Nargis and then legendary celebrity portraiture and glamour photographer Jitendra Arya’s wife Chhaya were considered for the role of Chhoti Bahu. The next choice Biswajeet whose Hindi film debut it would have been didn’t want to be tied to an exclusive contract. Shashi Kapoor, a rising busy star in those dayscouldn’t spare the required dates. Chawan always maintained that it was Abrar Alvi who sat with him during editing.Īccording to Waheeda Rehman Guru Dutt wanted bulk dates from Shashi Kapoor as Bhootnath because a huge set had been erected and he had acquired Meena Kumari’s dates. Abrar Alvi never denied that Guru Dutt did direct the songs in the film, but not the entire film.
Guru Dutt never discounted Abrar Alvi’s role in the film and it was Alvi who won the Filmfare Award for Best Director for the film. The controversy about who actually helmed Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam remains alive to this day. An enduring saga of decaying feudalism with a parallel sub plot of the downward-spiral of a zamindar’s neglected wife, loaded with unforgettable performances, lilting music, Bhanu Athaiya’s costumes, Biren Naug’s Art Direction and VK Murthy’s cinematography have made this film an unforgettable gem. Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam is still regarded as one of Guru Dutt’s and Bollywood’s most artistic films. A luke warm success at the box-office, Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam, an adaptation of Bengali author Bimal Mitra’s tale is considered to have been directed by Guru Dutt’s protégé and best friend, screenwriter Abrar Alvi. In his short life span of 39 years, Guru Dutt wrote four films, produced seven and directed another eight. Directed: Abrar Alvi/ Produced Guru Dutt/Story: Bimal Mitra/Screenplay: Bimal Mitra and Abrar Alvi/ Cinematography: VK Murthy/ Editing: YG Chawhan/ Lyrics: Shakeel Badayuni/ Music: Hemanta Mukherjee/ Playback: Asha Bhosle, Geeta Dutt and Hemanta Mukherjee/ Art Direction: Biren Naug/ Costumes: Bhanu Athaiya/ Starring: Meena Kumari, Guru Dutt, Waheeda Rehman, Rehman, Dhoomal, Minoo Mumtaz, Sapru, Jawahar Kaul, Nazir Hussain, Harindranath Chattopadhyay and Pratima Devi