Ten Years with Guru Dutt is a biography of Indian filmmaker Guru Dutt that was written by journalist Sathya Saran. It is based on Saran's conversations with the screenwriter Abrar Alvi about Dutt and Alvi's collaborations, which began when they met on the sets of Baaz (1953) and ended with Dutt's death in 1964. This information was compiled into a 23-chapter book with first-person narrative interspersed with Saran's commentary. Penguin Group published Ten Years with Guru Dutt on 25 July 2008.
Saran started conceiving ideas for the book after reading an Indian Express interview of Alvi about Dutt in 2003. At the end of the article, the interviewer noted there were many untold stories and challenged readers who wanted to listen to them. Consequently, Saran met Alvi between 2004 and 2007 at Alvi's apartment in Andheri with the intent of writing a series of articles, which were later developed into a book.
Upon its publication, the book was declared a commercial success and received acclaim from critics, who said its most interesting parts were those covering the production of the 1962 film Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam, that both Dutt and Alvi worked on. Critics also highlighted Saran's writing for its simplicity and clarity and for providing informative commentary. In 2012, Ten Years with Guru Dutt was adapted into a stage play of the same name, which also generated positive reviews for its performances and costume designs.
Summary
Ten Years with Guru Dutt is a biography of the filmmaker Guru Dutt that is based on journalist Sathya Saran's conversations with the screenwriter Abrar Alvi. The book has 23 chapters, whose titles are taken from well-known lines in Dutt's films' songs. The book is in first-person narrative and is interspersed with Saran's commentary. The book starts with Saran's introduction about her writing process, which is followed by remembrances of Dutt's death on 10 October 1964. It later chronicles Dutt and Alvi's collaborations, which started with their meeting on the sets of Baaz (1953). The book also details their joint works; Aar Paar (1954), Mr. & Mrs. '55 (1955), Pyaasa (1957), Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959), Chaudhvin Ka Chand (1960), Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962), and Baharen Phir Bhi Aayengi (1966).
Background and writing
Before she released Ten Years with Guru Dutt, Sathya Saran was the editor of the women's magazine Femina and a Daily News and Analysis supplement. In 2003, she was reading an interview of the screenwriter Abrar Alvi in The Indian Express, recollecting his collaborations with the filmmaker Guru Dutt up to a few days before Dutt's death in 1964. At the end of the article, the interviewer concluded there were still many stories untold and challenged readers who wanted to listen to them. Having been fascinated by Dutt, she was motivated to do so and wrote in the book's foreword; "I was at the time going through a rough patch emotionally, thanks to matters at the workplace turning sour. This, I told myself, would distract me, keep me from feeling that my journalistic job was the beginning and the end of the world."
Saran originally intended to write a series of articles, which she developed into a book after meeting Abrar Alvi in Mumbai in 2004. Alvi was initially reluctant to discuss Dutt but changed his mind after finding out he knew Saran's husband's cousins. Saran described Alvi as being in poor health when she first met him but spoke positively of his complex personality; "He would say [he is] getting senile but he can remember things with ease. Sometimes, he would get agitated. Sometimes, he would get animated and would perform. So it was a lot of fun." They met once a week at Alvi's apartment in Andheri, Mumbai. The writing ended in 2007.
Release and reception
Ten Years with Guru Dutt was released as a hardcover book by Penguin Group on 25 July 2008, and was a commercial success. Penguin Books reissued the book in 2011 and 2020, both in the hardcover format; the 2020 edition was released with a new cover. A Hindi-language version was published in 2012.
Savitha Gautam of The Hindu complimented Saran's effective writing and said the most interesting parts are those on the production of Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam. Gautam added; "The book may not unravel the mystery that was Guru Dutt. But it paints a picture of creative partnership, which resulted in an invaluable contribution to Hindi cinema." According to Madhu Jain of The Book Review: