Why Did Guru Dutt's Last Film Take 24 Years to Release? The Shocking Story Behind 'Love and God'

The tragedy that unfolded in the Bollywood industry in the 1960s was truly unexpected. Two veteran actors, Guru Dutt and Sanjeev Kumar, passed away at a young age while working on the same film.

The story began in 1963 when K. Asif started shooting Love and God. Guru Dutt was cast as the lead actor in the film's first phase. You may be wondering why we are calling it the "first phase." The reason is that the film was completed in three phases over a span of 24 years.

Along with Guru Dutt, actress Nimmi played the female lead.

However, during the film's production, Guru Dutt passed away in October 1964 at the age of 39. Following his death, the film was put on hold.

Another tragedy strikes

In 1969, the second phase of the film began with Sanjeev Kumar replacing Guru Dutt in the lead role. Director K. Asif resumed shooting with Sanjeev Kumar, who portrayed the lover. However, in 1971, production came to another halt after K. Asif passed away unexpectedly.

The third phase of the film began in 1980. K. Asif's wife, Akhtar Asif, along with producer K.C. Bokadia, decided to complete the project. Shooting continued until 1984. After Sanjeev Kumar died in November 1985, body doubles were used to complete the remaining long shots.

Finally, Love and God was released in theatres on May 27, 1986. The film's poster carried the tagline: "The Ultimate Masterpiece of K. Asif."

The mystery behind the film

It is also said that during the shooting in Rajasthan, K. Asif visited the dargah of Hazrat Sufi Hamiduddin Baba. According to popular belief, he experienced a divine vision in which a voice warned him not to build a set depicting God's Heaven for the film's climax, saying that only God could create heaven, not humans.

The voice reportedly warned him that ignoring this message would lead to severe consequences. Despite the warning, Asif went ahead with the construction of the grand heaven set, and he passed away shortly afterwards.

All three prominent personalities associated with Love and God, director K. Asif, Guru Dutt, and Sanjeev Kumar died before the age of 50 while the film was still under production.

Interestingly, Guru Dutt and Sanjeev Kumar shared the same birth date, July 9, and this year also marks the 101st birth anniversary of Guru Dutt and 88th birth anniversary of Sanjeev Kumar.