Waheeda Rahman makes a candid admission in an interview in the original screenplay of Abrar Alvi's Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam where she says that Guru Dutt was miscast in the role of Bhoothnath. Wonder if Shashi Kapoor regrets not playing Bhoothnath in one of the iconic films of the Indian film industry...
The screenplay has been neatly compiled by Dinesh Raheja and Jitendra Kothari in Devnagri script with their English translations but what is more commendable are the interviews with 88 year old Dada Sahab Phalke award winning cinematographer V K Murthy, Waheeda Rahman, Saqiya aaj mujhe neend nahin ayegi dancer Minoo Mumtaz, and Guru Dutt's trusted aide Shyam Kapoor.
In a deleted scene of the film one can see Meena Kumari resting her head in Guru Dutt's lap thus dispelling speculation that Chhoti Bahu and Bhoothnath must have shared aspirations of more than a platonic friendship.
V K Murthy and Waheeda Rahman had pre-empted Guru Dutt's death as he had attempted suicide twice before. Shyam Kapoor feels that Dutt's death could also have been due to a heart attack. Guru Dutt gave freedom to writer director Abrar Alvi but Bhanwra bada nadaan hai was picturised by Dutt himself.
If reading about the making of old classic fascinates you, then the screenplay of sahib Biwi aur ghulam will intrigue you immensely. There's a DVD of the film as an added bonus. Star rating 4 stars.
Check out the video of this review here. We really enjoyed producing this video.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=XhocdbzxX8I
