Essay Devsaab Dev Anand

1. Romancing with life
देवसाब कहते थे, जबहहहहह हहह हहहह हह हहहह हहहह हह, कदहहहहह हहहहह हह
हहहहह हह
Devsaab always believed that when you have the courage to dream big, there's no point in limiting
your aspirations. It's a true reflection of how Devsaab lived his entire life.
My first encounter with Devsaab happened when I was just 9 years old. My older brother is a huge fan
of the Anand brothers and would collect their photos and articles from cine-magazines. He even
subscribed to the weekly Screen newspaper. By the time I was 10, I had joined secondary school and
was learning English. I would read Devsaab's movie advertisements in the Screen newspaper and visit
the town library where Marathi and English newspapers from Pune and Mumbai were displayed. I
developed a hobby of tracking the success of Devsaab's movies by counting the number of theatres
they were running in during the first and subsequent weeks and total weeks those ran.
With my friends I would visit the theatres after school and marvel at the lobby cards and posters,
especially related to Devsaab. They always sparked excitement and was a topic of discussion.
It was Sunday, the day before my English annual exam. I went to watch "Johney Mera Naam". When
Premnath was sexually exploiting Padma Khanna, I fervently wished Devsaab to come to her rescue! (I
did well in the exam too, scoring 84 out of 100 marks). One of my relatives had a gramophone record
player that would automatically play more than 5 records. They had records of songs from "Johney
Mera Naam." I watched "Prem Pujari" and distinctly remember the songs "Taqat Watan Ki" and "Denu
Tengi Reshmi Rumal," as well as Devsaab's captivating counting of 10, appealing to the enemy to get
out from shrubs. We used to read news about the 1971 war, study statistics, and discuss movies like
"Jai Bangla" and "Prem Pujari" in school. Thanks to the lyrics by Neeraj, I even included the lines from
"Taqat Watan Ki Humse Hai" in my essays, impressing my teacher and scoring good marks in languages.
During the morning hours, the advertisement for "Chhupa Rustum" would play on the radio: "Dharti
ke upar baraf aur baraf ke niche sona, kise pata hai? - Chhupa Rustum." Every Wednesday at 8:00 PM,
we would gather to listen to Binaca Geetmala. There was a time when at least 5 songs from Devsaab's
movies were played, and sometimes they even topped, Dheere se jaana and Panna ki tamanna hai ki.

2. Songs from movies like Shareef Badmash, Chhupa Rustum, Banarasi Babu, Heera Panna, and more
would fill the airwaves. My mom enjoyed songs "Dheere Se Jaana" and "Hamara Naam Banarasi babu”.
My brother liked to quote “Aag pani me laga dete hai” from qawwali hum chhupe rustum hai.
During the second week, "Joshila" ran in 32 theatres in Mumbai as advertised in the newspapers,
Devssab photo with his palms in front pocket. "Heera Panna" continued till 8th week at Empire.
However, there came a disaster with "Ishq Ishq Ishq". I remember listening to the title song with great
curiosity. The poster featuring Devsaab playing the guitar sitting on blackish stone and whitish snow
remained etched in my memory. The movie ran only 4 weeks, but Devsaab was not shattered, except
for a few minutes. He stood up again. A Marathi newspaper published a review on Friday, titled
"Wadhatya rangticha Chatakdar – Prem Shatra" (वाढत्या रंगतीचा चटकदार - प्रेमशास्त्र ) (Exciting with
Growing Curiosity - A flamboyant romance of growing color) by Sharad Gurjar. I vividly remember
seeing posters for movies like Johney mera naam, Prem Pujari, Gambler, Ye Gulisthan Hamara, Shareef
Badmash, Chhupa Rustom, Banarasi Babu, Tere Mere Sapne, Duniya, Mahal, HRHK, Heera Panna, etc.
I obtained a list of Devsaab's released movies and started studying the details: the year of release, the
heroine, the director, and whether I had watched it or not. Nowadays, it's much easier to access such
list. Meanwhile, NavKetan had completed 25 years, and a Marathi cine-magazine called Rasrang
dedicated an issue to Devsaab. Many renowned personalities associated with Bollywood wrote
articles, including Goldie. The issue featured numerous interesting solo and group photos, capturing
precious moments with heroines and accompanied by captivating captions. I read it multiple times,
cherishing every word.
Our shop neighbour owned a pan shop and named it "Anand Pan Center," proudly displaying Devsaab's
photo. I still remember that photo distinctly. I even ordered a shirt to be stitched with a collar like the
one Devsaab wore in "Joshila" and asked my sister to bring a rakhi with a HRHK dial on top. I started

3. imitating Devsaab's walk and hairstyle from the fifth grade. My physical education teacher noticed and
commented on it. I had become a dedicated audience for Devsaab's movies. I watched movies like
"Warrant," "Bullet," "Jaaneman," "Kalabaaz," “HRHK” and many more post Johney mera naam.
During one of my visits to my sister's small town Barwah, I saw a poster featuring Hema Malini's pose
from "Tere Mere Sapne," scheduled to be shown at Mamta Theatre. I watched it on the same day. It
was always exciting to see posters of Devsaab's movies displayed across various cities.
Some interesting changes occurred in our town. A new theatre brought tremendous competition, so
"HRHK" was released with a much lesser gap from its Mumbai release date. Additionally, all three
theatres started showing one matinee show and three regular shows instead of just two. During the
matinee shows, they featured many of Devsaab's movies, including "Baarish," "JPKHH," and other
black-and-white classics. It was a feast for us! Watching more than one movie per month as quota and
manging money used to be a challenge though.
Devsaab wasn't just limited to theatres, radios, newspapers, streets, friends or fashion; he occupied
a special place in our hearts and minds too, not just of mine, but those of our entire family members.
Then came "Des Pardes," the last movie I watched in town. I was in the 12th std, facing a crucial year
of deciding my future education and career. Every hour was planned for studying, but I couldn't resist
the urge to watch the movie. It turned out to be a refreshing experience. Not only was I impressed by
the playful song "Nazrana Bheja Kisi Ne Pyar Ka," but also by the energetic song with a fast momentum,
"Tu Pee Aur Jee" and “Nazar lage na saathiyon”. Meanwhile, I stayed up to date with the muhurat
events of movies like "Kamyaab," "Mr. John," "Dev-Dharam-Dhanraj," and "Nawab Aur Shabab"
(initially titled "Sharaab," but suggested to change by the censor board during the emergency). I felt
disheartened knowing that these movies would never be released. I read a story, Goldie wanted to
make a film with Dev-Raj-Dilip but each one wanted to perform other role, and was shelved.
In Aug’ 1979 I came to Pune seeking admission to renowned college of engineering.
I continued browsing movie release advertisements, theatre, etc. I was exploring theatres and watched
pending movies like CID (Vijay), Hum dono (Vasant), Paying guest (Minerva), Nau do gyarah (Vijay), Asli
Naqli (Deccan), Jewel thief (Natraj), Guide (Neelayam) and few repeat movies, trying to cover as many.

4. Meanwhile Lootmaar, Swami dada, Man Pasand, Anand aur Anand, Hum Naujawan, Sachche ka
bolbala, Lashkar, Awwal number, Sau crore were also watched with the same craze. I used to sponsor
the tickets for the friends, wanting those to watch these movies. Craziness continued.
Then came information technology! Thanks to Google, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites.
I started reading articles, postings, collecting photos, and studying and analyzing the life of Devsaab
and his family members. There is so much to learn from their lively and lovely lives. Mannerism,
passion, intellect, discipline, relationships, taste of music, learning skills of all aspects of profession,
and many more. We formed a Whatsup group having eminent fans of Devsaab. Many blogs are
published including analysis of Guide (which is incomplete without listening directly from Goldie),
more than 31,000 images are collected and shared, Devsaab stylish images of puff and hats, and with
heroines are compiled, dialogues of the best movies are captured, shooting locations of Udaipur,
Chittodgad and Limbdi are visited and Anand bhavan displaying thousands photos of Devsaab is built.
During these activities deep affection, love, respect, and emotions are felt.
Even though Devsaab's movie releases became sporadic, his influence continued to resonate. As time
passed, Devsaab's appearance was more effortless and engaging the audience and made us feel like a
part of his world. His iconic songs, his unique dance moves, and his unforgettable dialogues remained
etched in our memories. We would often find ourselves humming tunes from his films or quoting his
dialogues in conversations. His impact went beyond the boundaries of cinema.
Devsaab's journey was one of resilience, creativity, and passion. He didn't let setbacks discourage him;
instead, he embraced them as opportunities to do different things and things differently. Devsaab is a
unique personality having worked in 114 movies, with 86 heroines, 49 supporting actress, more than
1300 associates, 55 directors, launching 55 artists, produced 38 & directed 19 movies, investing the
money earned from the profession to the same profession, and what not. Who shoots on Everest at
13,000 ft height with entire unit, who brings English speaking lady and teaches her Hindi for the role,
who dares to make the movies on drugs and who challenges to censor? His ability to chose the latest
topic, adapt and reinvent himself throughout his career is an inspiration for all aspiring artists.
In conclusion, Devsaab's presence in my life has been profound. From my early childhood days to my
teenage years, he was a constant source of entertainment, admiration, and inspiration. He himself, his
movies and persona shaped me, my love for cinema and instilled in me the belief that dreams can be
realized with following the passion, determination, and hard work. How would have he thought or
decided, help me to act in similar ways.
Devsaab may not be physically present, but his legacy lives on through his timeless movies, soul-stirring
music & songs, and the impact he left on the hearts of millions. He will forever remain an icon in the
world of Indian cinema, a true legend whose star will continue to shine bright in the hearts of his fans.
Thank you, Devsaab, for the joy you brought into our lives and for being an eternal source of
inspiration. Your memory will continue to inspire generations. We are lucky to be born in the active
era of Devsaab. Happiest birthday Devsaab, and thank you for entertaining 4 generations & 65 years!
Your life keeps us happy and higher in energy!
Happiest 100th
a very very special birthday! आपको स्पेशल १०० वा जन्मददन मुबारक हो!