Daily Times

While remembering Geeta Roy (later Dutt), my memories go back to 1955 movie Mr. and Mrs. 55 where her song ‘Preetum Aan Milo’ was filmed on pretty Madhubala in the climax of the film when she runs to airport to look for Guru Dutt. The song was played in the background. This song was originally created for another movie and sung by C. H. Atma. It was adapted for this movie and sung again by Geeta Roy (Dutt). Lyrics are by Saroj Mohini Nayyar.

Madhubala worked opposite Guru Dutt who was Geeta Roy’s husband in real life at that time. This movie was directed by Guru Dutt. The leading pair was supported by Lalita Pawar, Johnny Walker and Jagdeep in this socially critical romantic comedy set in contemporary Bombay. The films music was by O. P. Nayyar and lyrics were by Majrooh Sultanpuri. It is reported on Wikipedia that Vyjayanthimala was offered the film but she refused. Later in 2011 she said this was one of the few films she regretted not doing. Both of the film’s leading stars Guru Dutt and Madhubala died at a relatively young age in the 1960s. It is surmised that Guru Dutt committed suicide in 1964 at the age of thirty-nine but some believe it was accidental overdose of sleeping pills and alcohol. Madhubala died four years later in 1969 of a heart ailment at the age of 36.

During Geeta’s recording of songs for the movie ‘Baazi’, she met its young and upcoming director, Guru Dutt. Romance was in the air and they got married on 26thof May, 1953. Now Geeta Roy became Geeta Dutt. They were blessed with three children: Tarun (born in 1954), Arun (born in 1956), and Nin? (born in 1962). Tarun committed suicide in 1985. Arun Dutt died in 2014.Geeta was of Bengali origin. She was born as Geeta Ghosh Roy Chowdhuri,one of ten children born in the rich Zamindar family of Debendranath Ghosh Roy Chowdhary and Amiya Devi, at Faridpur in Bengal, British India, now in Bangladesh. Her family shifted to Calcutta and Assam in the early forties, leaving behind their land and properties. In 1942, her parents moved to an apartment in D?dar, Bombay. Geeta was twelve and continued her schooling at the Bengali High School.

Early days of Geeta’s music:

We shall see that she was a prominent playback singer in Bollywood movies and she had also got fame by rendering modern Bengali songs. Geeta Dutt’s songs for Guru Dutt’s movie, Mr. & Mrs. 55 became instant hits including her duets with Muhammad Rafi like ‘Udher Tum Haseen Ho Idher Dil Jawan Hei’, ‘Chal Diye Banda Nawaz Chair Kar Mere Dil Ka Taar’ and ‘Jane Kahan Mera Jiger Geya Ji’. The first two duets were filmed on the leading pair but one ‘Jane Kahan Mera Jiger Geya Ji’ was filmed on Johnny Walker and some unknown girl. These were playful songs. Geeta’s song ‘Thandi Hawa, Kali Ghata Aa Hi Gai Jhoom Kei’ was filmed in a swimming pool where men are shown divingin the pool and girls are dancing with umbrellas in their hands. O. P. Nayyar’s use of Mandolins and Flutes were as lilting as ever. Another song ‘Neele Aasmaani’ was thrilling in its melody and beat.

During her stay in Bombay from 1942 onwards, she came in touch with several non-Bengali families and was quick to learn different languages through the association and acquired working knowledge of Hindi, Punjabi, Nepali, Sindhi, Urdu, Gujrati and others. This inculcation with non-Bengalis proved to be useful in later years. Music lesson and practice wise she was now on her own, having learnt to play the harmonium by then. It was destiny indeed that Pandit Hanuman Prasad happened to be walking in front of Debendranath Roy Choudhury’s house with Geeta singing inside. Hanuman Prasad heard the voice and walked straight into the house and enquired about the singer to Geeta’s father. He was told by Debendranath that it was the voice of his teenage daughter Geeta and immediately came an offer from Prasad to sing in films. Hanuman Prasad explained that he would not be able to give much work to the young girl, but for Bhakt Prahlad (1946) where he had a chorus, he wanted Geeta to sing just two lines on her own in ‘Suno Suno Binti Hamari Prabhuji’. The song was a chorus, but in it Geeta’s voice was recognizable. It was a difficult situation for the ex-landlord to permit his daughter to sing in films, but he agreed keeping in mind Geeta’s own interest and love for songs. Continued