‘Dev Anand was a man of class,’ says Zarina Wahab; Jackie Shroff shares Guide actor taught him to be kind

The actor remembered her first meeting with Anand. He saw her, recognized her photogenic quality, and believed she’d look great on camera. When Wahab suggested he check her photos, Anand confidently declined, saying it wasn’t necessary. She said, “He said he was confident that I would be good and that confidence of him in me made me a confident in this industry. It was like someone has my back here.”

Jackie Shroff also fondly recalled working with the legend and said that Dev Anand made it very easy for him as a newcomer. Shroff said that Anand would always act out for everybody and added that he would be on his toes all the time. He said, “I have done four films with him and for every project, I got the opportunity to shoot for 15-30 days. The time that was spent on set was the time I spent with him, because he was always working.”

Shroff made his debut with Anand’s Swami Dada. He continued, “When I was struggling to do a certain action sequence, that one sentence from him – ‘Naya ladka hai seekh jaaega’ – made me feel that someone has my back. It stayed with me for life. That’s why I look after everyone new in this industry like my own son Tiger. He taught me to be kind in the very first film.”

Dev Anand acted in over 100 Hindi films during a career spanning more than 65 years.