Icon of Indian Cinema and Evergreen Star Dev Anand died in London

An icon of Indian cinema and evergreen star Dev Anand died at the age of 88 in London on 3 December 2011 (4 December according to IST) after suffering a massive cardiac arrest.

Dharam Dev Anand was born on 26 September 1923 and is more popularly known as Dev Anand. Dev Anand was an Indian film actor, director and producer known for his work in Hindi cinema.

Anand came Bombay in the early 1940s and began his career in the military censor's office at Churchgate.  He joined his older brother, Chetan, as a member of the Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA).

Dev Anand’s Film Career

He was offered a starring role in Prabhat Films' Hum Ek Hain (1946) soon after he joined IPTA.

In the late 1940s, Anand was offered a few roles starring as the male lead opposite singer-actress Suraiya in woman-oriented films. Dev Anand and Suraiya were paired in seven films together: Vidya (1948), Jeet (1949), Shair (1949), Afsar (1950), Nili (1950), Do Sitare (1951) and Sanam (1951), all of which were successful at the box office. He acted of the mystery genre or light comedy love stories or were films with social relevance like Ek ke baad ek and Funtoosh.

Anand was offered his first big break by Ashok Kumar. He was picked as the hero for the Bombay Talkies production, Ziddi (1948), co-starring Kamini Kaushal. Ziddi went on to become a huge success.

Anand started producing films after the success of Ziddi. he launched his own company Navketan in 1949 which, by 2011, had produced 31 films.

Dev chose Guru Dutt as director for the crime thriller, Baazi (1951). The film starring Dev Anand, Geeta Bali and Kalpana Kartik was a trendsetter for urban crime films that followed in Bollywood in the 1950s. The film Baazi saw debut of Kalpana Kartik (aka Mona Singh) as the lead female actress and Guru Dutt as a director. The collaboration was a success at the box office. Dev Anand and kalpana subsequently made the movies Aandhiyan, Taxi Driver, House No. 44 and Nau Do Gyarah-all of which went on to become big hits too.

His penchant for nodding while speaking became Dev's style in films like House No. 44, Pocket Maar, Munimji, Funtoosh, C.I.D. and Paying Guest. He starred in a series of box office successes for the remainder of the 1950s opposite newcomer Waheeda Rehman in C.I.D. (1956), Solva Saal, Kala Pani, Kala Bazar and Baat Ek Raat Ki. Waheeda first became a star with C.I.D becoming a hit.

His acting in Kala Pani (1958), as the son who is willing to go to any lengths to clear his framed father's name won him his first Filmfare award for Best Actor for the film. He attempted films of tragic genre occasionally like Pocketmaar (1956), Kala Pani (1958), Bombai Ka Baboo (1960) and Sharabi (1964) and tasted success in them as well. Dev also played a few characters with a negative shade, like in Jaal(1952).

Dev Anand acquired a romantic image with films like Manzil and Tere Ghar Ke Samne with Nutan, Kinaare Kinaare with Meena Kumari, Maya with Mala Sinha etc.

His first colour film, Guide with Waheeda Rehman was based on the novel of the same name by R. K. Narayan. Guide, directed by younger brother Vijay Anand, was an acclaimed movie.

Vijay Anand also another Dev Anand's Jewel Thief, based on thriller genre which featured Vaijayantimala, Tanuja, Anju Mahendru, Faryal and Helen. Their next collaboration, Johny Mera Naam (1970), again a thriller, where Dev was paired opposite Hema Malini was a big hit.

Just as when he was being dismissed as a leading man he delivered hits again and romanced young heroines Yogita Bali and Rakhee in Banarasi Babu (1973), Hema Malini in Chhupa Rustam (1973) and Amir Ghareeb (1974), Zeenat Aman in Heera Panna(1973), Warrant(1975) and Darling Darling(1977).

Evergreen Dev Anand

The 1978 hit Des Pardes, directed by Dev Anand marked the debut of actress Tina Munim and this film’s success gave him the tag of evergreen hero. He was 55 but he shared very good chemistry with the 20 year old Tina Munim. Dev Anand was offered lead role in Man Pasand by director Basu Chatterjee. Dev Anand’s successful run at the box office continued in the 1980s with Man Pasand, Lootmaar (both opposite Tina Munim), Swami Dada (1982) being both critically acclaimed and box office hits.

Dev Anand as Director

His directorial debut, the espionage drama Prem Pujari, was a flop. He however tasted success with his 1971 directorial effort, Hare Rama Hare Krishna which talked about the prevalent hippie culture. Hare Rama Hare Krishna that launched Zeenat Aman became a cult movie. Dev also became known as a filmmaker of trenchantly topical themes.

In 1989, his directorial venture Sachché Ka Bolbala was released. Though critically acclaimed, it was a commercial failure.

The actor’s political activity

Dev Anand had been politically active. He led a group of film personalities who stood up against the Internal Emergency imposed by the then Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi. He actively campaigned against her with his supporters in Indian parliamentary elections in 1977. He also formed a party called the National Party of India, which he later disbanded.

More on Dev Anand

Dev Anand directed 19 films and produced 31 films of which 7 directorial ventures and 18 films respectively were commercially successful at the box office. He wrote the story for 13 of his films. Dev Anand's films are well known for their hit songs. He was known to have been an active participant in the music sessions of a number of his films.

His career spanned more than 65 years.

Since the 1990s except for Awwal Number, rest of the eight films directed by him were box office failures. But Sau Crore (1991) and Censor (2000) were critically acclaimed. His last film as an ator and director,Chargesheet was a dud at the box office.

In September 2007, Dev's own autobiography Romancing with Life was released at a birthday party with the Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. his 1961 black and white film Hum Dono was digitised and colourised and released in February 2011.

Awards received by Dev Anand

The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Bhushan in 2001 and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2002 for his contribution to Indian cinema. He won the filmfare award thrice- Best actor for kalapani (1958), Best Film for Guide (1966), Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award (1991).

Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Achievement in Indian Cinema was bestowed on him at IIFA Award in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2003. In 2004, he was given the Living Legend Award by the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in recognition of his contribution to the Indian entertainment industry.

He received several international award as well: He was honoured by an Award at the hands of the then First Lady of the United States of America, Hillary Rodham Clinton in July 2000. He was also awarded the Indo-American Association Star of the Millennium Award.

Donna Ferrar, Member New York State Assembly, honoured him with a New York State Assembly Citation for his Outstanding Contribution to the Cinematic Arts Worthy of the Esteem and Gratitude of the Great State of New York on 1 May 2001.

He was honoured with a Special National Film Award by the Government of Nepal at Nepal’s first NationIndian film festival in Stockholm in 2005.