THE CLOSEST SUCCESSOR OF GURU DUTT - AAMIR KHAN

I was just reading newspaper and wondered how the media is now constantly using 'Mr Perfectionist' nickname for Aamir Khan. Though the adjective is quite heavy in itself, and should not be use for just anyone. But then I tried to study Aamir, and then started comparing the traits of his with Guru Dutt.

I personally belong to this modern era and somehow lacks total character study of Guru Dutt, I know Guru from his movies, and through various written material we have courtesy his friends & colleagues, Like Dev Anand, Abrar Alvi & VK Murthy to name the few. Though still that info can not be compared to today's twitter-friendly & FaceBook-Driven actors and superstars.

I always wanted to have the more detailed study of Guru's thought process, his ideologies and his point of view about the world around him. That has played an important part in his cinematic outburst like Kaagaz ke Phool & Pyaasa. Clearly, he was the original Mr Perfectionist of Indian cinema without doubt. His way of treating Film-making as an absolute is quite well-known. His issues and rifts over the minute subtle artworks of his cinema has often led many legendary artists to avoid Guru Dutt. He had that heat of Iron, that uncompromising attitude which made him produce and direct many classic stories. Now let's connect the dots of Aamir & Guru.

Aamir favorite life-changing movie is Guru Dutt-starrer and Directed movie PYAASA (1957), he has often quoted him to be great inspiration in his career. Aamir Khan, though has directed only one film till now and that's Taare Zameen Par, but it was worth an effort. Even Aamir has given several co-actors and directors a hard time while filming of his movies due to his extra-specific scene demands and retakes-till-perfect behaviours. Also, many times he has been criticized by his Directors and producers that he always change his mindset and demands re-shooting of any sequence he thinks was not up-to-the-mark as per his vision. Recent feud between Reema Kagti & Aamir over his upcoming flick Talaash is also one example. Guru was also very specific about his sequences and treatment, that also gave his cameraman VK Murthy a hard time working over and over again for the perfect scene. It happened in KAAGAZ KE PHOOL trademark light-beam shot, which has became world-famous, and Pyaasa's last auditorium scene for which Guru Dutt took over 100 retakes. He always was unsatisfied with his final product, his intent always remains EK AUR SHOT, EK AUR....but this unsatisfaction was not just with his actors and actresses, but with himself too, his scene was never up-to-the-mark according to him.

He was so involved in the technical aspects of the movie that he used to guide his team how he has imagined the shot. At first his too many retakes thing was misjudged by the industry people who termed him as a novice Director who don't know the craft. But later everybody started respecting Guru. Thankfully, he was blessed with cinematographer like VK Murthy. Even Dada Saheb Phalke-winner VK Murthy thinks, that Aamir is best suited for the autobiographical movie on Guru Dutt which Anurag Kashyap & Rakeysh OmPrakash Mehra were planning. According to Arun Dutt, Guru Dutt's son, Aamir has been approached for the role and he has asked for the script. Infact Aamir also did one photoshoot posing as Guru Dutt with Katreena posing as Waheeda in a trademark poster-picture of Pyaasa.

So if the film on Guru Dutt's Life actually becomes a reality, It will be interesting to watch Aamir preparation for the role. Though these characteristics traits and similarities are enough to state that Aamir Khan is more closest Film personality to Guru Dutt, Infact one newspaper even quoted him to be the incarnation of Guru Dutt. That's a bit too far. I think Aamir has a lot to prove in order to justify that phenomenon. But still he is lucky to be compared with the timeless genius Guru Dutt.

GURU-R-BRAHMA !

It's a very basic prayer in India for the teachers, Guru (Teacher) is Brahma (God of Creation).

But I'm symbolically using the same to describe Sir Guru Dutt. Yes I'm a fan, I'm a devotee, of not just this man great films and productions, as the similar feat can be replicated and has been tried by many, so what if not been accomplished in such grandeur & kingly way. I'm devotee of something even bigger than that, something deeper, I'm devotee of his ideals, his thinking, his approach in life. Even though cynic might say all of him was extreme, a wild race towards perfection, a completeness which can never be attained. Game which cannot be won.

 

And he never won ! Did he ? He mastered film-making, productions and arts. But he was the representative & one of the niche-sponsor of great failures, whether professionally or personally. His marriage was a disaster, his greatest creations not aligned with people frequency of understanding. So what if he made movies 30-40 years ahead of its time. Whats the point when nobody is there in theatres to have a taste of the art. 

But then, I damn-sure know, succumbing to commercialism, profitability, and money is so easy and ordinary in this society. What he craved for was reaching the ultimate he visualize, the zenith he foreseen. A jump to grasp the sky of creation. And a medium to let the fountain of emotions, anguish, sadness & frustration to flow unsteadily. He was insatiable but for creation, not for the benefit out of that. And thus he was always dissatisfied by his work, the end-result. And this quality which look so appealing, is equally dangerous & lethal. It can drove you to farthest sea-zones of mental traumas & high tides of emotions from where returning is not the option. His close friends & colleagues were annoyed by the same too. They wanted the work done and move on, he wanted the work to move on till it gets the right textures & proper canvas. An undying quest for perfectionism.

 

So when I symbolize Guru Dutt to be Brahma, a god of creativity. Don't take it as an exaggeration, or false fan-hood, Infact it's an extension of Guru's path or, the destination of his journey, i.e towards attainment of Bhrama. Yes, whether it's a much-talked about ones like Pyaasa or Kaagaz Ke Phool or, the lesser talked one like Mr & Mrs. 55, he displayed his craftsmanship in accurate manner with some minute flaws, for which he remained guilty to himself till he died. Yes, in various occasions he had expressed his anguish & guilt for some rare surrender to commercialism, the popular masala he put on his flicks for garnering public attention, monetory success. And he never liked those impurities in his creations. A/c to me, Even legendary Pyaasa was not the purest creation of him, nor the Kaagaz ke Phool. His purest was not meant for the world at that time. That’s why you see ‘Sar jo tera chakraye’ have to be placed in sadistic Pyaasa, and “Hum Tum Jise Kehta Hai” kinda crappy number have to be gelled in the otherwise, purest creation of his whole life, Kaagaz ke Phool.

But I would not complain about that! Who is not adulterated or impure in this society? How could one man attain the eternal bliss of mastery, the completeness? And if he would have attained that, do you really think he would be satisfied, Nah! Then there would be another level to reach. That’s the story of Ideality. My teacher was once explaining an Ideal Engine to the class. He said, “Ideal Engine never exists! It’s like Shri Rama, and Ideal man, who is so flawless, that doesn’t look real, A man who can go for painful 14 years exile for happiness of his step mom. So Ideal Engine efficiency is 100%”

In Similar manner, and Ideal Creator, or Brahma, if ever existed in some impure form in Hindi Film Industry, was undoubtedly Mr Guru Dutt.

If anyone has any confusion on that, or any challenging claim against it, Please share your contender for this Tag, I’ll be enriched to know another genius like him.

GURU-R-BHRAMA !!