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@article{204631,
        author = {Pihul and Dr. Chesta Yadav},
        title = {Artistic Alienation and the Tragic Artist Figure in Guru Dutt’s Kaagaz Ke Phool: An Auteurist Reading},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2026},
        volume = {13},
        number = {1},
        pages = {3266-3272},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=204631},
        abstract = {Guru Dutt’s Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959) occupies a distinctive place in Indian cinema as a self-reflexive exploration of artistic creativity, emotional isolation, and the burdens of authorship. Initially unsuccessful at the box office but later recognized as a cinematic masterpiece, the film narrates the decline of filmmaker Suresh Sinha, whose dedication to artistic excellence results in personal and professional alienation. This paper examines Kaagaz Ke Phool through the lens of Auteur Theory and the concept of artistic alienation, arguing that Guru Dutt constructs the figure of the tragic artist as one caught between creative ambition and social expectations. Drawing upon François Truffaut’s formulation of authorship, Andrew Sarris’s auteur theory, and studies on creativity and alienation, the paper demonstrates how Suresh Sinha functions as an extension of Guru Dutt’s artistic vision. The analysis further explores the film’s representation of loneliness, sacrifice, and emotional fragmentation, highlighting how artistic labour becomes both a source of fulfillment and suffering. Through its visual style, narrative structure, and self-reflexive engagement with the film industry, Kaagaz Ke Phool critiques the conditions under which artists create and survive. The study concludes that the film remains a powerful meditation on creativity, modernity, and the tragic consequences of artistic devotion.},
        keywords = {Guru Dutt; Kaagaz Ke Phool; Auteur Theory; Artistic Alienation; Tragic Artist; Indian Cinema; Creativity; Modernity},
        month = {June},
        }