Always the leading man,never at rest

Melodious memories: The songs were as memorable as the man himself

Why do you want to look back? Every moment the world is moving on and we are losing life. Its passing us by,even as Im saying this. Come,lets try and catch it.. Look,there it goes. catch,catch,catch.

That was Dev Anands response when I met him last year for the film nostalgia column Return Ticket. I was keen to start the column with Guide. He was gracious enough to talk about Guide,and also Hum Dono,but he didnt like to look back. He loved to say,Yesterday is gone. Today is today. Tomorrow is another day.

Meeting him was always a joyful experience. It started with a phone call,which hed pick up and greet you with a very Dev Anand-ish Hello. Always a ladies man,he would get up when you entered and shake your hand with the softest pair of hands. A creative persons hands, he said once.

Creativity or kaam ki bhakti as he liked to call it,was his life force. There was never a day when he wasnt at work. The desk at his makeshift office in Bandra was overflowing with books,scripts,notes and some more books. His in-renovation residence,known to us as The Penthouse,on 42,Pali Hill,Bandra above the dubbing studio,Anand Recording Studio,also used to overflow with books. This is why I exist. My creativity,when it ceases to be,Ill cease to be.

Over the years,he started to look frail but still every inch a star. The bright shirts,the corduroy pants,the scarf,the polished shoes and that unmistakable twinkle in his eye Dev Anand was forever the leading man. He famously turned down a cameo appearance for Farah Khan in the title track of Om Shanti Om because he only did the main lead.

Was he aware of all the jokes that follow him on his recent films? I know that people laugh at me, he said. Nobody understands because they are not Dev Anand. Nobody understands that I get my energy from my own energy. I feel very big inside my inner soul. I feel what Im doing is the best. There is no room for any average person in this world. The sky is the limit but you cant reach it. That doesnt mean you dont try. Its the process that is beautiful. Its the process that keeps Dev Anand going.

Born Dharamdev Kishorimal Anand in Gurdaspur to an advocate on 26 September 1923,he graduated in English literature from the Government Law College in Lahore. He arrived in Mumbai in 1945 with Rs 19 in his pocket. In 1946,he got his first break in Prabhat Studios Hum Ek Hain. His first hit was Bombay Talkies Ziddi in 1948.

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A year later,he set up his banner,Navketan,which enjoyed a prolific run with films made by brothers Chetan and Vijay and of course Guru Dutt. Soon he would become cinemas iconic romantic hero. He offered an array of romantic comedies Love Marriage,Paying Guest,Tere Ghar Ke Saamne,Teen Deviyan,noir thrillers Jaal,Kaala Pani,Kaala Bazaar,Baazi,CID,psychological thrillers Bambai Ka Babu and stellar turns in the war and romance epic Hum Dono and then in Vijay Anands Guide,Johnny Mera Naam and Jewel Thief.

Anands friendship with Guru Dutt is part of Bollywood folklore. They met by chance,struck a friendship and made a pact: If Anand produced a film,Dutt would direct it and vice versa. So along came Baazi in 1951,Dutts directorial debut.

His affair with his co-star of seven films,Suraiya,whom he called a beautiful chapter in my life,is also legendary. He went on to marry another co-star,Kalpana Kartik nee Mona. He famously spoke about the hurt he suffered when his muse,Zeenat Aman,chose Raj Kapoor over him. He didnt brood about it

His love for life was like a song on his lips. What beautiful testimony that in his 88th year,he had a release. Chargesheet,forgettable fare,will now become unforgettable because it was his last.

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He ends his autobiography,Romancing with Life,quoting the cult song line,Gaata Rahe Mera Dil. That was the essence of Dev Anand matinee idol,Rosies Raju,star,superstar,evergreen.