#GoldenFrames: Geeta Dutt, the soulful singer of Indian Cinema

Geeta Dutt had a rare gift and was able to do full justice to every type of song, sad, emotion-filled, light, joyful, romantic and boisterous. She was the only singer Lata Mangeshkar was said to be wary of! Geeta sang seventy-two songs for S D Burman of which forty-three were solos. She was well known for devotional and sad songs.

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Pic Courtesy : Wikipedia

Born on November 23, 1930, in Faridpur, Bangladesh, Geeta Ghosh Roy Chowdhuri was one of the ten children born to a wealthy Zamindar family. Eventually, her family moved to Kolkata and Assam in the early forties, leaving behind their land and properties. Geeta had an ear for music from her childhood and learned it from her music tutor Pandit Hirindranath Chowdhury who made her do riyaaz for hours every day. But this classical music training was disrupted when her family moved to Mumbai in 1942. She was only 12, but the passion for music had already taken hold of her. So without any help, she carried on with her regular riyaaz on her harmonium. Fond of singing Bengali bhajans and folk songs while in Mumbai, Geeta was smart enough to learn and master the language diction of Hindu-Urdu lyrics. One day music director Hanuman Prasad overheard Geeta singing to herself. He was so impressed by her voice and style that he gave her the first break to sing in his movie 'Bhakta Prahlad' (1946). Geeta continued her schooling at the Bengali High School. Within the first year itself, Geeta got offers to sing in half a dozen movies. Her golden voice struck music director S.D. Burman. He made her into a singing star of Bollywood when she was just seventeen.

In This Pic : goldenframes, Geeta Dutt

Geeta played a pioneering role in the music world with her jazzy songs scored by S.D. Burman in 'Baazi' (1951). Her effortless rendition of westernised tunes enamoured her listeners. "Suno gajar kya gaye" and "Tadbir se bigdi hui" from 'Baazi' are still famous. It was during the recording of these songs that she met the film director Guru Dutt.

In This Pic : S.D. Burman, GoldenFrames, Geeta Dutt

Guru Dutt fell in love with doe-eyed Bengali singer Geeta who had a voice like none other. After a courtship of three years and exchanging copious amounts of promises and letters—the couple got married on May 26, 1953. Guru Dutt wore a white silk kurta and dhoti in Bengali style on their wedding day, while 21-year-old Geeta wore a red Banarasi saree complemented with gold jewellery. They performed a Bengali godhuli ceremony at Geeta’s house in Mumbai. Based on a biography, Geeta earned more than her husband. However, Guru Dutt never glanced at her jewellery, interfered with her earnings, or asked how she spent her money.

In This Pic : guru dutt, goldenframes, geeta dutt

Initially, Guru and Geeta were a perfect couple with three children, sons Tarun and Arun and daughter Nina. Guru Dutt shared his birthdate on July 9 with his older son Tarun, and while his other son Arun’s birthday fell on July 10. The family would celebrate a joint birthday for the father and sons with a bumper cake.

In This Pic : Guru Dutt, GoldenFrames, Geeta Dutt