Born Vasanth Kumar Shivashankar Padukone in Bangalore in 1925, Guru Dutt was an actor, director and producer of Hindi cinema, active from 1946 until his death in Bombay in 1964 at thirty-nine. He made his directing debut with Baazi (1951), a noir with Dev Anand, and scored hits with Aar Paar and Mr. & Mrs. '55. Pyaasa (1957), the story of a poet rejected by a materialistic society, is on Time's list of the 100 best films. Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959), the first Indian CinemaScope film, was a box-office disaster and is now a cult classic.
Filmography
- Baazi (1951)
- Jaal (1952)
- Aar Paar (1954)
- Mr. & Mrs. '55 (1955)
- Pyaasa (1957)
- Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959)