Remembering Dev Anand on his 91st birth anniversary

memories and so much of the life-force squeezed into one large microscopic view of the entire universe that it became impossible to tell the

dancer apart from the dance.

When he died it was a shock because....well, some things are never meant to end. He was undoubtedly the youngest actor I knew in Bollywood.

His spirit was indefatigable. And he was the most easygoing superstar cinema has ever known.

So what if none of his later films worked? Dev Saab didn't make films to make money. He made them because he had to. No two ways about it.

His films were not evaluated by cinematic yardsticks. They were looked upon as works that represent an institution rather than works of cinema

per se.

Repetition was death to Dev Saab. In his typically exuberant way he once told me, "It is such an exhilarating experience to let the creative process

flow through you. When you are falling back on a remake or remix how are you being creative? I'd never do a remake. All my films are original.

Man moves on physically and emotionally. When you remake a film how are you doing it justice or even guaranteeing its success? The audience

that saw the original is not the same that will see the remake. A remake is an easy way out. Instead of tapping your own creativity you simply tap

into another person's creativity. How can you think of doing something that's been done already? I can never do it. Today people remember my

Guide and Hare Rama Hare Krishna as vividly as they did when it was made. So why remake them? I'd never remake Hollywood films either.

They are filled with gimmicks these days. Go back to the grand Hollywood era of the 1950s of the great makers and stars….where are they now?"

"It's Dev Anand, you've got to be indulgent," I was told by the resident editor in Mumbai of a daily after his last film Love At Times Square

had been released. The problem was how to make an omelet without breaking eggs? "We here have strict instructions to do the review only if it's

favourable," I was warned.

I did the needful. I would've ripped Love At Times Square piece by piece if it was made by anyone else. Not Dev Saab, for crying out loud!

He's such a sweetheart. No one would think of breaking his heart even in their wildest dreams.

"How can I say no to him?" says Raakhee one of Dev Anand's biggest fans. Not just her, but her entire family-old mom and dad included-were

huge Dev Anand fans.

otherwise-fastidious actress said yes to anything he offered her. And the same goes for every actor he approached, from Rekha who starred in the

tour de 'farce' Censor (playing the censor chief , inspired by Asha Parekh who headed the censor board) to Salman Khan who took up a

guitar and strummed away on stage in Love At Times Square because....well.... Dev Saab asked him to.

Perhaps the fact that Dev Anand symbolized the most dazzling bastion of Hindi cinema had something to do with our collective caution about his

feelings. It didn't matter if this man….no, this institution ….no longer functioned creatively or even coherently in his last 15 years. What mattered

was he was the guy who made the nation swoon by wooing Nutan in Tere Ghar Ke Samne, Waheeda Rehman in Guide and Hema

Malini in Johnny Mera Naam.

Flamboyant, debonair, mischievous and romantic, Dev Anand's personality is best manifested in the song he sang in Hum Dono. 'Main Zindagi

Ka Saath Nibhata Chala Gaya Har Fiqr Ko Dhuen Mein Udata Chala Gaya….'

Hema Malini recalled, ""My mother was a huge fan of Dev Saab, so I grew up hearing his name and watching his films. How was I to know I'd one

day go on to do many films with him? I started my career with one legendary actor Raj Kapoor, then I quickly did Johnny Mera Naam with

Dev Saab. You can imagine how nervous I was. I was so young and he was a huge star. But he never made me feel like a newcomer. Both Dev and

his brother Vijay Anand who directed Johnny Mera Naam took such good care of me. I remember we shot the film's cable-car sequence for

the song 'Wada To Nibhaya' at Rajgeer in Bihar. The crowds got unwieldy. Dev Saab looked after me. The film was a runaway hit, my first

blockbuster. We were signed for several films together. I had the privilege of being directed by all the three brothers Chetan, Dev and Vijay Anand.

But I didn't get a chance to be directed by Dev Saab until very late in Shareef Badmaash. He was a perfectionist. He would be the first on the

sets with that trademark stick in his hand. I asked him why he carried that chadi with him. He told me it was to prod those who wasted his

time. Dev Saab was always on the move. He was so restless, and he didn't appreciate people around him who couldn't keep pace with him,

Watching him at work was like taking a Vitamin tablet. He could convince me to do any role. I agreed to do a guest appearance in Tere Mere

Sapne because of Dev Saab and Vijay Anand Saab. Working with Dev Saab was always a pleasure. He was a very learned man and he was so

articulate. He spoke very beautiful English. He was a real hero. He wanted to launch my younger daughter Ahana. He would keep asking. But she

wasn't interested."

Added Asha Parekh, "We did a superhit Jab Pyar Kissise Hota Hai together. Dev Saab was so full of beans; he made me feel like a has-been

even at that young age. He could never sit still. He'd be all over the place, 'Asha, do this, do that. Don't stand there. Go go go…' The clock never

stopped for him. Working with him was like being on an express train. The journey was relentless and exhilarating. We went on to do two other

films Mahal and Kahin Aur Chal. The latter didn't do well. But I still remember a sequence that Dev Saab performed on the beach. It

was a very emotional scene and he swam through it. Dev Saab was such a huge star that people didn't give him enough credit as an actor. He was

very stylish. But he was also a brilliant actor. His clothes, hairstyle, the way he talked and waked exuded glamour and uniqueness. And he was a

complete film person. Actor, director, writer, producer….He lived breathed ate and slept cinema. Today I see that kind of passion only in Aamir

Khan. Dev Saab's enthusiasm infected everyone he worked with."

iconic Jewel Thief with Dev Saab called herself the female Dev Anand. "He was a bundle of energy. I first met him on the sets of Amar

Deep. A really handsome man with impeccable manners. And yes tall, ha ha. I needed a tall hero. During my time I was supposed to be a tall

heroine and I really craved to work with a hero who could be well-matched with me. Dev came along at the right time. And he was well-read

educated cultured and erudite. I went on to do a far more successful film Jewel Thief with him. I don't know what magic worked for that

film. But our pairing is remembered to this day for Jewel Thief. I had shared some very good times with Dev and his brother Goldie during

Jewel Thief. We shot in the outdoors of Gangtok. That was fun. Then there was that song 'Hothon Pe Aisi Baat' which required inhuman

amounts of stamina and energy from me. I think the fact that I was working with Dev Saab gave me that energy and stamina. I remember after we

finished shooting this song, Dev Saab clapped. He was a very generous co-star. And a very stylish man. He was very particular about camera angles

and wanted to be captured in the best possible way on screen. He took great care over his appearance. I think he defined celluloid heroism."

The ethereal Waheeda Rehman almost didn't do her most iconic film Guide. The director didn't want her!

Reminiscing about 'Dev' from Bangalore Waheedaji laughs throatily, "Guide is not just my most iconic film. It is also Dev's most celebrated

work. Yes, you can act as shocked as you like. But the fact is I almost didn't do Guide. Hua yun ke, shuroo mein director Raj Khosla the. Raj

Khosla and I had a difference of opinion during an early film. I never worked with him after that. And I wasn't willing to change that for

Guide or any other film. But you know how persuasive Dev was. He called up said, 'Come on, Waheeda. Let bygone be bygones. Everyone

makes mistakes." But I refused to budge. I asked Dev why his brother Goldie (Vijay Anand) wasn't directing. But Goldie was busy with Tere Ghar

Ke Samne. Eventually Raj Khosla was replaced by Chetan Anand. But he didn't want me! I laughed. Yeh to achcha hua. One director I

didn't want and the other director didn't want me. I think Chetan Saab wanted Priya Rajvanshji. But Dev was adamant. They needed a dancer. And

Priyaji couldn't dance. Eventually Goldie directed Guide. That's how I got Guide. The rest, you know. It's a film I'm very proud of."

Waheedaji did 7 films with Dev Anand. "So you can imagine our comfort level. In fact my very first film in Hindi CID was with Dev Anand. I

was a big fan of Dev Anand and Madhubala. So can you imagine my excitement and nervousness at doing a film with him? On the very day on the

sets when I called him 'Dev Saab' he turned around and said 'No no, call me Dev'. I couldn't bring myself to call him by his first name, that wasn't

my upbringing. So I suggested I call him 'Anandji'. He glared at me and said, 'Do I look like a schoolteacher to you?' The next day when I called him

'Dev Saab' he looked around as though he didn't know whom I was addressing. I had to finally call him 'Dev'. And 'Dev' he remained until the

end."

Waheeda was his favourite actress. She laughs pleasurably, "That was nice of him. We did share a very easy and warm working relationship. When

he turned director with Prem Pujari I was in the film, of course. But without meaning any disrespect to him I'd like to say that as the years

went by Dev's script sense went more and more haywire. I think he got too involved with himself. Dev was a very good producer. But he needed to

look out for better scripts."

The lovely actress says she wasn't much in touch with Dev Saab in his later years. "I got married and left for Bangalore. Then one day I got a call

from Dev inviting me to the premier of the colorized version of Hum Dono. I excused myself saying I had a prior engagement. Dev asked me,

'How many films have you done with me?' I said 7. Then he asked how many of these are for the Navketan. I said, 3. He retorted, 'Then Navketan

is like your home banner. How can you not be here for such a big moment for Navketan? Cancel your other engagement, and be there.'

Unfortunately I couldn't be there. So I couldn't meet him one last time."

Perhaps the leading lady Dev Saab was closest to was Zeenat Aman. They worked very closely together and shared much more than a professional

relationship.

"I will be eternally indebted to Dev Saab, " says Zeenat emotionally on Sunday morning as she woke up to a barrage of missed calls and messages

informing her that Dev Anand the iconic star who was to a large extent an architect of her career, is no more.

Sighs Zeenat, "What does one say about a man who meant so much to one's career? Dev Saab was indefatigable. To the end he continued to

believe in what he did. Do you know, I was on the way out of the country with my mother to join my stepfather in Germany when I got that call

from Dev Saab's office to do Hare Rama Hare Hare Krishna. Technically this wasn't my first film. I was already a Miss Asia winner and a

model when I was offered O.P Ralhan's Hulchal. To Ralhan Saab's credit he knew Hulchal was not the right launch-pad for me. So he

put me on to Dev Saab for Hare Rama Hare Krishna."

That's where Zeenat's stardom began.

Says the actress, "It wasn't as though the role fell into my lap. I got to play Janice in Hare Rama Hare Krishna came to me almost by default.

Not too many established actresses wanted to play Dev Saab's sister especially when Mumtaz had already been signed to play the romantic lead.

Tanuja had almost been finalized, then she opted out. That's where I came in. Through O P Ralhan Saab I got in touch with Amarjeet, an associate

of Dev Saab at Navketan."

audition for Hare Rama Hare Krishna worked like a dream. "My audition was at Filmistan. I went with my mother. I was fortunate to get to

do my audition in English, unheard of during those days. I was signed almost immediately and we left for Kathmandu for the shooting. We shot

the film at one stretch, again unheard-of in those days. I didn't have to stress over my role. The atmosphere was super-conducive to creativity. I

just had to watch Dev Saab and get charged about giving my best."

Zeenat admits she couldn't have hoped for a better launch. "It was indeed a dream launch. And yes, there was indeed a fear that nothing to follow

would match up."

Zeenat and Dev Anand went to do a series of films through the 1970s. "But the transition from playing siblings in Hare Rama Hare Krishna

to the romantic lead was gradual and smooth. He made it happen that way since he wrote the films himself. In our next film together Heera

Panna Dev Saab's romantic lead was Raakhee. Throughout the film his heart went out to her while I remained the Other Woman. In our next

film together Ishq Ishq Ishq we played the proper kosher romantic lead. Thereafter we went on to do a series of films like Warrant,

Kalabaz, Darling Darling and Prem Shastra, some successful some not-so-successful. C'est la vie. But I tell you, each film with Dev Saab

was a learning experience."

Zeenat admits she learnt a lot from Dev Anand. "He believed completely in what he did. And he didn't just talk. He actually put his money where

his mouth was. He made his films with complete conviction. He was never afraid to fail. I learnt to be courageous in my career decision through

my association with Dev Saab."

I once asked Dev Saab who was his favourite discovery and he promptly replied, "It's very difficult to say. There's something in the personality,

face and carriage that hold my attention in a newcomer."

It couldn't be easy being Dev Anand…not when you are a one-man army with no backup. Whether it was a film set or his living room I think Dev

Saab was a complete loner. But he wasn't lonely. He liked to be on his own. Every waking hour he was either reading, thinking or planning a film.

He once told me, "I am a loner. But I am not lonely. I live in a world of my own. My world is inside me. I feel a great creative freedom."

Extremely gregarious and yet completely and supremely alone, that was Dev Anand. No matter how little you knew him; Dev Saab always had a

warm greeting for you. Each time we talked he greeted me with enormous affection. "Ah, the man who writes about all of us here from Patna!

How do you do it?" he had asked me more than once.

And after he won the Dada Sahib Phalke award I had caught him at a hill resort on the outskirts of Mumbai. "You should be here…the hills, the

greenery the quietude…I've never felt closer to God."

And that wasn't just polite conversation. Dev Saab sincerely cared about other people's lives. He was immensely curious about lifestyles. He

hungered to know more so he could somewhere use the information to further his endless cinematic journey. He asked innumerable questions

about other people's lives, and stored them away to play whatever role he fancied next.

roles that Dev Anand stored away was a very private man whom no one knew not even Dev Anand himself.

His last success as a filmmaker and actor was Swami Dada. And yet the image of the consummate star didn't wear off. Nor did he abandon

the image of ladies man. After all he had brought Zeenat Aman in Hare Rama Hare Krishna and Tina Munim in Swami Dada to the

audience. Thereafter the discoveries got progressively unimpressive. But the image of the lady killer who could put ladies in a swoon by wearing a

black suit and was prohibited by the administration from wearing it, lingered.

Dev Saab continued to be as charming until his death as he used to be in his heydays. What changed were the wrinkles on his face. But the man

refused to grow old with them. And there lay the problem. Even Peter Pan comes with an expiry date.

When Dev Saab turned 88 he got himself an I-Phone

He confessed he started thinking of his next film even before he completed a film. "If you want to define Dev Anand, it would be to be as

'restlessness'. While I am making a film I am totally consumed by it. But yes, a part of my mind moves to the next project."

He continued to be as charged up about every new he directed.

He told me, "If I'm not as enthusiastic about my new film then I've no business making it. The very fact that I've picked up the responsibility of

directing another film proves I've the energy for it. The day I don't, I won't make any more films. My audience, my fans are my source of energy. I

need my fans' good wishes gives me my energy."

He loved his fans, the adulation and the attention, and admitted as much. "I love my fans and seek their good wishes all the time. The younger

generations is so clued in, so huge in mind and impact. As they connect with me I feel my batteries being recharged. Some of the most remarkable

minds of the world stay in our country. And I give them my love and good wishes. Please continue to see my films."

I once asked him his birthday wishes, and the inimitable Dev Saab quipped, "I don't make wishes. I make them come true. I go with exactly what I

want to do. It's an ongoing process. As long as I feel creative and as long as I feel there're some people who want to watch my films I'll continue to

make them."

Will there be another Dev Anand? I asked Dev Saab.

"I don't know. I am too much of an egoist to think so," he quipped.

We have the answer now.

Happy Birthday, Dev Saab. I am sure you're still writing an assortment of scripts up there checking out the apsaras to see if they fit into your 17

forthcoming films.

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