Dutt’s talent that Guru Dutt’s films ‘Pyaasa’ and ‘Kaagaz Ke Phool’ were ranked by Time magazine among the 100 best films of the world. ‘Chaudhvi Ka Chand’ and ‘Saheb Bibi Aur Ghulam’ are also kept in his best films. His collaborations were regularly with Abrar Alvi, Sahir Ludhianvi.
Sanjeev Kumar, mostly in collaboration with Gulzar, essayed at times, sensitive, tragic, poetic and at others, light-hearted and breezy comedies, in films like Koshish, Aandhi, Parichay, Mausam, Angoor and Namkeen.
One write up cannot do justice to bothe these stalwarts.
I have read their Biographies and believe me they are "unputdownable."
May they be together in heaven. 🙏
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