India, July 9 -- The enduring enigma of Guru Dutt lives on with us and haunts us even a hundred years later. Before he passed away in 1964, he left us with only a handful of feature films all of which felt like whispered confessions. Each film was far ahead of its time and carried a timeless ache. Dutt meshed mainstream flair with existential despair. His camera work which consisted of intimate close ups, a chiaroscuro lighting and a restless search for truth elevated the truth like no one else at that time could.

Exactly a hundred years ago today, a cinematic storm was born in Bangalore Vasanth?Kumar?Shivashankar?Padukone, later immortalized as Guru Dutt. The film Pyaasa pivoted hindi cinema ending the popular trope of romance, melodram...