Mr and Mrs Dutt Memories of our Parents [Nov 01, 2007] Namrata Dutt Kumar and Priya Dutt

by Namrata Dutt Kumar

Nargis and Sunil Dutt were married in 1958. Their marriage gave them much happiness and three children: Sanjay, Namrata and Priya. In 1981, Nargis Dutt died of cancer and in 2005, twenty-four years later, Sunil Dutt suffered a fatal heart attack.

This is a deeply touching and thoughtful look at the life and times of stars Nargis and Sunil Dutt, from childhood, through the many ups and downs they faced, to the moment they passed on and became memories forever embedded in the hearts of their children. Unlike many celebrity biographies, which by necessity often rely on second-hand views and opinions, this book gives us the detailing only a first-hand narrative can offer. Lavishly illustrated, Mr and Mrs Dutt is an honest and full of feeling account, told by their children who, at a young age, witnessed the many happy and tragic events, the big and small moments of life that shape a family history.

Genres: Biography

200 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2007

About the author

Namrata Dutt Kumar graduated from Sophia Polytechnic in 1982 with a five-year diploma in Commercial Art. She is a trustee of the Nargis Dutt Charitable Trust. She lives in Mumbai with her husband, Kumar Gaurav, and two daughters, Saachi and Siya. Priya Dutt graduated from Sophia College in 1988 with a Bachelor's degree in Sociology and studied television production in New York. She was elected as Member of Parliament in November 2005, representing the North West district, Mumbai. She is a trustee of both the Spastics Society of India and the Nargis Dutt Charitable Trust. She lives in Mumbai with her husband, Owen Roncon, and has a two-year-old son Siddharth and another baby on its way.

Reviews

[Mansee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovingly written by Namrata -- it is the description of the love shared between their parents and gives a glimpse of the kind of people that they are. It is not actually a biography though

I personally respect Sunil Dutt a lot but through this book also fell in love with his wife. She was an extraordinarily woman herself.

The pics were a welcome bonus!

[Bhawana Somaaya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr and Mrs Dutt written by their daughters Namrata and Priya Dutt is a wonderful book with a lot of rare pictures and so many memories. The book was published more than 10 years ago but the month of May and June are interlinked with Sunil and Nargis Dutt. Both of them were born in the month of June in the same year and both of them died in the month of May.

The book has beautiful details about the similarities between them, the differences between them, their attraction and how they got together and how they ran the family and their house. The most heartbreaking chapter is when Nargis is detected with Cancer. She was in Delhi at the Rajya Sabha session rushed home because she thought she had jaundice, was admitted in Breach candy the same day and next early morning she went to New York to a cancer hospital. Also, the chapter when Sunil Dutt was getting ready to move into his new apartment, Imperial Heights working at clearing his cupboards, his files, putting together all the stuff that he wanted to take home. He was tired and went to sleep and did not wake up the next morning.

It's how the children piece their life together, it’s how the children collect their memories together. It’s more than a decade but every year in the month of May or June, I make it a point to read this book again. Congratulations Priya and Namrata Dutt, this is a fabulous collection and a great tribute from daughters to parents. I loved the book.

[Paridhi]

Will forego a star rating for this book because it is a love letter from a child to her parents - imperfect as they may be. It is interspersed with decades worth of photographs, letters, memorabilia and notes, and the writing reflects the loss the author went through. I am reminded of the Kamala Das poem 'My Mother at Sixty Six' - fearing the separation anxiety that comes with our parent's age and disease, and being unable to do anything about it. The book definitely glosses over a lot of infamous setbacks the family experienced, especially those associated with Sanjay Dutt, in a 'this happened' sort of way. The flaws of the family unit are not written about, and everyone is cast in a good light, which again, is tough to overlook, even when I do appreciate the insight into the stories of Nargis and Sunil Dutt. Have to mention how I melted reading that Nargis signed her engagement certificate writing - "Our engagement party was held on 12 March 1957 after 12 o'clock at Bilimoria in our small room, with the moon as our guest".

[Simrit Singh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful and intimate

[Avinash Kumar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always adored them as a couple and as individuals . After reading this memoir my respect for them and their family has grown even more.

[Anupa Chatterji · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gives quite an insight into the personal lives of one of Bollywood's most popular and talented star couples