Geeta
and Guru Dutt had three children, Tarun (born 1954),
Arun (born 1956), and Nina Dutt (born 1962).
In 1964, Guru Dutt died from an overdose of sleeping
pills and alcohol; it was widely perceived as a suicide
(his third attempt). Geeta was shattered, and suffered
a severe nervous breakdown. She couldn't recognize her
own kids for as long as six months!
According to customs, the funeral rites were supposed
to be conducted by the eldest son. But because Tarun
was so young, Atmaram (Guru Dutts younger brother) performed
the last rites.
In 1972, after the death of Geeta Dutt, Arun and Tarun
were taken care of by Mukul Roy, Geeta's brother, while
Nina was mostly with Atmaram and his family.
The children adored their mother. In an interview, Arun
recalled, "Mummy was an extrovert, a fun-loving, happy
person, extremely generous, while my father was an introvert,
an intense man. She was very sentimental and would fall
for any sob story. Though they had their problems, she
never let us witness them. We were more attached to
her- we hardly saw him [Guru Dutt]."
Further, he added "I remember the good times we had-
at a moment's notice mummy would say, `Come on let's
go for a picnic', and we'd pack up and leave. She loved
having people around, our friends used to stay over
and she'd cook and look after everyone- she loved doing
that."
Not happy with the way his father treated his mother,
Arun said bitterly, "My father could make an expensive
film like `Kaaghaz ke Phool'. In those days, it cost
him Rs. 16 lakhs, but he couldn't leave anything for
his wife."
While eldest brother Tarun Dutt committed suicide at
a young age in the 80's, both Arun and Nina are settled
in their own lives.
Arun is looking after his father's rich lineage. He
was also planning to do a color version of 'Sahib, Biwi
aur Ghulam,' but things didn't somehow work out.
Geeta Dutt's daughter Nina is married to Minu Mumtaz's
son. She pays tribute to her mother with remixes of
two of her evergreen chart-toppers
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