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Maverick actor-filmmaker-writer Guru Dutt has had a glorious contribution to Indian cinema but his personal life was marred with tragedies. His deep love for cinema eventually affected his marital life with Geeta Dutt, and gradual financial issues made him fall prey to alcoholism. However, amid this, his rumored affair with Waheeda Rehman also grabbed several eyeballs.
The duo worked on several iconic movies together, like Pyaasa, Kaagaz Ke Phool, Chaudhvin Ka Chand and Saheb Bibi Aur Ghulam. Guru Dutt was primarily responsible for catapulting Waheeda Rehman into a big star. It was Dutt who first discovered the actress’ beauty and talent, casting her opposite Dev Anand in the 1956 film C.I.D.
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According to a report in Bollywood Shaadi, Guru Dutt’s marriage with Geeta Dutt was already going downhill because he was immersing himself in work and was hardly being able to give any time to his family. On top of that, the Aar-Paar actor’s close proximity to Waheeda put a further strain on their marriage. However, the filmmaker-actor soon started experiencing financial difficulties in his professional life, which made him resort to alcoholism.
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This led to Guru Dutt having severe anxiety and depression attacks, along with him increasing his drinking too. This not only led to his marriage with Geeta Dutt going downhill but Waheeda Rehman also distanced herself from the Baaz actor. It was on October 10, 1964, that Dutt took sleeping pills after alcohol and reportedly passed away due to overdosing.
This incident shattered Waheeda Rehman and according to the report in an earlier interview, she broke her silence on the rumors of their affair. The Guide actress said, “Our love was not perfect, but it was real. It was a love born out of our passion for cinema and our desire to create something beautiful together.”
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Apart from this, in Firoze Rangoonwalla’s book ‘Guru Dutt, 1925-1965: A Monograph’, Waheeda Rehman was quoted to be remorseful that she could not save Guru Dutt. The Rang De Basanti actress said, “In his death the film industry has lost a great director, humanity has lost a man of compassion and I have lost a great friend who had made the first and the greatest contribution to my success as a film artiste. I will always be grateful to him for this. I could not save him; but I sincerely wished that I could…………or at least that someone else could.”
Guru Dutt’s wife Geeta Dutt, also passed away in the year 1972 at the age of 41. Similar to her estranged husband, her death was also caused by liver damage which stemmed from excessive drinking. Waheeda Rehman married actor Shashi Rekhi with whom she had 2 children.
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