This year marks the centenary year of Guru Dutt. Though a lot has been written and spoken about him, none have been able to weigh the man, his many loves, and how he struck a balance between empirical research and emotional charge. Master storyteller and dastango, Mahmood Farooqui, has tried to unravel the enigma that is Guru Dutt through Dastan-e-Guru Dutt . The 140-minute evocative performance opened recently at Delhi’s Habitat Centre and will be staged in Mumbai next. Spread over 250 pages, the dastan will soon be published as a book with talks on for a film screenplay too.

It begins with a tribute to Guru Dutt’s subversive tone that still resonates, as Farooqui urges the youth to stay vigilant and rise against injustice with ‘Ae watan ke naujawan jaag aur jaga ke chal’ (from Baaz

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