Dev Anand Biography – Childhood, Movies, Life Achievements & Age

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Bollywood has given many stars to its audiences. Everyone of them have their own image in the heart of their fans and that cannot be replaced even after their death or arrival of new artists and one of the common names in this list is Dev Anand, who is an Indian film actor, writer, director and producer and one of the most influential actors in the history of Indian cinema as well. His real name is DharmadevAnand.

Early Life of Dev Anand

On September 26th 1923 Anand was born in the family of Pishori Lal Anand in Shakargarh tehsil of the Gurdaspur. Pishoriji was a well-to-do advocate.He has five children’s consisting of four sons and one daughter and Dev was third in them. The elder son was Manmohan Anand, the second one was Chetan Anand, the third was Dev Anand and the fourth son was Vijay Anand while his daughter was SheelKanta Kapur. Manmohan was also an advocate in Gurdaspur Dist Court while Kanta is the mother of film director Shekhar Kapur.

Education and starting career

From Sacred Heart School, Dalhousie Anand did his matriculation. After completing his matriculation he went to Dharamsala for further studies. From Government College, Lahore Anand’s gets a degree of Bachelors of Arts in English Literature in the early 40s. After receiving BA degree Anand headed towards dream city Bombay to complete his dreams. Anand got his first job in military censor’s office at Churchgate where he had been paid Rs.165 per month but later he switched his job in an accountancy firm as a clerk for a monthly salary of Rs. 85. Later he joined Indian People’s Theatre Association, commonly IPTA as its member along with his elder brother Chetan Anand. Later 1949 in the duo of this brother founded Navketan Films. This company had produced 35 films, as of 2011.

The First Break

After films like Achhut Kanya, Kismet etc s and watching Ashok Kumar performing in them Anand too aspired to become a performer. In 1946 Babu Rao Pai of Prabhat Film Studios gave Anand his first break in their Hum Ek Hai movie as a lead role. According to Rao, Dev deserves this role because of his smile and beautiful eyes and his tremendous confidence. One fine day dev gets a gatecrashed with Rao into his office where Dev stuck to his mind. Hum Ek Hai was a Hindu-Muslim unity based movie in which Anand was playing the role of a Hindu boy opposite to Kamala Kotnis. Kotnis was a Telugu and Hindi movie actress. Her mother was a Telegu lady and her father was a British man who was working in the Army. Its shooting was done in Pune.

Friends and Social Life

During the shooting of Hum Ek Hain in Pune, Anand met actor Guru Dutt. The duo get so befriended that they agreed anyone of them will get success in the industry, he will help the other to achieve that, also when Dutt directs a movie Anand gonna act in it and if Anand produced a film, Duttgonna directs it.

Love Life

The late 40s were most lucky days for Anand. He got the chance to opposite with famous and a well-established actress-singer Suraiya in woman-oriented films and all his film. This pair had done following seven films together, and all of them were super hit on box office:

• Vidya in 1948
• Jeet in 1949
• Shair in 1949
• Afsar in 1950
• Nili in 1950
• Sanam in 1951
• Do Sitarein 1951

Later Anand became romantically involved with Suraiya. While shooting one of a song movie Vidya they started falling for each other after when Dev saved Suraiya from drowning when during shooting song their boat capsized. Finally, on the set of Jeet, Dev expressed his feelings and he proposed Suraiya holding a diamond ring of worth INR 3,000 in his hand and sitting on his knees. Suraiya accepts the proposal, but since she is a Muslim girl and Anand is Hindu boy, therefore, being from Muslim family Suraiya’s maternal grandmother was opposed to their relationship. Her love for Anand was so true that due to separation she remained unmarried. In addition to this because granny was in opposition of their partnership they stop acting together. This epic couple was last appeared in Do Sitare.
All the films they did together were super successful in box office. They both deserves the credit of success but according to producers and directors of those films gives only Suraiya’s acting prowess and screen presence is responsible for the success of their movie’s. In fact in all these films in order to indicate Suraiya as a bigger star than Anand, she was always the first billed in the credits. Such biased and decrementing behavior of producers and directors leads Anand to look for an opportunity to play the main male lead role in order to demonstrate his acting skills.

The first lead

To dispel skepticism about his acting abilities Anand started hanging around in the studios to get a lead role.In late 40’s one fine day when Anad was on his regular hanging Ashok Kumar picked him for the Bombay Talkies productionZiddias a hero. Kamini Kaushal was his co-star in this movie. Ziddi was Anand’s first big break, which became an instant success. We keep telling you that Ziddi was that movie in which Yeh Kaun Aaya Karke Yeh Sola Singhar, Kumar-Mangeshkar first ever duet was recorded. The due was also an instant hit and that big hit that from here, on both the playback singers’ association with Dev Anand began. When Kishore sang Marne Ki Duayen, his first solo of his playback singing career, his association with Dev began. Marne Ki Duayenwas picturised on Dev Anand in the movie Ziddi.

A new turn in life

Ziddi’s success makes Anand decide that he would start producing films. As I said Dev and his elder brother have founded Navketan Films in 1949, was the result of this decision.

In 1951 this company launched their first movie Baazi, which was crime thriller movie. This movie was directed by Guru Dutt and stars Dev Anand, Geeta Bali, and KalpanaKartik. This movie was also a debut of both Kartik and Dutt as a lead actress and a director respectively. This movie was a pacemaker and has been regarded as the forerunner of the spate of urban crime films that followed in B-Town in the 50s. But on the other had during the making of this movie Anand had forged a very strong bond of his friendship with Kumar. This movie also gives Bollywood industry a very good pair of celebs. After Baazi the duo has been offered many movies to star in together. Once again Anand’s chemistry with his lead rocks and following movies went on to become big hits too:

• Aandhiyan in 1952,
• Taxi Driver in 1954,
• House No. 44 in 1955 and
• Nau Do Gyarah in 1957.

During the making of film Taxi Driver, Anand’s heart started beating again as he again fell in love with Kartik and asked her to grow old with her. Kartik was Christian Bollywood actress her real name is Mona Singha and her origin was Shimla. This couple decided to marry in a quiet ceremony after the grand hit of Taxi Driver. In 1956 they got a son SuneilAnand and later a daughter, DevinaAnand. Now having family Kartik has decided not to pursue her acting career further and says bye to her acting career after Nau Do Gyarah.
Junior Anand is unmarried while his sister got married in 1985 but a few years later she got divorced. She also has a daughter, Gina. Gina is a professional photographer and married to Prayag Menon who is a fashion stylist.

Awards and honors

1959 – Best Actor for Kala Pani
1965 – National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi for Guide
1967 – Best Film for Guide
1967 – Best Actor for Guide
1991 – Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award
1996 – Star Screen Lifetime Achievement Award
1997 –Award for his Outstanding Services to the Indian Film Industry by Mumbai Academy of Moving Images
1998 – Lifetime Achievement Award
1999 – Sansui Lifetime Achievement Award
2000 – Film Goers’ Mega Movie Maestro of the Millennium Award in Mumbai
2000 – ‘Outstanding Contribution to Indian Cinema by First Lady of USA
2000 – “Star of the Millennium” Award in the Silicon Valley, California
2001 – ‘Outstanding Contribution to the Cinematic Arts Worthy of the Esteem and Gratitude of the Great State of New York’
2001 – Padma Bhushan
2001 – Special Screen Award for his contribution to Indian cinema
2001 – Evergreen Star of the Millennium Award
2002 – Dadasaheb Phalke Award
2003 – Lifetime Achievement Award for at IIFA Award in Johannesburg
2004 – Legend of Indian Cinema Award
2004 – Living Legend Award
2005 – Sony Golden Glory Award
2005 – Special National Film Award by the Government of Nepal
2006 – ANR National Award
2006 – Glory of India Award at IIAF
2007 – Punjab Ratan
2008 – Lifetime Achievement Award by Ramya Cultural Academy
2008 – Lifetime Achievement Award by Rotary Club of Bombay
2008 – Guest of honor at a dinner hosted by the Provost of Highland Council in Inverness, Scotland
2008 – Awarded at the IIJS Solitaire Awards
2009 – Outstanding contribution to Indian cinema
2009 – Legend Award given by Rajnikanth
2010 – Dadasaheb Phalke Ratna Award
2010 – Rashtriya Gaurav Award
2011 – Rashtriya Kishore Kumar Samman from the Government of Madhya Pradesh
2011 –Lifetime Achievement Award with Rahul Dravid
2013 –A brass statue of him at Bandra Bandstand in Mumbai
2013 – On 3 May 2013 India Post released a postage stamp bearing his face to honor him.

Death

December 3rd, 2011 was the black day when Bollywood lost one its 24 karat diamond. Anand took his last breath in The Washington Mayfair Hotel in London at the age of 88 just a few months after the release of Chargesheet. At a small chapel in London his funeral ceremony was held on December 10th, afterward, for cremation, his casket was taken to the Putney Vale Crematorium in South West London. For immersion burial in the Godavari River, his ashes were returned to India. From all corners of the Indian film, industry condolences poured in, and most of them remembering his positive attitude towards life.

Written by Sumeet Rathi ( Freelance designer and writter)

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