Guru Dutt Film Festival: “This role belongs to YOU!” – Guru Dutt was willing to SCRAP 7 reels of Pyaasa for Dilip Kumar; Javed Akhtar CONFESSES, “Dilip saab once told me that he REGRETTED turning down Pyaasa, Baiju Bawra, Zanjeer…”
Javed Akhtar, Sudhir Mishra, R Balki, Hansal Mehta and Bhawana Somaaya attended a session to pay tribute to legendary Guru Dutt, as part of the Guru Dutt Film Festival. The screening of the classic flick Pyaasa (1957) took place after the wonderful session where the eminent personalities shared lesser-known trivia about Guru Dutt and a lot more. The highlight was Javed Akhtar opening up about Guru Dutt like never before.
Javed Akhtar said, “I never met him, but I knew many who were close to him, like Abrar Alvi, Sahir Ludhianvi saab, Kaifi Azmi saab, etc. So, I know many incidents (about Guru Dutt’s life). Also, Guru Dutt’s studio and Kamal Amrohi’s studio were situated in the same compound. I have slept in Kamal’s studio for 2-3 years. This is how I knew people working with Guru Dutt.”
Javed Akhtar continued, “When the script of Pyaasa was being written, he approached Dilip saab. He asked him to play the lead role. Dilip saab declined, saying, ‘I have recently worked in a film, Devdas (1955), which has a similar sort of love triangle’. Guru Dutt then cast himself and made 7 reels of that film. He met Dilip Kumar and asked him to check out the 7 reels. He further said, ‘This role belongs to you. Since you declined, I stepped in to play the lead. But even now, if you want to come on board, I’ll scrap whatever I have shot until now and I’ll shoot again’. Dilip saab again refused, citing that it was not practical. He also said, ‘Mera toh price alag hota hai. Usme aap kaise adjust karenge?’. Guru Dutt replied, ‘That won’t be a problem. Maine apne aap ko bhi cast karke jitne mein becha hai, usme aapka price aa jaayega! I genuinely feel you are apt for the role’. Yet, Dilip saab did not do the role.”
Javed then revealed, “Dilip saab once told me that he regrets turning down 3 films. The first was Baiju Bawra (1952). It was offered to him and he did not do it because perhaps he could not understand the intensity. The second was Pyaasa. And I am shyly mentioning the third film – Zanjeer (1973) (laughs)!”
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