Notion Press Old No. 38, New No. 6 McNichols Road, Chetpet Chennai - 600 031 First Published by Notion Press 2017 Copyright © Dr. Govind Sharma IAS Retd. 2017 All Rights Reserved. ISBN 978-1-948032-54-4 This book has been published with all reasonable efforts taken to make the material error-free after the consent of the author. No part of this book shall be used, reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. The Author of this book is solely responsible and liable for its content including but not limited to the views, representations, descriptions, statements, information, opinions and references [“Content”]. The Content of this book shall not constitute or be construed or deemed to reflect the opinion or expression of the Publisher or Editor. Neither the Publisher nor Editor endorse or approve the Content of this book or guarantee the reliability, accuracy or completeness of the Content published herein and do not make any representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose. The Publisher and Editor shall not be liable whatsoever for any errors, omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause or claims for loss or damages of any kind, including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage arising out of use, inability to use, or about the reliability, accuracy or sufficiency of the information contained in this book. Contents[ 1. The Dev Anand Story 1 2. Early Life, and the Initial Years in Mumbai 10 3. Taking the Tide on Flood 20 4. The Success Story Continues 35 5. Guide, One of the Best Movies Ever Made 49 6. The Golden Period 62 7. After Johny Mera Naam 73 8. The Wunderkind Vijay Anand 89 9. Dev Anand Films After Des Pardes 109 10. He Lives in Our Hearts 126 11. Awards and List of Films 136 Chapter One The Dev [Anand Story December 2011 turned out to be a very sad Sunday 4morning for crores of Dev Anand fans in India and abroad. The lead story on all the News channels was about the sad demise of the evergreen film star Dev Anand. The man who had ruled the silver screen for sixty- five years playing his last lead role in the movie ‘charge sheet’ at the age of eighty-eight, who had fans spanning across four generations, who was conferred upon Padma Bhushan and Dada Saheb Phalke Award, was no longer with us. The end came in room number 207 of Washington Hotel, in the Mayfair District of London, where he was on one of his visits to promote his movie and to plan his next project as Dev Anand was always on the move and he spent his Bollywood earnings only on making new and stylish movies on topical subjects. Such is the dispensation of the nature that even an undeniably never-ending pack of energy like Dev Anand had to end his journey on this planet much to the shock and dismay of his fans who believed that he would go on forever. Nobody ever heard that Dev Anand even had a common cold. Yet he succumbed to 2 The Dev Anand Story a sudden cardiac arrest in his hotel room where his son Suneil Anand was with him. The manner of his death had some resemblance to that of his Hollywood analogue Gregory Peck, who died in sleep at the age of 88 or so. His body was not brought to India; the last rites were performed in a very simple manner in an electric crematorium in London, where the band played the soulful tunes of Gata Rahe Mera Dil and Main Jindagi Ka Saath Nibhata Chala Gaya in the presence of his near and dear ones. Both Hindu and Catholic priests were present during Dev Anand’s last rites. Dev Anand’s phenomenal journey in this World came to an end, but he will forever remain in the hearts of crores of his fans, those who have seen his films, and those who have read and heard about him. For many years to come, he will remain a source of inspiration for the young and the old alike, as there is so much to learn from his life. Dev Anand was not just a glamorous film star, he was a highly passionate, creative, and bold film maker, and a paragon of zest and dynamism who never believed in anything negative, or slow. The name Dev Anand symbolizes energy, optimism, youthfulness, positivity, and above all the desire to live the life to its fullest. He is the most enduring romantic movie icon with an active career span of sixty-five years, from 1946 to 2011. The man never looked back. It was not in his nature to rest on laurels of his successful movies, nor did he lament over the failures; he always looked forward. The Dev Anand Story 3 The question that crops up is, do we see Dev Anand only as a very good looking, dashing, debonair, handsome man? Do we see him only as the one who wore very stylish and fashionable clothes, one whose caps and scarves set new trends of smart dress and accessories? Do we remember him only as a movie star whose stylized dialogue delivery and swagger won millions of fans? Do we visualize him only as an agile, energetic, optimistic, cosmopolitan man, who impressed those around him with his savoire faire? The answer is that Dev Anand was much more than that. Dev Anand had the qualities and the values that represented the finest in the human nature and he was the one who fully realized his potential. A lesser being with the same endowments could not have attained the dizzy heights of stardom and stay there for such a long time. People remember him not only as their movie idol but also as an honest, clean soul with a positive and winning attitude to life. Dev Anand certainly had great genes, and his environment also worked for him. He was born with a handsome face and attractive physique, had the advantage of good upbringing, was educated in good schools and then in Lahore College, which was the best college east of Suez in that period; he also had support of his highly talented and successful siblings, particularly Chetan Anand and Vijay Anand. But what made Dev Anand a big star was the choices that he made in life, his hard work, his ability to plan, and particularly, his forward looking and never-say-die philosophy of life 4 The Dev Anand Story which made him meet the challenges of his life and career head on, without wasting a moment on negative thoughts. His optimism was founded on his positivity and his love and respect for the fellow human beings. He played an exceptionally long innings in the films. He got his break in 1946 and there was no looking back. Even in nineteen seventies when the stars of his age group had begun to fade, he was shining bright and giving challenge to the new comers. In fact, he was Prakash Mehra’s first choice for Zanjeer (1973), and Amitabh Bachchan got the role only after Dev Anand refused to do the film. His movie Johny Mera Naam was the top box office earner of 1970, and his movie Hare Rama Hare Krishna made it to the top three of the list of the successful movies of 1971. His movie Des Pardes made it to the top five of the year 1978 even though Dev Anand had crossed the age of fifty-five. In the period between 1983, when he turned sixty, and 2011, his last year on this planet, he was associated with sixteen movies as a lead actor, director, and producer. His last movie charge sheet was released only a few months before his death at the age of eighty- eight. Not only that he remained an eternal shining star, several of his discoveries also became stars. He gave the first break to Guru Dutt as a director, Raj Khosla as an assistant director, Sahir Ludhiyanvi as a lyricist, Jaidev as a composer, and Johny Walker as a comedian. Zeenat Aman and Tina Munim (now Ambani) are Dev Anand discoveries. He also gave break to Shatrughan Sinha, Zaheeda, Zarina Wahab, Jackie Shroff, Tabu, The Dev Anand Story 5 Natasha Sinha, Richa Sharma, Akshay Anand, Ekta, Mink, Anita Ayub, Fatima Sheikh, Manu Gargi, Sabrina, Heene Kaushik, and many others. Dev Anand did not go to Gym to build his muscles but he always remained very fit with the help of yoga, swimming, and stretch exercises. There never was an ounce of extra fat on him, even in his eighties he could fit into the clothes designed for teenagers. The readers would like know about the dietary habits of Dev Anand. It is generally believed that he ate frugally and ate right to maintain his fitness. Those who have had the pleasure of Dev Anand’s company have supported the impression that he was very particular about his diet. For example, Asha Parekh in her book ‘The Hit Girl’ has written that, when they were shooting for the film Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai, she saw Dev Anand eating a breakfast of raw carrots and half-fried eggs, sunny side up. (Asha Parekh, The Hit Girl, Khalid Mohammed 2017, page 69–70) Some other people close to Dev Anand have said in some interviews that he was a light eater, mainly a vegetarian, though he occasionally ate non-veg food.