From 'Bombay noir' to breezy rom-com, films that defined Dev Anand

In his youth he had gone from his home in Gurdaspur to Amritsar to get medicines for his ailing motherTo quench his thirst he ordered a glass of sugarcane juice from a stall near the Golden Temple When the vendor took a closer look at him he exclaimed that Dev Anand had the sun on his forehead foretelling greatnessThe prediction did come true Dev Anand did become a star that burnt bright across an over sixdecadelong careerWith his undeniable charm fast diction the slight lopsided gait trademark nodding to add emphasis the winning winsome smile and the flamboyant sartorial style Dev Anand sparkled in a career that began before Independence and lasted into the second decade of the 21st centuryIncluded in the pantheon of the top three heroes of Hindi cinema in the 1950s he not only outpaced his peers Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor who did around 70odd films each with almost 120 to his credit but remained a leading man well after the other two who were about a year older and a year younger respectively had taken up playing fathers or roles more suited to their ages or given up acting altogetherAlso what marked him out from the other two was that an overwhelming majority of his roles were of characters in urban settings unlike Dilip Kumar who had no compunction in portraying rustic characters and Raj Kapoor whose specialty was the smalltown simpletonPopularising what became to be known as Bombay Noir where he played characters with a tinge of grey or moral ambiguities as well as the staple family dramas or breezy romantic comedies and thrillers and even the odd costumed swashbuckler Dev Anand did not break new groundAshok Kumar had pioneered playing an antihero in Kismet 1943 and both Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor had done too say in Footpath 1953 and Awara 1951 respectively but he brought a dash of panache to his roles with his trademarksWhile he is most known for films like Guide 1965 with its bold themes for the day and crime flicks like Jewel Thief 1967 with its colourful locales glamour surplus and unexpected twist and Johny Mera Naam 1970 which incorporates the lost siblings plot and Hare Rama Hare Krishna 1971 which would be a sort of swan song to the hippy culture there was a lot more in his repertoireLets traverse through a dozenodd good and bad known or forgottenHum Ek Hain 1946 Marking Dev Anands debut this film coming at the cusp of Indias Independence and Partition was prescient in its espousal of interfaith harmony and how inimical forces could seek to destroy it Set in a village it chronicles a woman landowner Durga Khote raising up her son Dev Anand along with three adopted orphans a Dalit girl Ranjitkumari a Muslim Rehman and a Christian RV Rane and how seeds of division are planted before they recombine to defeat the nefarious forcesAfsar 1950 An adaption of Russian author Nikolai Gogols satire The Inspector General the film the first of Dev Anands newlyset up Navketan Productions has city resident Dev Anand reaching a village to find work but getting mistaken for a government agent by locals amid the land reforms driveldquoAs he enjoys being feted and courts the zamindars daughter Suraiya a letter to his friend in the city detailing his experiences is intercepted by the zamindars men and read out in a village gathering Alerted of this he and his paramour make a rush to the railway station to escape but do they make it Suraiyas Mann mor hua matwala is a highlightBaazi 1951 Scripted by Balraj Sahni who however did not like the end result much this Bombay Noir was the first hit for Dev Anands Navketan banner as well the first with Kalpana Kartik who would eventually become his wifeldquoIt is the story of an unemployed youth whose penchant for gambling gets him close to a nightclub singer Geeta Bali who croons Tadbir se bigdi taqdeer and then into all sorts of trouble including a murder charge Does he escape with his lifeInsaniyat 1955 The Hindi version of a Telugu hit this rare outing into a costumed swashbuckler has Dev Anand with a moustache acting together with Dilip Kumar for the first and only time That is one saving grace of this rather formulaic potboiler apart from Jayants overboard acting as a tyrannical ruler and a chimpanzee named ZippySolva Saal 1958 One of the few Hindi movies where the action takes place in a few hours following close on heels of Madhubalas pathbreaking Gateway of India 1957 this romantic comedy has Waheeda Rehman eloping with her shifty beau but Dev Anand who plays a journalist overhears them on the train and decides to play a guardian angel to her despite her annoyance There is a twist in the denouement A cameo by director Raj Khosla is the highlight as well as Hai apna dil to awaraKala Pani 1958 Featuring Dev Anand as a dutiful son trying to absolve his father of a murder charge his appearance in all black in the film gave rise to the urban rumour that he was not allowed to wear the colour subsequently due to the effect it had on his female fans It stars Madhubala as the feisty journalist and Nalini Jaywant as a prostitute helping him while Kishore Sahu Krishan Dhawan Sapru Nazir Hussain and Bir Sakhuja round up the castHum Dono 1961 A realistic look at what costs an armed forces career imposes on the men in uniform and their near and dear ones especially when war comes Dev Anand in his first double role impressed both as the earnest young officer who expresses his sentiments in Main zindagi ka saath nibhata chala and the elder and the louder officer whom several army officers watching the film claimed to have known Sadhana and Nanda played their lady loves with music composer Jaidev proving himself in his first chanceMaya 1961 A quirky look at wealth and poverty this film has Dev Anand a wealthy scion become depressed at realising that his friend and girlfriend only are with him for his riches and decides to see how the poor live Mala Sinha plays his love interest Tasveer teri dil mein is a melodious duet Other highlights are a party organised by the servants of the rich while their employers are away and Jayant as a ruthless gang leader and with Amjad Khan as a henchmanTeen Devian 1965 A timeless urban love story this has suave aspiring poet Dev Anand forced into a Judgment of Paris choosing a life partner from the three women he befriends girl next door Nanda vivacious actress Kalpana and cool socialite Simi Garewal while his music shop owner employee IS Johar plays a sort of love guruBut it is no tearjerker each of the women being open to moving on A bouquet of melodious songs including Khwab ho tum Aese to na dekho Likha hain teri aankhon mein and Calcutta of the 1960s complements the appealDuniya 1968 A slick courtroom drama with twists galore but also lashings of the family melodrama and lost and found relatives and friends this film sees young and brash lawyer Dev Anand lock horns with redoubtable public prosecutor Balraj Sahni whose purported son Prem Chopra has been murdered allegedly by Devs childhood friend Pakistani actor Suresh Vyjayanthimala is the love interest Madan Puri among other accused and stern judge DK Sapru presides over the benchPrem Pujari 1970 The first directorial venture of Dev Anand this war and espionage thriller was a flop but has become a cult subsequently aided by memorable songs Shokhiyon mein ghola jaye Rangeela re Phoolon ke rang se lush locales leading ladies Waheeda Rehman and Zaheeda Nargis niece and some provoking questions about patriotism and pacifism Dont miss small cameos by Amrish Puri and Shatrughan Sinha as a Pakistani army officerTere Mere Sapne 1971 A gripping but tad grim tale about duty and redemption this film has Dev Anand as a doctor posted to a mining site and his interactions with his cynical colleagues there including brother Vijay Goldie Anand who also directed the film eventual marriage to a local teacher Mumtaz and a chain of circumstances that lead him back to the city where he encounters a film actress Hema Malini and strays personally and professionally Does he regain his pathManpasand 1980 An adaptation of My Fair Lady in presentday Bombay by Basu Chatterji Dev Anand tries his best in the role of Prof Henry Higgins but cannot fully match the condescending irascibility of Rex Harrison while Girish Karnad plays the Colonel Pickering role Tina Munim is the Indian Eliza Audrey Hepburn and Mehmood her amoral father Indian fans of the Hollywood classic will find it interestingThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever