New Delhi, Feb 12 (PTI) All his life, master filmmaker Guru Dutt battled mental health issues that were never diagnosed due to "lack of awareness", said author Yasser Usman on Sunday.

Regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers of Indian cinema whose directorial work boasts of eight titles including "Baazi", "Pyaasa", "Mr. & Mrs. '55" and "Kaagaz Ke Phool", Guru Dutt was found dead in his rented apartment in Mumbai in 1964. He was 39.

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Usman, whose latest book "Guru Dutt: An Unfinished Story" focuses on the "personal struggle" of the late director-actor, said Guru Dutt's sister Lalita Lajmi still regrets not being able to help him.

"While researching for this book, his sister told me they could have saved him. He was crying for help. He was not talking to them. And, that remains a major regret in his brother's and his sister's life.

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"It was a dark box kind of situation and he was not able to come out of it. There was some problem which was never diagnosed," the author said at the Times LitFest here.

According to Usman, it would be unfair to put a label on Guru Dutt's condition.

"I can't say he was depressed, I can't say he was bipolar. His sister told me that usually we use these terms lightly that he was depressed, or he must be going through something, there must be a personal problem with his wife or lover, but we can't be so sure about it.

"But there was something running in the family. There were some issues which were never diagnosed due to the lack of mental (health) awareness. So it is also a story about how you should not take mental health lightly," he added.

The author, who has penned biographies of film personalities such as Rajesh Khanna, Rekha and Sanjay Dutt, said Guru Dutt even visited psychiatrists. In those days, psychiatrists would charge Rs 500, a price the filmmaker thought was exorbitant. But, in the long run, they never called back Guru Dutt for more sessions, he said.

"He just used to talk. During those days the concept of treatment was all about pills and medicines, not talking it out. That's how it was. That's the most depressing part of this story," Usman added.

The author said writing the book during the COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on him.

"Since I was writing the story during COVID, it was even darker for me. It affected me. But more than his cinema, this book talks about his personal struggle. That is what I was interested in writing about."

There have been many books on Guru Dutt, but there was one that was unfair to singer Geeta Dutt, his wife, said Usman.

According to the author, Lajmi said the family was "very upset" with that book as it "blamed Geeta Dutt for everything that was wrong with Guru Dutt's life".

"His sister said 'It can happen with anyone. They were stars. And then there was a balance that was lost in their relationship professionally also because she was the star when they got married. Later, he became a star with her help and her stardom disintegrated. So all those things were there, but she was not responsible for anything'," he recalled.

If a person wants to die, no one is responsible, added Usman.

"If he wants to finish his life and attempts suicide again and again, no one is responsible. You need a psychiatrist, a medical professional but you cannot blame his wife," he said.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)