By Dr. Narasinha Kamath                                     

Last time, when Geeta Dutt fans saw her live performance on stage was when she sang for Yaad-e-Shakeel Night which was a program dedicated to late lyricist Shakeel Badayuni. Great singers like Rafi, Mukesh, Mahendra Kapoor also sang for this stage show held at Shanmukhanand Hall in Mumbai in 1971. And the Queen of this Yaad-e-Shakeel Night was of course Lata Mangeshkar. Everyone in the audience had focused their attention at Lata. As most of them had come to the show to listen to Lata. All the orchestra on the stage was catering to the needs of Lata. Great music directors were working hard backstage with the musicians to make sure that they gave justice to Lata’s voice who was about to sing on stage. Lata arrived on stage and as usual performed brilliantly to the satisfaction of her fans. After Lata finished her live performance, Geeta Dutt arrived on stage along with her Harmonium. But at this time, there was no massive support either from music directors or from the stage musicians. In addition, there was no applause from the audience as she arrived on stage unlike in case of Lata.

Geeta Dutt pulled the Harmonium in front of her and started singing. Her face looked depressed. While singing, at times, she shut her eyes. Geeta was singing a non-filmi Ghazal written by Shakeel  Aankho me noor, dil me ujaale nahi rahe. Geeta sang this Ghazal expressing intense emotions. But kind of “once More” applause that Lata and Rafi received from the audience was absent in case of Geeta. For the moment, it appeared that Geeta was singing only for herself and there was no audience in front of her. And next song she sang was Koyi door se, awaaz de chale aavo of course written by Shakeel for the film Sahib, Bibi aur Ghulam. It appeared as if Geeta’s soul was singing from bottom of her heart. But once again there was no appreciation from the audience. Yes. Geeta Dutt was at the fag end of her singing career. Since 1964, after the tragic death of her husband maestro director Guru Dutt, Geeta underwent a long depression. Past 7 years, she had enough of it. 

One day that is on July 20th 1972, while I was listening to Hindi Film Songs on my radio at my Dadar apartment in Mumbai, suddenly I heard a song from the film Anubhav, Koyi chupke se aake, sapne sulake mujh ko jagake bole, ke main aa raha hoon. The velvet like voice sounded like Geeta’s voice, I increased the volume of my radio and I was sure that it was Geeta’s voice since I could feel the deep sadness in the song. For past couple of years, radio hardly played Geeta’s songs since her era was over. But then next 4 songs on the Radio were also from Geeta Dutt. Then an announcement followed where the announcer was paying tribute to Geeta Dutt and he said that Geeta Dutt was no more and she died of cirrhosis of the lever few hours back and this radio program was for offering tribute to Geeta Dutt. I felt very sad. After the tribute, Radio played next song from Geeta Dutt Yaad karoge, yaad karoge, ek din hum ko yaad karoge. It appeared to me at that time as if Geeta was singing this song to millions of her fans whom she had left in grief.  Then next song was Mera sundar sapna beet gaya. It appeared to me that it was not just Geeta’s voice but it was Geeta’s soul that was singing in grief while narrating her sad story once again to millions of listeners after she was gone.

I started to think of Geeta Dutt. I still remember how simple she was in 1956 when she was a very famous singer next only to Lata. In spite of being a famous singer, she still came to sing at a Bengali High School’s Durga Pooja function at Dadar, Mumbai . Geeta was an ex-student of this school which she never forgot. She was a very famous singer at that time, yet she came to sing at her school function wearing an inexpensive simple sari. I really admired her simple nature and modesty. At this school function, she enthralled the audience with her sweet voice.

Initially in 1950, Geeta used to sing weepy sad songs and bhajans. For example, in the film Jogan of 1950, Geeta sung 12 solo bhajans. But in 1951, when film Baazi, directed first time by Guru Dutt, was released, everything changed for Geeta Roy. Music of Baazi was composed by Great S. D. Burman. The jazzy musical score revealed a new face of Geeta’s voice. Lilting tunes for 2 songs Tadbeer se bigdi huwi taqdeer bana de and Suno gajar kya gaaye went on to become raging hits. Geeta’s voice in these 2 songs displayed S** appeal and ease with which she went western sounded marvelous.  And from then on, many films had club songs and music director’s first choice was Geeta. After the recording of Baazi song Tadbeer se bigdi huwi, director Guru Dutt fell in love with Geeta and married her in 1953 and Geeta Roy became Geeta Dutt. Geeta Dutt had 3 children Tarun, Varun and Nina. Let me point out a funny thing about song Tadbeer se bigdi huwi taqdeer bana de. While singing this song, during old days, lots of people used to make mistake by interchanging the word Tadbeer (action) with Taqdeer (luck) and they used to sing Taqdeer se bigdi huwi tadbeer bana de. And this confusion continues even today when some people sing this song.

Geeta Dutt sang many memorable songs for the films of her husband Guru Dutt. Most notable is of course the best film of Guru Dutt Pyaasa in which female voice was rendered only by Geeta in many of its songs. Now who can forget that outstanding rendition by Geeta for the song Jaane kya tune kahi. I also liked another song from Pyaasa, Aaj sajan mohe ang laga lo, janam safal ho jaaye. In this song, S. D. Burman effectively used Bengali lilt in her voice memorably and turned a Bengali devotional song into a melodious Hindi bhajan using raga Desh. This bhajan was picturized on 2 street singers who are shown singing the kirtan while Waheeda looks on at Guru Dutt expressing her longing for Guru Dutt within the story of the movie. Later, in the next Guru Dutt movie Kaagaz ke phool, female voice for all the songs was rendered by Geeta. In the song Waqt ne kiya kya haseen sitam, it was ironic that in the movie Waheeda was shown singing this song and playback was given by Geeta and while listening to this song it appeared as if Geeta was crying her heart out since in real life Guru Dutt had started to woo Waheeda. Music for Kaagaz ke phool was of course composed by maestro S. D. Burman.

No other female singer other than Geeta had articulated Burmanda’s music in his early years as a composer. At the time, Burmada was looking forward to make Geeta as his main female singer instead of Asha. Geeta’s versatility as a singer was proved after S. D. Burman composed jazzy and westernized score for the film Baazi. Asha, at that time, was still a raw singer while Geeta was a matured female singer. In late 1950’s, Geeta’s marital strife with her husband Guru Dutt became a big hurdle in her advancement as a singer. After marriage in 1953, Guru Dutt was not in favor of Geeta singing in outside films. He put restrictions on her. Guru Dutt expected Geeta to be at home before Guru Dutt returned home after his hard day’s work. Geeta could not keep up the dates for rehearsal. This resulted in  S. D. Burman slowly opting for Asha for jazzy songs. Asha slowly started taking over Geeta. S. D. Burman decided to shape Asha instead of Geeta.

Another music director who shaped voice of Geeta effectively was none other than O. P. Nayyar. Along with S. D. Burman, it was OPN who was responsible to present Geeta as a playback singer for club songs. OPN pulled her out of the image of bhajan singer. Under OPN’s freewheeling compositions, he transformed Geeta into a hep singer who could now sing all sorts of  songs – happy, sad, sultry, romantic. O. P. Nayyar had following comment on Geeta Dutt: ”There was a unique quality in Geeta’s voice. Give her a western style tune and right after that give her a complex classical composition, she will sing both types of songs with equal ease. For seductive songs, Geeta gave a tantalizing lilt and fascinating curves and hence was ideal choice for such types of songs. Geeta Dutt is an asset to any music director”. O. P. Nayyar proved his point in one his  most jazzy songs ever Mera naam chin chin choo from the film Howrah Bridge. Even today, this song is a raging hit. In the same film, another memorable romantic song Aayi ye mehebaan was given to Asha. One should note here that O. P. Nayyar chose Geeta over Asha for the jazzy club song Mera naam chin chin choo.

Also who can forget those lilting tunes by O. P. Nayyar in Guru Dutt films Aar Paar and Mr. and Mrs. 55 (1955) where Geeta superbly sang most of the songs for the female part. . Also classical song Dekho jaadu bhare more nain from the film Aasman which was composed by O. P. Nayyar proved the point that Geeta could sing classical numbers equally well. Another song with classical touch was Pritam aan milo from the film Mr. and Mrs. 55 which was originally sung few years ago by Great singer C. M. Atma and was composed by O. P. Nayyar. Geeta sang the same song and it sounded a lot better than original version by C. H. Atma. O. P. Nayyar’s most favorite song was Tadbeer se bigdi huwi taqdeer bana de from the film Baazi (1951) which was composed by S. D. Burman.

Geeta Dutt also song effectively under the baton of other music directors like Hemant Kumar for the films Anand Math (1952), Bahu (1954), Ek Jhalak (1957) and Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962). Geeta also sang for Shankar-Jaikisan, Madan Mohan and many other music directors. It may sound strange that one of the Greatest music directors late Naushad (who recently passed away on May 5^th, 2006) never gave Geeta a chance in his films. Naushad could have easily come up with brilliant tunes suited for Geeta’s medium range voice. But Naushad never gave any consideration to use Geeta’s voice. And same is true in case of Kishore Kumar. Naushad never gave a chance to Kishore Kumar either. Only in 1975, Kishore Kumar sang one song for his film Sunahara Sansar, but that song was finally removed when final long play record was released. So technically, Kishore Kumar never sang for Naushad. Naushad was interviewed many times during his lifetime. But no one ever asked him why he did not take Kishore Kumar and Geeta Dutt. It would have been very interesting to know from Naushad himself as to why he never gave both of these singers a chance for his films.

Geeta Dutt’s voice suited very well for lullaby songs. One such song is Nanhi kali sone chali from the film Sujata (1959). This is one my favorite songs in Geeta’s voice.

With due respect to the Greatest singers Lata and Asha, I would like to emphasize one point here. One should note here that when it came to songs which were sung by both Male and Female voice, Geeta’s songs were one up over same song sung by male voice.

For example, in the duet, Na ye chand hoga from the film Shirth (1952), Geeta’s voice sounded better than Hemant Kumar’s voice. In the film Baadbaan, Song Kaise koyi jiye in Geeta’s voice was more superior to same song sung by Hemant Kumar.  All such songs in Geeta’s voice became more popular than same song sung by male counterpart. But same is not true in case of Lata and Asha. For example, Talat’s Jaaye to jaaye kahan from the film Taxi Driver (1954) was more popular than Lata’s version. In the song, Jeevan ke safar me rahi from the film Munimji (1955), Kishore’s version sounded better than Lata’s version. Khilate hai gul yahan from the film Sharmilee (1971) in Kishore’s voice was more popular than Lata’s voice. Talat’s Ai game dil kya karoon from the film Thokar (1953) was more popular than Asha’s version. Also Zinadgi ek safar suhana from the film Andaaz (1971) in Kishore’s voice was more popular than Asha’s version.

In summary, when you look back, one can see that Geeta Dutt’s life finally ended in a tragedy. She was married to a very famous film personality Guru Dutt. When two great artists come together normally one would expect a very happy married life. But this was not the case here. After their marriage, due to Guru Dutt’s restrictions on Geeta’s singing in outside films choked Geeta Dutt. Slowly she became a depressed person. By 1957, their marriage had run into rough weather due to Guru Dutt’s alleged love affair with his leading actress Waheeda Rehman. As stated earlier, it was ironic that Guru Dutt went on using Geeta’s voice as playback to Waheeda Rehman in his films. While their marriage was breaking up, Guru Dutt tried to patch up the differences. Guru Dutt tried to patch up the discord between him and his wife Geeta by launching a film called Gauri where Guru Dutt wanted to introduce Geeta Dutt as a singing star. But this film was shelved. Finally, Guru Dutt broke with Geeta Dutt for the sake of Waheeda Rehman. Waheeda never reciprocated her love to Guru Dutt since he was a married man with children. Moreover, she respected him as a Great artist and nothing else. At this juncture, it is hard to imagine Guru Dutt’s state of mind. He was caught between two situations. Breaking up with his wife and not getting attention from Waheeda. Finally, Guru Dutt found the easy way out. He apparently committed suicide on October 10^th 1964. Acutal cause of Guru Dutt’s untimely death is still shrouded in mystery. What a tragedy! Film industry lost one of the Greatest film artists on that day.

After Guru Dutt’s death, Geeta’s life was a mess. Geeta was a broken woman. She tried to resume her singing career. But Asha Bhonsle had already overtaken her. Earlier restrictions placed by Guru Dutt had already put a damper on her singing career. Geeta neglected her riaz. She could not keep up with the dates of the music directors. Geeta had a nervous breakdown. This finally resulted in Asha going far ahead of Geeta Dutt ultimately replacing her permanently. And to make things worse, finally in late 1960’s Geeta started drowning her woes in alcohol. Her health kept failing as she drank more and more alcoholic drinks. Even with her failing health, she gave superb renditions in her last movie Anubhav (1971) with the songs like Meri jaan mujhe and Koyi chupke se aake.

But time was running out and finally Geeta Dutt, one of the top singers of 1950’s, died on July 20^th 1972 due to cirrhosis of lever at a tender age of 42. Music world lost a great voice forever.

Few days later after Geeta Dutt’s death, there was a musical evening in Mumbai in the famous auditorium Birla Matushree Sabhagar presented by famous bhajan singer Juthika Roy. Before the program started, Juthika Roy paid glowing tributes to Geeta Dutt and sang some of the famous bhajans by Geeta Dutt such as Mat ja mat ja mat ja jogi, Main to giridhar ke ghar javoon. Etc. Juthika Roy was singing melodiously but one could feel that the soul was missing. That Geeta Dutt emotional touch was missing. After all who can forget Geeta’s emotional number Yaad Karoge yaad karoge ek din ham ko yaad karoge. (At least some day, you will remember me).

Reference: Geet Yatri:  a book in Marathi by Prof. Madhav Moholkar published by Mauj Prakashan Griha on 14^th August 1987.

If only we forget you Noble lady arises the situation of remembering you. Very Seldom I think  one can forget her........Awesome Singer

You are alive;
You still thrive;
Countless still rejoice
Over your voice.

A Geeta Dutt song
Invites to sing along:
You could tease
And sing with ease.

Perfect for romance
And a hot dance,
Your nightclub songs:
What joyous songs!

My heart longs
For your sad songs;
They make no demand
But hold my hand.

How they reduce pain
I can't explain:
They fill a hole
Left in my soul.

You are alive;
You still thrive;
Countless still rejoice
Over your voice.

You are alive;
You still thrive;
Countless still rejoice
Over your voice.
You are alive.

Some memorable songs sung by Geeta under S.D. Burman's batons are:

'Mera sundar sapna beet gaya' (Do Bhai - 1947) http://www.musicindiaonline.com/p/x/wqxmBhdiZt.As1NMvHdW/

'Kaali Ghata Chhaye Mora jeeya Tarsaye' (Sujata - 1959)
'Tadbir se bigdi hui taqdeer' (Baazi - 1951) http://www.musicindiaonline.com/p/d/x/lqQmpgRD5d.As1NMvHdW/

 'Aan milo aan milo' (Devdas - 1955) with Manna Dey http://www.musicindiaonline.com/p/x/FqCmrV.Tad.As1NMvHdW/

'Aaj sajan mohe ang lagalo' (Pyaasa - 1957) http://www.musicindiaonline.com/p/x/gAmm53DQD9.As1NMvHdW/

'Hawa dhire aana' (Sujata - 1959) http://www.musicindiaonline.com/p/x/dV3mQhJojt.As1NMvHdW/

'Waqt ne kiya kya haseen sitam ' (Kaagaz ke Phool - 1959) http://www.musicindiaonline.com/p/x/BAOmUKaDOt.As1NMvHdW/

Geeta sang 72 songs for S D Burman of which 43 were solos. The last song she recorded for him was from the film Ziddi(1964), 'Main tere pyaar mein kya kya na bana dilbar.' http://www.musicindiaonline.com/p/x/_6QmyxDZRS.As1NMvHdW/

Some memorable songs sung by Geeta under O. P. Nayyar's baton are:

'Zara saamne aa'( Baaz - 1953 )
'Babuji dhire chalna' (Aar Paar - 1954 ) http://www.musicindiaonline.com/p/x/_4Xmu4Ic1t.As1NMvHdW/

'Thandi hawa kali ghata' (Mr. & Mrs 55 - 1955 ) http://www.musicindiaonline.com/p/x/vVImy1.X9d.As1NMvHdW/

'Jab badal lehraya' (Chchoomantar - 1956 )
'Humko Chhorke Kaha jaoge' (Shrimati 420 - 1956 ) http://www.musicindiaonline.com/p/x/yA7mgbaFbd.As1NMvHdW/

'Chor, lutere, daku'( Ustad - 1957 )
'Mera naan chin chin choo' (Howrah Bridge - 1958 ) http://www.musicindiaonline.com/p/x/DJ3mEMhCgt.As1NMvHdW/

'Kaisa jadoo balam tune dara' (12 o'clock - 1958 ) http://www.musicindiaonline.com/p/x/TsQm7Ehfxd.As1NMvHdW/

O.P.'s comments on Geeta :

" ..........Who will deny there is a unique quality to her singing. Give her a blatantly westernized tune this momentand a complex classical composition the next, and she will do equal justice to both with an ease of expression which a singer can only be born with. She is particularly good for songs accompanying boisterous jamborees. With that tantalizing lilt and fascinating curves she puts into her singing,she is the ideal choice if it is seductive allure you want in a song........Geeta Dutt is an asset to any music director. "

This is not to say that Geeta was any less effective with other music directors. The songs she has sung for Hemant Kumar in Anandmath ( 1952 ), Bahu ( 1954 ),Ek Jhalak ( 1957 ), Sahib Bibi aur Ghulam ( 1962 ) bear testimony to this. It's just that for the sheer volume and the scaleof popularity that the songs of S.D. Burman and O.P. Nayyar reached make them special in Geeta's oeuvre.

The ten songs she selected then represented definite landmarks in her singing career.

'Mat ja mat ja jogi' (Jogan - 1950 )  This was her own personal favourite.
'Mera sundar sapna beet gaya' (Do Bhai - 1947 )
'Na yeh chand hoga' (Shart  - 1954 ) http://www.musicindiaonline.com/p/x/xWbmamIMIS.As1NMvHdW/

'Tadbir se bigdi hui taqdeer' (Baazi - 1951 )
'Yeh lo main hari piya' (Aar Paar - 1954 ) http://www.musicindiaonline.com/p/x/EJfmSlnWFt.As1NMvHdW/

'Khayalon mein kisike' (Baawre Nain - 1950 ) with Mukesh
'Aaj sajan mohe ang laga lo' (Pyaasa - 1957 )
'Jaane kya tunhe kahi' (Pyaasa - 1957 ) http://www.musicindiaonline.com/p/x/jVym_j3AVd.As1NMvHdW/

'Ae dil mujhe bata de' (Bhai Bhai - 1956 ) http://www.musicindiaonline.com/p/x/EqQmPuJ7fd.As1NMvHdW/

'Hai yeh duniya kaunsi' (Sailaab - 1956 )

This as mentioned was in early 1957. Citing the reason for her selections Geeta mentioned

" I feel that a song must express human emotions in simple language and in a tune that affords the singer sufficient scope to do full justice to the thought underlying the lyric. I feel that the songs I have listed are simple enough to be appreciated by people of all ages at all times."

Geeta Dutt Bengali Songs :

Jhiri Jhiri Chaitali    http://www.musicindiaonline.com/p/x/b4fr-0zU_d.As1NMvHdW/

Aakash Jure Sapno Maya   http://www.musicindiaonline.com/p/x/h4OrmSq3VS.As1NMvHdW/

Krishna chura Aagun Tumi    http://www.musicindiaonline.com/p/x/AJfr.XSoyS.As1NMvHdW/

O sur bhara Dur Nilimai    http://www.musicindiaonline.com/p/x/FUOr7UBo2d.As1NMvHdW/

Phuler Bone laglo je dol   http://www.musicindiaonline.com/p/x/jqOr48_TS9.As1NMvHdW/

 March 1, 2007

Arnab Banerjee,

Press Trust Of India

 

 

A soft dulcet voice serenades and fills the air with its pathos and sweetness. The voice soothes the mind and lulls the soul but it echoes with resonance and finds itself a place permanently in the listener’s heart. Who else, but the unmistakably melodious Geeta Dutt's renditions, could weave magic the way she did?

Geeta Dutt who began her career as Geeta Roy in Kolkata – where she had undergone training in classical music briefly, was perhaps one of the first singing stars on the Indian film firmament. Dutt had even toyed with the idea of acting in films, but melody won over celluloid fame and she stuck to what came naturally to her - singing for films and private albums in Kolkata.

Meanwhile, as she became better recognised as singer, she did shuttle between Mumbai and Kolkata, dividing her time between assignments but finally she chose Mumbai, because she got married to the actor-director Guru Dutt. However, she continued to record in Bengali also - but now on a more a select basis, and if the offer was truly irresistible.

Dutt's melodic songs are mostly in slow waltz. The foremost quality of this under-rated singer was her ability to touch low notes in the lower octave and yet impart emotive power to the compositions. She hit the low notes in a superb manner which is rather unheard of from Indian singers.

Even passages dominated by minor keys are sung with full richness. Later, some music directors from Bengal exposed a darker side of emotion in which she performs some of her masterpieces – specifically so, melodies by Kanu Ghosh for Salil Choudhury's lyrics. Since these songs were real challenges, few Indian playback artists attempted them, except perhaps Asha Bhosle, but that was later – for Bhosle considered Geeta Dutt an inspiration and one of her favourite singers. Bhosle of course, was to evolve a style of her own much later.

Dutt  blended her training in Classical Indian music with her imagination and contemporary thought. There are stories of her spending hours over a song with composer Sachin Dev Burman, just to get the right intonation and sometimes to 'feel' the song as much as she could – a quality she acquired from the one and only Burmanda.

In the early 50s when her voi

ce was heard only for Kanu Ghosh's compositions, many producers in Mumbai wanted her and her alone for their films, though there were other established names including those of Lata Mangeshkar, Suraiyya, Shamshad Begum, Amir Bai Karnataki and Juthika Roy, in the fray.

What they insisted on was her 'soft renderings' rather than the 'deep-throated' bass voices of some of the better known singers, barring Mangeshkar. Though all the singers and particularly so the Mangeshkar sisters, were way ahead in classical training, Dutt’s sensitive interpretation of film songs stood out.

Since then, Dutt bagged at least one hit every year. In Bengal, Sudhin Dasgupta and Anal Chatterjee wrote a number of melodies especially to suit Dutt's voice. Around the same time, in Mumbai, Dutt's songs were composed by a number of notable Bengali music directors - Sachin Dev Burman and Hemanta Mukherjee to name only two. Mukherjee, in fact, composed for Dutt in Bangla as well. 

Her brother Mukul Roy, too wrote penned pleasant numbers – both in Hindi and Bangla. Kanu Roy wrote some quiet and intense melodies that are at the top of Dutt'S*** list today. His Aaj ki kali ghata from the film Uski Roti (1966), penned by Kaifi Azmi remained one of Guru Dutt’s favourites.

To quote Raju Bharatan, music critic and author, "The first thing that strikes one when you hear Geeta Dutt sing was that she never sang. She just glided through a tune. Of all her contemporaries her musical training was perhaps the sketchiest but what she lacked in training and technique, she more than made up with her ability to breathe life and emotion into any song she was singing."

The era of naughty style with a deliberate twang or a joie di vivre that is the most difficult part to convey in a three minute rendition, had the stamp of Dutt's style in the original. It was Sachin Dev Burman who made the best use of this quality. Initially, a hesitant Dutt almost shied away from such numbers since she was a singer well-known for bhajans  and sad numbers. But Burmanda saw what no one else did. He created a style of his own and made her sing some of the specially composed tunes for her.

1951 saw the release of Baazi, with its the jazzy musical scored by Burmanda. And that added a new facet to Dutt's singing. The S** appeal in her voice and the ease with which she went western was marvellous. While every song in the film was a raging hit, one stood out for special appeal - Tadbir se bigdi hui taqdeer. From then on in the 1950s for a club dance or a seductive song, the first choice was Dutt. S.D. Burman was among the earliest to discover the magic in her voice with her breakthrough number Mera sunder sapna beet gaya from Do Bhai. He used the Bengali lilt in her voice effectively in numbers like Gori ho gayee saajan ki and Aan milo Shyam sanware (in Devdas,  1955), and Hum aap ki aankhon mein (Pyaasa) and in Kaagaz Ke Phool which had some of the immortal melodies like Waqt ne kiya kya haseen situm.

The song gave her enough opportunities to stand out on her own before another great composer, O P Nayyar took over the responsibility of moulding her to the breezy, peppy beats inspired by western music. If Burman instilled a new hope in her, Nayyar helped blossom and explore newer horizons. Nayyar’s Aankhon hi aankhon mein ishara from the film CID, Babuji dheere Chalna and Yeh lo mein haari from Aarpar, Thandi hawa from Mr and Mrs 55 and Mera naam Chin Chin Choo from Howrah Bridge

After Guru Dutt died in 1964, Dutt cut down on her assignments, having been broken and shattered by the man she loved most. It was her husband’s ill-timed affair with his heroine Waheeda Rehman which first ruined her. But his suicide turned her a complete wreck for she continued to love him unconditionally. She also great suffered financial losses soon after.

Her health kept failing as she drank herself to a point of no return. But not before she once again showed that she still had it in her, were she given a mike to sing. The songs of Basu Bhattacharya's Anubhav were unmistakably rendered in Geeta Dutt style and were reminiscent of a time when she would just glide through an emotion filled song giving it her all. Mujhe jaan na kaho meri jaan, Koi chupke se aake and Mera dil jo mera hota are but mere representations of some of the finest work that Geeta Dutt ever did.

When she passed away in 1971 due to cirrhosis she left behind a legacy which has never been replicated by any other singer since. And it never will be. Geeta Dutt changed completely the face of Hindi film playback singing at a time when there was truly competition beyond compare.

Does anyone know that she was a good singer, but she had an ultimatum -- as she was the bahu of the house -- to come home by 4 pm and take care of her family and children.

Geeta Dutt's song recording would sometimes begin at 3:30 pm, how could she reach home on time?

They wanted her to sacrifice her career while Guru Dutt could do whatever he wanted -- even go out with Waheeda Rehman. That is how the problem started initially.

Guru Dutt owes his success to Geeta Dutt. Barring Jaal, she has sung for all his films.