Dev Anand called Suraiya ‘coward’ for not marrying him; she turned down his wedding proposal due to this condition

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However, the actor-singer refused the marriage proposal of the Guide actor. She revealed that he offered to get married in court and tried to convince her, “The only religion is love. Love is everything”. When she feared objection from her grandmother over their inter-caste relationship, he assured, “I can give you love, respect and security and you can give me love, respect and inspiration.”

But he also mentioned that she should give up her career after marriage. Dev Anand’s condition rang a bell in Suraiya’s head as she was not ready to give up on a successful career. She was also afraid of her grandmother who had threatened her, “I’ll have you both arrested if you marry.” So, she turned down the marriage proposal.

Dev Anand opened up about his and Suraiya’s love story in his autobiography, Romancing with Life. (Photo: Express Archive)

“The reasons were many. But the most important was that though I was sure of Dev’s love, I was unsure of myself. I was confused. When I refused to marry Dev, he called me a coward. Maybe I was one. I admit I was not absolutely sure of. Perhaps it was a folly, perhaps a mistake or perhaps, destiny?” Suraiya told Stardust.

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After her break-up with Dev Anand, Suraiya chose to stay single and never got married. Dev Anand, meanwhile, married Kalpana Kartik in 1954.