Dev Anand was tricked into meeting Suraiya once after ugly breakup: ‘He touched her cheek’

‘Dev Anand was uncomfortable’

Ashok said that the first time this happened was for a function in Film City when Dev was told that Suraiya wanted to see him. Ashok asked Dev about the same as this was a “delicate issue,” and Dev rejected the offer. “He was uncomfortable,” he recalled and decided to leave the venue right at that moment as he did not wish to stay there anymore.

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The second time this happened was during a film award function, when Dev was ambushed into meeting Suraiya. Ashok recalled that the organisers for the award function told them that Dev would be presenting an award to Lata Mangeshkar and since Dev did not visit many award shows, this would be a special segment for them. After some thought, Dev agreed. “He said, ‘Yes, I will do it. Lata is very close to me’.”

Dev Anand touched Suraiya’s cheek, they were on the verge of tears

On that day, famous radio host Ameen Sayani was presenting the segment and as Dev and Ashok stood near the stage, right before their entry, Dev was told that he would be presenting the award with Suraiya. He was shocked and said, “This was not on the cards.” Since the stage was set and the announcement was moments away, Dev halted the proceedings and said that this was not possible. “He said this is a trick.”

As the discussion went on, Suraiya also walked in, and stood right behind Dev Anand. At this point, the two had not seen one another since their break up decades ago. As Dev turned, he saw Suraiya and the former lovers came face to face.

Ashok recalled the moment and said that the two were quiet for a few moments. “I can never forget Suraiya’s expressions in that moment. She was on the verge of tears. Dev Anand had the same expressions. They were quiet. He then touched her cheek and said, ‘Suraiya…’. That’s it.”

‘Dev Anand was in a bad state’

In the meanwhile, Ashok told Ameen Sayani that “Dev Anand and Suraiya walking hand in hand won’t happen.” Even Dev said that this was not possible. Dev said that since he wasn’t prepared for this, he wasn’t ready to go on the stage. Suraiya understood his predicament and so did Lata. And it was decided that Suraiya would present Lata her award. Dev, in the meanwhile, left the function from backstage and left the venue. “When I saw him at his home after that, he was in a bad state,” said Ashok.

The next day, when Ashok spoke to the executives of the award function, they apologised profusely and came to see Dev Anand with flowers. By then, Dev had calmed down and told them, it was all okay.”

Dev Anand and Suraiya’s love story

In his memoir, Romancing with Life, Dev had said that he was in love with Suraiya and they saw each other every single day, but this became a “thorny issue” for her grandmother. He wrote, “A Hindu marrying their Muslim daughter was sacrilegious.” And soon after, he wasn’t a welcome guest at her home. “Suraiya had no say in her own life; its sole arbiter was her granny,” Dev said. When he bought her a ring and sent it to her, she accepted it but later rejected her proposal due to familial pressure. “My heart sank and my whole world shattered. There was no meaning to existence without her,” he wrote.

Dev later married Kalpana Karthik. He passed away in 2011 at 88.