Sahib, Bibi Aur', Guru Dutt's enduring cinema legacy

As his countless fans remember him on his 87th birth anniversary, Guru Dutt's cinematic legacy continues to evoke interest in young directors who are looking up to the master story-teller for inspiration.

Journalist-writer Sathya Saran believes that Guru Dutt will become even more important to filmmakers who are trying to break away from the formula.

"I think there is a renewed interest in Guru Dutt. There are new kind of directors, who are looking at ways to break away from the formula and they are looking at blue prints.

When you look at good cinema, Guru Dutt and Bimal Roy's films are obvious blue prints," said Saran, who wrote a book on Guru Dutt's long time friend and scriptwriter, Abrar Alvi.

Director Tigmanshu Dhulia recently paid a tribute to Guru Dutt's 'Sahib, Bibi Aur Ghulam' in 'Sahib, Bibi Aur Gangster', a modern retelling of the relationship between the man, woman and the servant.

Sudhir Mishra, the director behind cult hits like 'Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi', 'Dharavi' and 'Chameli', counts Guru Dutt a huge influence.

So does Anurag Kashyap, who had even planned to make a film on the filmmaker's troubled relationship with his wife Geeta Dutt and muse Waheeda Rehman.

Guru Dutt, real name Vasanth Kumar Shivashankar Padukone, was born on July 9, 1925 in a Konkani Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmin family in Karnataka.

He did not have a happy childhood as it was marked by financial difficulties, strained relationship between his parents and other problems, which would continue to haunt him throughout his life.

The director, who often played lead roles in his films besides directing and producing, is famous for his lyrical use of camera. He mastered the extraordinary interplay of light and shadow, which became his signature style.

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