Dev Anand was among the greatest cine-stars of Hindi cinema, leaving behind millions of admirers when he passed away in 2011. This September 26, he would have been 101. My mind has preserved vivid images of Dev Anand, both in colour and black and white, from my youth in Allahabad.
I recall watching his films—’Hum-Dono’ at Niranjan during a matinee show, ‘House No. 44’ during the morning show at Vishambhar, ‘Nau Do Gyarah’ in Kanpur, ‘Funtoosh’ at Jhankar’s mini theatre, and ‘Johny Mera Naam’ at Pushparaj. Dev Anand’s life is deftly documented in his autobiography, ‘Romancing with Life’.
After graduating from Lahore in English Literature, he wanted to pursue an MA, but his father’s financial situation did not allow it. Inspired by the stardom of Ashok Kumar, he took the Frontier Mail to Bombay, where his elder brother, Chetan, was already living. His first commercial hit was ‘Ziddi’, and soon after, he launched his production house, Navketan, in 1949.
He was one of the few well-educated actors of that time, and this reflected in his choice of films. Romancing the stars Before his fame skyrocketed, he fell in love with Suraiya, the biggest singing star of the era. They wanted to marry, but her grandmother opposed the match.
A heartbroken Dev Anand turned to his brother for a shoulder to cry on but never looked back. He later married his co-star, Kalpana Kartik. He was also linked to two other leading ladies—Zaheeda Hussain, his co-star in �.