Traversing Guru Dutt’s love life

This act of uniting and parting ways, leaving behind a tinge of bitterness and yet a deep sense of longing, was premiered at Sathya Sai Auditorium on Saturday in the national Capital. The play titled ‘Gardish Mein Taare’ was presented by ‘Old World Culture’ and produced under the banner of Manhar Gadhia Productions is Saif Hyder Hasan’s (director of the play) latest venture into the theatrical realm after ‘Ek Mulaqaat’ last year.

The play traces the path of two protagonists- Dev Dutt Bose, a successful filmmaker, played by Arif Zakaria and Bhavna, a noted singer, played by Sonali Kulkarni. Inspired from the conflicts faced between late actor and director Guru Dutt and Geeta Dutt in their marriage, the play is a tribute to the creatively volatile era of hindi cinema during 1950s and 60s. The narration is in a language which is direct and easy to comprehend with nostalgic feelings and  potrayal of the sweet-bitter love life of the protagonists in the play. 

The play opens with Dev Dutt (Arif) shooting himself and then goes on to narrate the troubled relationship between him and his wife Bhavna by going in a flashback. Though a love marriage, the warmth and passion of the initial days was replaced by indifference and coldness. The play oscillates between the present and the past through a policeman prying into their private lives, interrogating Bhavna (Sonali) about the reason that prompted Dev Dutt to commit suicide, and through Dev Dutt’s letters to his wife via monologues. Bhavna starts feeling suffocated in her marriage as she is confined to only singing for her husband’s movies and is not allowed to follow her dreams, while Dev Dutt is obsessed and ambitious about his work. 

There were various amusing scenes in the play but the one that was instrumental  to the story was where Dev Dutt is having a conversation with an actor who acts only in his films, Afsana. She asks for Dutt’s permission to work for other filmmakers after a film, Patjhar ki Awaaz, directed by Dutt failed miserably and then Afsana concludes by telling him that if an idol maker falls in love with his idol, the idol is not at fault. 

The play has references to Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Pather Panchali showing some real events from Guru Dutt’s life.  Emotions that the characters are experiencing during the play have been enhanced with the use of good lighting- red light signifying turbulence and blue serenity. Full justice has been done to the play with the music taking one back to the 50s era. The songs are not only melodious but also in sync with the situation. The play is all about people who are mad and passionate and can forsake everything for the cinema. Good dialogues and good performances of the two characters were successful in  arousing the emotion of the audience.