Gardish Mein Taare: A play inspired by Guru Dutt’s turbulent marriage

On Republic Day, theatre aficionados gathered at a South Mumbai auditorium to watch director Saif Hyder Hasan’s newest play Gardish Mein Taare, loosely based on the tumultuous marriage between legendary filmmaker Guru Dutt and singer Geeta.
Starring Sonali Kulkarni and Arif Zakaria in leading roles, this is the second installment of a trilogy based on artistes, unfulfilled love, music and death, the first being Ek Mulaqaat (based on Sahir Ludhianvi and Amrita Pritam’s love story).
The opening night was attended by theatre veterans like Kulbhushan Kharbanda and Dolly Thakore. While Joy Sengupta came solo, TV actress Shweta Tiwari was accompanied by husband Abhinav Kohli and teenage daughter Palak. Nachiket Panvaidya, who had come to support wife Sonali was seen mingling with the cast and crew backstage, post the show. The play, which portrayed the golden era of Hindi cinema, piqued the interest of the audience because of its grand sets and songs – some of the hit classics of the 1950s.