Dev Anand: After having played the Lead Actor for more than five decades in over 110 motion pictures, Dev Anand continues to bestride Indian Cinema today. He has given a new dimension to that magical state known as Stardom. From the time he embarked on his career as a Film Actor in the mid-forties till now, his movies has been a journey filled with enriching experiences for the ‘Evergreen Living Legend’ of Indian Cinema. And he has always remained eternally youthful by his remarkable ability to live always in the present and the future–never in the past.
Date of Birth: 26th September, 1923 in Gurdaspur, Punjab.
Spouse: Kalpana Kartik (1954 – ?)
Debut Film: Hum Ek Hain (1946).
Major Impact: Ziddi (1948).
Successful Films: Baazi (1951), Jaal (1952), Rahee (1953), Aandhiyan (1952), Taxi Driver (1954), Munimji (1955), C.I.D. (1956), Paying Guest (1957), Kala Pani (1958), Guide (1965), Jewel Thief (1967), Johnny Mera Naam (1970), Hare Rama Hare Krishna (1971), Tere Mere Sapne (1971), Des Pardes (1978).
Awards: Two times winner of the Filmfare Best Actor Award.
Facts we didn’t know:
Born as Devdutt on September 26, 1923, in the Punjabi-speaking Anand family, son to Advocate Pishorimal, younger and older brother to Chetan and Vijay respectively and one sister, Sheel Kanta, who was subsequently married in the Kapur family, and gave birth to actor/film-maker, Shekhar Kapur, two daughters, Neelu, who was married to actor Navin Nischol, and Aruna who was the wife of Ajay/Parikshat Sahni, son of renowned Balraj Sahni. Both Neelu and Aruna have since been divorced. Dev graduated from Government College, Lahore, British India, left his hometown to work in the Military Censor Office at Churchgate, Bombay.
Uncle of Ketan Anand.
Father of Suneil Anand..
Formed a popular screen couple with Nutan Behl.
The Anand family founded Navketan Films which is still active and being administered by Dev’s son, Suneil.
Not easily intimidated, Dev Anand, Shatrughan Sinha, Inder Sen Johar, Kishore Kumar were amongst the few that actually stood up against the authoritarian regime of Indira Gandhi during the Emergency, while many in the opposition preferred to flee India to escape Mrs. Gandhi’s wrath.
Mona or Kalpana Kartik was a college beauty queen from Simla, and she starred opposite her to-be-husband, Dev Anand, in all her movies. Both became parents in 1956 when Suneil was born.
He is perhaps one of the few who dreamed of starlet Snehprabha Pradhan and had his dream come true when he got to not only meet her but also act with her. His other dream was of owning a car, a Hillman, was also fulfilled.
A great actor but sadly he’s lost the plot to many things in his life today that including cinema