Emancipating GEETA from DUTT

When the first sound film of India was on its way of completion in 1929-30, miles away from the bedlam & the bustling of Bombay, in a small town called Faridpur, in the then undivided Bengal, a girl was born on 23rd Nov 1930। The wealthy & eminent zamindar couple of their area named their baby, GEETA... Little they knew that their baby daughter later would become the skylark of India because of her GEETS!!! She was born with the silver spoon in her mouth। She grew up in the sprawling mansion in Faridpur, with lots of cousins & her own brothers. But as the luck has its own ways, the family first shifted to Calcutta & then finally relocated to Bombay in 1941.

In Bombay, their base was in Dadar Hindu Colony. The little training that Geeta was getting in Calcutta from her teacher was also now not there anymore. While living in Dadar, she started teaching music to other girls, not for money but for her own expressions & perfection. Beneath her apartment there was a dance school where the music director Hanuman Prasad often visited. One fateful day, there was a knock at the door. The guest was Hanuman Prasad himself who asked her father, “Who is the girl who sings every evening here?” After learning that she is the daughter, he persuaded the father that she must sing for the films. And that’s how the immortal & heavenly musical voyage started. She got to sing two lines in a mythological, Bhakt Prahlad. The year was 1946… someone was really overwhelmed with those two lines & asked Mr. Hanuman about the voice. The man was SD Burman & he also followed the voice till Dadar Hindu Colony. And after he found the voice, all hell broke! Their journey started off with Do Bhai, released in April’48. Geeta lent her voice to the Prima Dona, the superstar of the era, Kamini Kaushal. Film was a disaster on the box-office even after having mega stars of that time but songs were the instant hits, esp. mera sundar sapna beet gaya. This was a gem by 40 something musician & 17 year old singer! Geeta got instantaneous fame & she swept the nation off its feet. Her voice was like a refreshing break from the super successful nasal singers of that time, Noorjehan, Shamshad Begum, Rajkumari Dubey & Amirbai etc. She became the biggest threat & challenge to all of them with her debut as a singer itself. And by the time Lata Mangeshkar started her struggle & was trying to hold her forte in the industry, Geeta Roy was already THE most popular & busy singer of the industry!

But her success never went to her head। She never had any friction or cold war with any of her colleagues or any music director for that matter, which is very rare in this glamour world. And more than anything else, it defines the woman. Geeta Roy was a secure woman when it comes to her profession & even otherwise. It was flagrant that the legendary Madan Mohan never trusted her singing ability but she never held a grudge against him. Whenever he gave her any song (which was very rare!), she quietly sang it in the studio & came out smiling as she knew she again had a winner. In just four years from 1947 to 1950, from Geeta, she had become THE Geeta Roy!

Apart from SD Burman, she shared a great rapport & camaraderie with many other music directors like OP Nayyar, with whom she had sung many hundreds of songs before he decided to turn his back towards his “mentor” and opted for his one-sided love, Asha Bhonsle. The reason why I called Geeta Roy OP’s mentor is it was Geeta who actually recommended OP to Guru Dutt for Baaz. The down in the dumps OP was all set to leave for the station to catch the train back to his village after many consecutive flops but it was Geeta who asked him to wait & recommended him to Guru Dutt for Baaz. Though, again the film bombed but songs were the rage at that time & OP Nayyar stayed in Bombay till his last breath after that… she has worked with every legendary music director, be it Hansraj Behl or Ghulam Hyder or SN Tripathi (a legend in mythological films) or Bulo C Rani or Jayant or C Ramchandra or Hemant Kumar or Jaidev etc. She was equally comfortable with everyone, regardless of the fact whether they were comfortable with her voice or not! There were few legends who never trusted her voice like Madan Mohan or Shankar Jaikishan but she never let that affect her. She continued to croon and how!!! Her most fruitful & successful union was with SD Burman which spanned from 1947 to 1964! The legend composed around 70 songs to be rendered by the irrevocable Geeta Roy.

She had some amazing pairing with many screen Goddesses like Nirupa Roy, Geeta Bali, Kamini Kaushal & of course Wahida Rehman & Meena Kumari. Nirupa Roy was the queen of mythological films which were the ‘in’ thing back in 40s & Geeta Roy was the ‘audio’ Devi of Hindi cinema! From 1948 to 1951 (peak of Nirupa Roy), Geeta’s voice escorted Nirupa in not less than 40-45 songs! And for her namesake Geeta Bali, Roy was THE voice. Right from Geeta Bali’s debut film, Suhag Raat in 1948, Geeta Roy was her voice. Be it Bansaria, Garibi, Nishana, Ghayal, Johri, Nakhre, Bedardi & Bawre Nain etc. Geeta Bali & Roy were inseparable. And of course then there was Baazi, Jaal, Coffee House & Albela. Can you envisage tadbeer se bigdi hui taqdeer bana de without either of the Geetas? Roy complimented Bali’s naughtiness & expressions so well that the song became the identity of both of them…With Wahida Rehman & Meena Kumari, she delivered the most popular & satisfying songs of her career. Waqt ne kiya kya haseen sitam, na jao saiyyan, piya aiso jiya mein, chale aao & jane kya tune kahi… each song is a tour de force!

Geeta always eluded controversies throughout her life. Arguably she was THE most meek celebrity Hindi cinema has ever produced. Miles away from any disagreement for a tune or creating maha hungama for the royalty or divergence about who has sung how many songs & who should be in the world record books or keep having affairs with the film directors, top people from music labels & musicians just to get more & more work, Geeta was more passionate about her singing. She never threw any tantrums or never had any reservation about not singing a cabaret or a mujra or any other genre for that matter! She sang whatever people offered her and that’s what makes her much more respectable & dignified than most of the “living” legends of that era. She was the personification of poise & grace. She was human with blood & flesh & was never a larger-than-life celebrity.

It’s a general myth that Geeta Roy could achieve whatever she has only because of the songs & the films of Guru Dutt but I would LOVE to clear this annoying fallacy that she was the most busy, powerful & successful singer of the industry even before she met a certain Guru Dutt! She was the one who actually toned down the super success of Shamshad Begum, Noor Jehan & Rajkumari Dubey etc. Guru Dutt was just a struggler when she met her. He got his first break as a director in Baazi after assisting many directors in many films. SD Burman sent word to her in a fateful morning to report for the rehearsals at the Famous Studio in Mahalaxmi, Bombay। Geeta & her father reached the studio & parked the car in the compound. Her father went out to locate the rehearsal hall & she stayed in the car. Minutes later a young man came up to her saying, “Come, I’ll take you to the rehearsal room”.

He spoke Bengali & she went with him after he re-assured her with his manners. They went upstairs where Mr. Burman was rehearsing & the first question she asked was, “Who was that Bengali gentleman?” Mr. Burman laughed saying he wasn’t a Bengali & that his name was Guru Dutt, the director of the film!

And from that particular morning, the most important phase of her life started…both, personally & professionally. After many consecutive meetings, Guru was head over heel in love with her & was ready to cross every possible obstruction in the universe for his “Geetu”. Ultimately she had to give in to his unconditional love.

They both decided to get married & it irked many eyebrows that point of time as she was THE singer in the industry with Lata Mangeshkar desperately trying to reach the top & Guru still wasn’t THE Guru Dutt as his Pyaasa, Kaagaz Ke Phool & Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam was nowhere near making & he wasn’t a legend। Many friends & well-wishers warned her as well। But like most of us, madly in love people would do, she decided to ignore & overhear all the speculations & tied the knot with Guru on May 26th 1953.

Now, she was a content, successful & as they say, a “complete” woman. Guru Dutt was madly in love with his wife who was far more flourishing professionally than him at that time. She had shifted from her sprawling bungalow in Khar (called Amiya Kutir) to Guru’s apartment. She never complaint... Post marriage, his life had also changed completely. Now he is making Pyaasa, Mr. & Mrs. 55, Kaagaz Ke Phool, Aar-Paar, Chaudhavi Ka Chand & Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam etc. and also now he is a proud father of two children. He seamlessly reached to the top with the likes of Bimal Roy, Raj Khosla, BR Chopra & V Shantaram et al. On the other hand, Geeta was also giving superhits after superhits like piya aiso jiya mein & jane kahan mera jigar gaya ji etc. but by then Lata was already reached the top & all the music directors used to swear on Lata’s voice. Slowly but surely Geeta’s career was on a decline…it was like she gave all her luck to her beloved husband.

And then came a phase in her life which was catastrophic! There were strong rumors in the industry about an intense love affair between an approaching, beautiful actress & a legendary director. No prize for guessing, the actress was Wahida Rehman & the director was Guru Dutt। As the rumors were becoming reality, Geeta’s life kept getting more and more despondent. Though she kept singing for Guru’s films, she refused to lend her voice to Wahida Rehman! And this was a completely justified step to be taken by a wife who was losing her husband to some actress, who was, strictly according to ME, way behind Geeta in both, looks and talent. It must have devastated her but a warrior that she was; Geeta never let this affect her children at all. She always tried to shirk all this from her kids. She never created a scene in public nor gave any statement in press. Gracefully she decided to go away from her Guru’s life but he wasn’t ready for that as well. According to him, he loved BOTH of them!!! He never let Geeta go because subconsciously he also knew that Wahida would never be a ‘wife’, she can only be a ‘lover’…

Ultimately, Geeta & Guru’s relationship arrived at such a node where they just couldn’t live with each other. They started living separately. And as soon as Geeta stormed out of his life, she also took all the good luck away from him. Kaagaz Ke Phool bombed so miserably on the box-office that Guru Dutt was sprinkled completely. He completely lost the control over his life. KKP was his dream project with his “dream woman” Wahida. Now, even Geeta was not there at home waiting for him to come back and his relationship with Wahida was also on the sharp edges as both of them were as diverse as cheese & chalk. He was a hopeless romantic & Wahida was a strong willed, extremely practical & a very successful actress who was going great with every release of hers. There was an overt strain between the two. She made it very clear to him that if he wants to keep the relationship with her, he has to divorce Geeta, for which Guru wasn’t ready because all said and done, he loved his Geetu as well.

On the other hand, Geeta found the solace in alcohol. She surrendered herself utterly to the life. And when in such condition she sang piya aiso jiya mein and na jao sainyyan from Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam, she sang them for her Guru! Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam proved to be one of the last superhits in Guru & Geeta’s career. Her singing ability was soon in question by her very own SD Burman & others who were now saying that she has lost her voice to alcohol. SD Burman shifted his focus to Lata completely & so was Guru who went to Lata for Chaudhavi Ka Chand after Geeta refused to sing for Wahida. Geeta soon had neither her singing nor her man. The endless shambles of her marriage must have pushed her on & on towards the bottle to a point of no return…like Chhoti Bahu of Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam! Strangely like Meena, Geeta Roy also died of cirrhosis of liver. Meena & Geeta died within 12 months…strange but true…

One morning, the telephone of an apartment in Peddar Road, Bombay, rang. Servant picked up the phone & answered to a female voice that Saab is sleeping. After sometime, the phone rang again & servant answered that Saab’s room is locked from inside, Madam. A panicked & shrieking female voice asked the servant: break, break the door, immediately…The day was 10th Oct 1964 & the legend of Indian cinema decided to get rid of his life. Guru Dutt was dead…a suicide…it was like Geeta knew about it & that’s why she asked to break the door immediately! The conversation on the previous night between the two must have given her the premonition. She knew her Guru inside-out.

Now she was even lonelier than ever! Till now at least the man she loved was physically present somewhere but now she was left with no one. Geeta Roy faced the hostile world bravely post his death. She also fell ill time & again due to over drinking. While Geeta’s career was nil, it was Lata all the way. Everyone was talking about Lata; the whole nation was swinging in Lata’s tune…Lata…Lata…Lata…even Lata was once caught saying it on records that the only singer she felt ‘threatened’ & ‘insecure’ was Geeta Roy.

Geeta was rendered penniless. There was some dispute over the huge property of Guru Dutt films & also in 1956, when she bailed out Guru by financially supporting him for Sailaab, she was declared insolvent as the film was a total wash out at ticket window. And from which Guru Dutt apparently was in no mood to bail her out! Hence at mid-thirties, THE most powerful & successful singer of 40s & 50s, Geeta Roy was begging for alms for her & her three children’s survival. It was the same Geeta Roy who bought a bungalow at the age of 18 in Khar along with a brand new, sprawling De Sotto car. It was the same Geeta Roy who used to travel across the world at least 15 days a month & used to order designer gold & ruby ornaments!! It was the same Geeta Roy who stretched her “wealthy” helping hand in the formation of Guru Dutt Films in 1953; just 10yrs back…time was punishing her for absolutely no faults of hers. And I completely blame Guru Dutt for her condition. He was a coward & that’s the one fact which people should accept.


But like a phoenix, Geeta raised back from the ashes. She took one year to overcome the depression & other multiple ailments. Though her life was a desolate wreck but she never gave up, she had three kids to look after. She always kept her ill-health away from her kids. By 1966, she was back in action. She was singing like never before, mostly in Bengali films, she even played the protagonist in few Bengali films (Badhu Baran etc.) and also turned producer. If that’s not enough, she had also composed music for films as well.

With time her health was falling down the steep hill. With her broken heart, swollen liver, watery lungs & penury, Geeta Roy’s Hindi film career ended with Anubhav in 1972, starring Sanjeev Kumar & Tanuja. So at the concluding threshold of final departure, at 41, she didn’t sing. She just whispered…mujhe jaan na kaho meri jaan…this could easily be themost romantic song of Hindi cinema and definitely one of the most thoughtful lyrics by Gulzar. It’s my request to all of you who’re reading this (even if you’re not interested!), listen to this song at least once before you die…

On 20th July 1972, Geeta Roy bid adieu, alone and sick. She definitely deserved a better death, especially when the two people who ruined her life are now being considered as legends…Guru Dutt & Wahida Rehman…the latter is still alive, living her life to the fullest & doing Delhi 6 & 15 Park Avenue etc.! God has strange ways and no one could ever understood them…why is that Geeta preserved all the letters from Guru Dutt till date but their replies couldn’t be found anywhere? Why the “so-called” legendary director never cared to keep the letters from his wife intact? Was it that he never wanted anyone to read them because it could’ve ruined his image or was it just carelessness? No one knew the answer and no one cares now.

This is my tiny way to pay tribute to a legend and make people aware that it was GEETA ROY who made Guru Dutt & not the vice-versa…it always broke my heart when people call her Guru Dutt’s wife so finally I decided to leave my helplessness behind & take this opportunity to emancipating GEETA from DUTT…

Geeta Roy – 23rd November 1930 to FOREVER