Dev Anand Birth Anniversary: Rare pics of the star with RD Burman, Yash Chopra | Bollywood

Ahead of Dev Anand’s 100th birth anniversary on Tuesday, let us take a look at some of the rare pictures of the star whose evergreen charisma and inimitable charm have inspired generations of fans. (Also read: Film festival in memory of Dev Anand’s 100th birth anniversary kicks off across India. Check details here)

Dev Anand with son Suneil

Here is a picture of Dev Anand with son Suneil Anand and his wife Kalpana Kartik. Did you know that Dev Anand first met Kalpana on the sets of Baazi (1951)? Although Dev Anand had a liking for the actor, he never expressed it to her at that time. The pair worked together again in Aandhiyaan (1952) and by the time they finished work on their next film Taxi Driver (1954), Dev had married Kalpana in a private ceremony. Their wedding was attended only by selected guests, which included the likes of Guru Dutt and S D Burman.

Dev Anand with Yash Chopra

Here is a picture of Dev Anand with filmmaker Yash Chopra. Dev Anand worked with the noted filmmaker on the film Joshila (1973). The film also starred Hema Malini and Rakhee.

Joshila was loosely inspired by James Hadley Chase’s 1959 novel, Shock Treatment. Although the film did not perform well at the box office, a song from the music album composed by R.D. Burman named Kiska Rasta Dekhe, became immensely popular.

More details on Guide

One of the most memorable performances of Dev Anand’s career was Guide, which was released in February 1965. The picture above is a still of Dev Anand from the sets of the film. Did you know that Guide was made in two languages, with two different directors?

Guide was made in both Hindi and English. The Hindi version which was directed by Vijay Anand, is considered one of the best films of the Hindi film industry and had become a blockbuster during its time. The English version of Guide was written by Pearl S Buck and directed by American director Tad Danielewski. Unfortunately, the English film never saw the light of day, It was screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 2007, 42 years after it was made.

Here is a picture of Dev Anand with RD Burman. Did you know that RD Burman had pleaded with the actor not to abandon him during the time he was shunned by the film industry? In Khagesh Dev Burman’s book on RD Burman, The Prince of Music, Pancham Da shared how Dev Anand had always been there for him during his needs. In an excerpt from the book, he said, “Since Dev saab had seen me in my nappies, I had no ego problem in pleading with him not to leave me. ‘If you leave me, everyone will leave me,’ I told Dev Saab.”

Dev Anand died at the age of 88 on 3 December 2011 of a cardiac arrest. A film festival celebrating the 100th birth anniversary of screen icon Dev Anand was held last weekend on September 23 and 24. It was organised by the Film Heritage Foundation (FHF).