Geeta Dutt ‘believed in ghosts', forced Guru Dutt to demolish their ‘haunted' Pali Hill bungalow because she felt it was bringing misfortune
One afternoon, Geeta Dutt was sleeping in the guest house of the Pali Hill bungalow that she shared with husband, Guru Dutt, and was awoken by loud banging noises. It was around 4 pm. She was greeted by the sight of labourers demolishing the house before her eyes. She immediately called her husband, who was at work in the studio. She told him what was happening 'Let them do it! I've asked them to raze it to the ground,' he told her. This story was recounted in Yasser Usman's biography of the Bollywood icon, who struggled with mental health issues and addiction for the majority of his celebrated career. According to the book, Guru Dutt was heartbroken about having to raze his dream house, but his wife had forced his hand, because she felt that it was haunted.
His sister, Lalitha Lajmi, was quoted in the book as saying, 'She believed that the bungalow was haunted. There was a particular tree in the house and she said there's a ghost who lives in that tree, who is bringing bad omen and ruining their marriage. She also had something against a Buddha statue that was kept in their huge drawing room.' According to Lajmi, it was Geeta who suggested that they vacate the house, and it broke her husband's heart. 'I always wanted to be happy in my household. My house is the most beautiful among all the buildings in Pali Hill. Sitting in that house, it does not look like you are in Bombay. That garden, that ambience—where else can I find it? Despite this, I could not stay in that house for much longer,' the book quoted him as having said.
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Geeta had started blaming the bungalow for her disintegrating relationship with her husband. Some people suggested to her that the rift only began after they moved into the Pali Hill bungalow, and she took them seriously. The bungalow of Dutt's dreams soon became a source of insomnia for him. He would retire to his studio, where his man Friday would unlock a small room for him to rest his 'sleep-deprived eyes' in. 'It was a seven feet by seven feet room with a precious small bed. This is where Guru Dutt would lie down quietly and finally find sleep,' the book mentioned. 'I remember it was his birthday. He loved that house and he was heartbroken when it was demolished,' Lajmi said, adding, 'Guru Dutt had agreed to what Geeta wanted but it broke his heart. He used to blame Geeta for the house. Geeta was suspicious and also believed in ghosts. Guru's stars were bad. He did not give a second thought to it. The beautiful bungalow was destroyed. Ever since the bungalow was pulled down, Guru Dutt's home went to pieces gradually.'
The writer Bimal Mitra, who penned Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam, was curious to learn what made Guru Dutt demolish the house. He was also concerned about his wellbeing. Guru Dutt offered to take him to the site. 'We had descended down the steep slope of Pali Hill. We went back towards his bungalow. Taking several turns, our car reached the bungalow,' Mitra recalled. He was stunned at what he saw. 'The majestic bungalow where he had been a guest during his multiple script writing visits to Bombay had been razed to the ground. The room where Guru used to sleep now just had rubble in its place. Broken Italian blue marble was lying in place of the exquisite bathroom. All he could see was splintered timber, chunks of plaster and shattered pieces of a dream,' the description in the book reads.
They walked back to their car in silence, but Mitra still wasn't sure what had made Dutt take this step. 'But what is the real reason for demolishing the bungalow? That bungalow was…?' he began, and the legendary filmmaker replied in a whisper, 'Because of Geeta.' He added philosophically, 'Ghar na hone ki takleef se, ghar hone ki takleef aur bhayankar hoti hai.' It came as no surprise that Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam opened with a scene in which Dutt's character, an architect, has a haveli demolished.
The family moved to an apartment down the road, next to Dilip Kumar's bungalow. A few months later, they realised that there was no fixing their relationship, and Dutt moved out once again, and began living alone in the Ark Royal Apartments on Peddar Road in central Bombay. Geeta and their kids moved into a house next to Mehboob Studios. Guru Dutt died of a suspected suicide at the age of 39. Geeta died eight years later. Theirs remains one of Bollywood's most tragic stories.
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