Dev Anand, who wore many hats as An actor, director, writer, producer, and political activist, was a legendary actor in Indian cinema. He was people’s favourite actor enjoying massive stardom with his acting prowess, charisma, and magic. Throughout his career, he featured in over 100 films appearing in films until 2005. As today marks Dev Anand's 101st birth anniversary here’s a look into his journey through lesser-known facts and how he became heroic star.
Dev Anand was a self-made star without any film background. Hailing from Lahore, Pakistan he moved to Mumbai in search of work. To start his career he worked in the military censor’s office earning a salary of Rs 65. He then joined an accounting firm as a clerk at a salary of Rs 85. Along with his brother, he joined the Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA) that’s where he desired to become an actor.
He made his debut as a lead in the 1946 film Hum Ek Hain which didn’t work well. His next film Ziddi was a commercial success and he gained widespread recognition with Baazi and there was no looking back. Speaking to Simi Garewal in an old interview, Dev revealed how he got a break into movies. He said, “I remember when I gate-crashed into the office of the man who gave me the first break, he kept looking at me – Babu Rao Pai of Prabhat Film Studios. At that time, he made up his mind that this boy deserves a break and later mentioned to his people that ‘this boy struck me because of his smile and beautiful eyes and his tremendous confidence.’”
Dev Anand had a signature style of wearing caps. He was popularly known to carry a checkered print cap which he purchased from Copenhagen, Denmark while filming Pyar Mohabbat according to Times of India. He even wore that cap in Jewel Thief. He became a style icon for his unique dressing sense.
Apart from being an actor he was also a social activist and formed a political party as Nationaal Party of India but later it was dismissed. He was involved during Emergency 1977 and formed a group of film personalities against Indira Gandhi’s rule.
The legendary actor, producer, and even director has worked with almost everyone in the industry from Dilip Kumar, Ashok Kumar, and Aamir Khan. Surprisingly he never worked with Amitabh Bachchan.
He even worked in an Indo-Filipino drama film titled The Evil Within. This was directed by Lamberto V Avellana and starred Zeenat Aman, Kieu Chinh, Rod Perry, Prem Nath, and Sudesh Issar.
Dev Anand had a tremendous career spanning 6 decades featuring in nearly 110 films. In his remarkable career, he won several accolades including four Filmfare awards, Padma Bhushan, and Dadasaheb Phalke Award. Indian cinema lost a gem on December 3, 2011when Dev passed away at the age of 88.
