Guru Dutt's intense films, workaholic nature likely sign of mental health issues: Psychiatry professor

Psychiatry professor Dr Rajesh Sagar suggested how the filmmaker's emotionally intense films, workaholic nature, and growing isolation possibly pointed towards his underlying mental illness.

New Delhi: A panel featuring filmmaker and cinema academic Pankaj Saxena and psychiatry professor Dr Rajesh Sagar here reflected on the life and legacy of actor-filmmaker Guru Dutt, focusing on his creative brilliance and his silent struggle with mental health.

Speaking at the India Habitat Centre (IHC) on Thursday in a session commemorating Dutt on his birth centenary, Sagar suggested how the filmmaker's emotionally intense films, workaholic nature, and growing isolation possibly pointed towards his underlying mental illness.

"Personal hardships, emotional isolation, and professional setbacks could have triggered a profound sense of restlessness and helplessness in Dutt. His workaholic nature may have further distanced him from close relationships, pointing to clear signs of internal struggle. It’s a classic pattern -- multiple unresolved issues building up over time without any intervention,” he explained.

While Saxena focused on Dutt’s filmography and the making of the cinematic legend, Sagar took a deeper look into Dutt’s behavioural patterns, highlighting signs such as "disturbed sleep, excessive drinking, smoking, emotional withdrawal, and growing isolation" as classic indicators of chronic depression.

Pointing to his emotionally intense and existential themes of his films like Pyaasa and Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam, as reflections of his inner turmoil, Sagar said it was likely an outcome of sublimation, a psychological process in which individuals transform inner conflict and pain into artistic or socially valued expressions.

“Guru Dutt’s films weren't just cinematic brilliance. They were emotional documents. Pain, trauma, and failure often fuel creativity. His artistry possibly emerged from long phases of internalised distress," he added.

He also spoke about "performance anxiety" -- the tendency among high achievers to equate their self-worth with success -- citing "Kaagaz Ke Phool" as an example.

Though now hailed as a classic, the film was a commercial failure upon release, delivering a significant emotional and professional blow to Guru Dutt and possibly deepening his psychological distress.

“For Dutt, every film was personal. A flop wasn’t just commercial failure -- it was a reflection of the self. That’s psychologically exhausting,” he said.

Dutt tried to commit suicide twice. Once during the making of “Pyaasa” and again a few years later when “Sahib, Bibi Aur Ghulam” (1962) was in production. Dutt was found dead on October 10, 1964 at his rented apartment in Mumbai's Peddar Road from a cocktail of alcohol and sleeping pills. He was 39.

Describing suicide as a “cry for help”, the expert highlighted how individuals in deep distress often feel incapable of seeking assistance, especially when depression strips them of hope.

He further noted that “past suicide attempts are the strongest predictors of future suicide,” and when combined with the absence of family intervention and building emotional exhaustion, the risk only grows more severe over time.

In fact, in Dutt’s case, the mental health expert argued that his fame may have only added to his worries.

"In the 1950s and ’60s, mental illness was taboo. Treatment often meant institutionalisation. Antidepressants were rare. Families feared public embarrassment more than they feared the illness. Basically, the stigma was intense -- especially for a public figure,” he added.