'Kaagaz Ke Phool' Controversy: All You Need to Know

Today, when it comes to Indian cinema, Kaagaz Ke Phool is lauded as one of the best Hindi films.

However, its director, Guru Dutt, also seemed to be a man whose artistic capabilities weren’t always appreciated by the audience of his time. The film flopped big time when it was first released, only to achieve cult status later on. So, what was it all about?

Why Was Kaagaz Ke Phool Criticized?

There were many factors behind the negative “charcha” of the movie. But before we get into that, let’s see how Kaagaz Ke Phool’s box office collections went.

Kaagaz Ke Phool — Hit or Flop? The Answer is More Complicated Than It Seems…

For those of us getting exposed to Dutt’s work today, it may feel like almost all of his films would have knocked it out of the park when they first released.

However, that is not true.

The film was a commercial failure, and this is to say nothing about the fact that Dutt almost lost his studio after Kaagaz Ke Phool’s box office collection tanked.

Though the exact figures aren’t easily available online, here’s some approximation from a quick search online:

Box Office Collection: A range of Rs. 20 lakhs (source: Reddit) and Rs. 37 lakhs (source: Bollywood Hungama)
Budget: Rs. 35 Lakhs (source: same Reddit post)

So, it becomes evident that Kaagaz Ke Phool flopped and simply failed to take the box office by storm.

Over time, however, that perception of the movie changed, and people appreciated Dutt’s storytelling and directorial prowess, making Kaagaz Ke Phool consistently rank on various “Best Movies” lists across a multitude of outlets.

A case in point:

Sound & Sight Magazine (2002) — #160 (Greatest Films of all Time)
British Film Institute — #11 (Top 20 Indian Films of 2002) + Named the Best Musical of 1959 (in 2013)
Outlook Magazine (2003): #6 (Poll of the 25 Leading Indian Directors for Hindi Cinema’s Best Films)
Time-Out (2015): #14 (100 Best Bollywood Movies)

It has also been featured on the following lists:

CNN-IBN’s 2013 List of 100 Greatest Indian Films of All Time
NDTV’s List of India’s 20 Greatest Films

Waheeda Rehman also spoke out about how harshly the film was first judged when it was released. She agreed that Kaagaz Ke Phool found a place for itself in the West before slowly making its way back home.

Kaagaz Ke Phool Script Controversy — Who Wrote the Real Story?

There are many stories about how the screenplay came to be.

Some sources claim Dutt was inspired by the Hollywood classic A Star is Born.

Others often cite Kaagaz Ke Phool as a quasi-autobiographical take on Dutt’s own life.

However, according to the book Guru Dutt: An Unfinished Story by Yasser Usman, account, Kaagaz Ke Phool’s real story could come down to Dutt ‘plagiarising’ someone else’s work.

Screenwriter Nabendu Ghosh (who had also worked with Dutt on other films) had previously written a story about a ‘writer and his muse.’

Dutt fell in love with it and tasked Ghosh with turning it into a screenplay.

However, Ghosh was busy on other projects and was unable to meet with Dutt, seemingly offending the director in the process. Dutt hired another writer to continue working on the draft of what would eventually become Kaagaz Ke Phool.

However, the story itself was not credited to anybody when it was completed, and only the new writer got screenplay credits.

Ghosh’s daughter, journalist and author Ratnottama Sengupta, spoke about this incident:

Guru Dutt also made certain changes in the story and turned it into that of a film-maker and his muse.

Although Dutt did not say anything publically on this issue, Ghosh himself lamented in his autobiography Eka Naukar Jatri:

I was deprived of being the writer of Kaagaz Ke Phool forever.

Why Kaagaz Ke Phool Flopped in 1959

From a story perspective, many critics stated that this film of Dutt’s simply failed to resonate with the viewers of the time.

V.K. Murthy (the film’s cinematographer) had even warned Dutt:

I had told him after seeing the first eight reels that the film was beautiful, like a poetry, but if the film continues like this, you will not get even a rupee.

Why would people watch the biography of a director?

They wouldn’t even believe that the director was a failure and didn’t have money…people are used to seeing tragic ladies, not men.

That’s why the film failed, I think.”

Kaagaz Ke Phool‘s unconventional narrative structure and somber tone diverged sharply from the escapist fantasies that dominated Bollywood at the time. Some of the criticism was fueled by its depiction of taboo subjects, notably the extramarital affair between the protagonist, Suresh Sinha, and his leading lady, Shanti.

As is the case with most of Dutt’s films from this era, Kaagaz Ke Phool also deals with themes like success, failure, the cost of fame, the sanctity of art, and disillusionment with life.

However, removing the veil on the entertainment industry was simply not something most Indians, who themselves were struggling in life, were interested in. So, what Dutt had to say wasn’t even paid much heed until many decades later.

Kaagaz Ke Phool Reviews — What Everyone Was Saying About the Film Back Then

The time period following the film’s release has been discussed in detail in Guru Dutt: An Unfinished Story.

Filmindia (the November 1959 issue) lauded Kaagaz Ke Phool for its ‘technical achievements’ but had an otherwise scathing review:

Kaagaz Ke Phool is an utterly undistinguished picture except that it is made in CinemaScope. It is a depressing, incoherent tale boringly told.

Shyam Benegal, Dutt’s cousin and himself a director, recalled:

What I remember most of all is the preview screening of Kaagaz Ke Phool, India’s first CinemaScope film. Bimal Roy and other leading lights of the film industry were present.

At the end of the screening, there was pin-drop silence.

No one said a word.

Guru Dutt was absolutely crestfallen.

In the famous Maratha Mandir of Bombay, the audience booed, leading a very shocked Dutt to call Kaagaz Ke Phool a ‘stillborn child.’ Dutt’s sister, Lalitha Lajmi, also claimed that the booing left him ‘devastated.’

Even the legendary Dev Anand spoke about this time period in Dutt’s life and its impact:

The day he realised that his Kaagaz Ke Phool did not do well—he’d gone to Delhi to open it in the presence of President S. Radhakrishnan—he was a sad man.

He never went behind the camera to direct; he only acted. He took Abrar [Alvi], but never had the courage to direct.

Woh cheez khatam ho gayi thi.

Regarding the sad reception of the movie, Johnny Walker, who was a staple in Dutt’s movies, exclaimed:

Kaagaz Ke Phool ke premier mein public ne humko joote-chappal markar nikala.

Public said, “What a disastrous film you’ve made!”

Guru Dutt came out of the theatre and said, “I can’t direct any more.” And he never did. Because he lost his confidence after that.

How Kaagaz Ke Phool’s Failure Impacted Dutt

Kaagaz Ke Phool Plot Overview

Suresh Sinha is a successful director living in Bombay but is estranged from his wife. One day, newbie Shanti walks into his life, and he casts her in his next film. Although the pair get closer and she becomes a sensation upon the film’s release, their union gets threatened by many external factors.