‘A simple boy from Gurdaspur, whom I caught glimpses of when he was sitting alone in his penthouse, reflecting on life and how far he had come.’

Dev Anand would have turned 100 on September 26, 2023.

His movies, his music and his mannerisms are etched in our hearts, and we salute the man who gave us so many cine memories to cherish.

We celebrate Devsaab with a special series, and we continue with this interview with nephew Vaibhav Anand, his brother Vijay Anand’s son.

A writer, actor, director himself, Vaibhav made his screen debut as his uncle Dev Anand’s baby in Swami Dada in 1982.

More recently, he was seen as Dev Anand in the 2019 mini-series, The Verdict: State Vs Nanavati.

“Once, when Dev uncle had come down to New York for his film, Love in Times Square, he confided to M F Husain and me how he had seen his father raise his hand on his mother,” Vaibhav recalls in this fascinating conversation with Rediff.com‘s Senior Contributor Roshmila Bhattacharya.

I was very close to Dev uncle and every day, would head straight for his penthouse, after school and college.

I would spend long hours with him, returning home only after he packed up, around 6-7 pm.

The Dev Anand I knew was not always the Dev Anand the world saw.

Undoubtedly, he was a disciplinarian, who was passionate about his work, who would always arrive 15 minutes before call time, who had conditioned himself to live for Dev Anand, and in public, was this persona he had created.

But deep down, he remained Dharamdev Pishorimal Anaad, a simple boy from Gurdaspur, whom I caught glimpses of when he was sitting alone in his penthouse, reflecting on life and how far he had come.

I think Dev uncle became an actor by chance, rather than choice

He often said that after graduating in English Literature from the Government College, he had boarded the train from Lahore, with just Rs 30 in his pocket, and come to Bombay in 1942, chasing after a starry dream.

But I think he became an actor by chance, rather than choice, when he went to Pune for an audition and landed the lead role in Prabhat Films’ Hum Ek Hain, which released in 1946, a year before Partition.

In fact, it was the advent of Partition that perhaps brought the younger Anand siblings to Bombay.

They were nine children in all.

One sister, Sheel Kanta — Shekhar Kapur’s mother — had married a doctor in Delhi but the eldest sister, Savitri, was living in Bombay.

Chetan Anand and dad (Vijay Anand), along with their two younger sisters, Usha and Lata, moved into his home, 41, Pali Hill (north west Mumbai).

Dev uncle bunked with friends, and later rented a room in a chawl in Parel, till he became a self-made star.

He had tears in his eyes which he quickly wiped away

He had left Gurdaspur after the demise of his mother.

Even though he did not show it, he was an emotional man who had adored his mother.

He didn’t like the way his father Pishorimal Anand, a revered lawyer, scholar and linguist, treated her.

Once, when he had come down to New York for his film, Love in Times Square, he confided to M F Husain and me how he had seen his father raise his hand on his mother.

That the incident had upset him was evident from the fact that while talking about it, years later, he had tears in his eyes which he quickly wiped away.

None of the three brothers were close to their father, who had not approved of their choice of career, and in the case of Chetan uncle and Dev uncle, even their choice of life partners.

To their credit, all three made a name for themselves in Hindi cinema. When their father visited them in Mumbai, they bought him a flight ticket, so his journey home to Gurdaspur would be comfortable.

But from what my dad told me, my grandfather refused to accept the ticket, saying he had come on his own and would go back the same way.

He was a man of principles, but in some ways, also ruled by his ego.

As the sun went down, they’d talk about life, cinema and philosophy

I was my dad’s pet and would tag along.

One of my earliest memories is playing in the garden of Chetan uncle’s shack in Juhu (north west Mumbai), overlooking the sea.

He would be sitting in his usual chair while Dev uncle and dad sat close to each other but at a little distance from their elder brother.

There was a gap of 10 years between Dev uncle and his Chetan Bhaiji, 20 in the case of my father and his elder brother. Dev uncle and dad were 10 years apart.

Perhaps that’s why the gap in their chairs, as a mark of respect.

As the sun went down, they would talk about life, cinema and philosophy.

On one occasion, they were joined by Dadamoni (Ashok Kumar) and Raaj Kumar.

Five classy, erudite gentlemen, sitting together, in a reflective mood.

I overheard one of them say, ‘Yehi woh lamhe hai, baki sab bakwas.’

Back then, I wondered what they meant.

Today, I understand that for them, the craft of cinema preceded everything else.

Dad had insisted on Mumtaz for Tere Mere Sapne

Dev uncle and dad made some beautiful films together.

Guide, of course, is a classic, while Jewel Thief and Johny Mera Naam are great entertainers.

My favourite is Tere Mere Sapne.

It is loosely based on A J Cronin’s The Citadel, but having read the novel, I can say it draws majorly from dad’s own experiences.

I’m told they had met Jaya Bhaduri for the role of Nisha, but dad insisted on Mumtaz. It’s undoubtedly her best performance.

Dev uncle’s best performance is the double role in Hum Dono, another film which dad directed, but gave the credit to Amarjeet.

Lata Mangeshkar’s bhajan Allah Tero Naam, Ishwar Tero Naam, still resonates as does Tere Mere Sapne‘s Hey Maine Kasam Li.

He went thinking of the parathas his mother would make for him

We were at a wedding in Delhi in December 2011, when a journalist called with the news that Dev uncle had passed away in London.

We dismissed it as fake news till Suneilbhaiya (Dev Anand’s son) confirmed it.

They had been out, and after returning to the hotel, Dev uncle told his sister Lata that he wanted to eat parathaS.

She promised to bring some over the next morning.

After she left, Suneilbhaiya went to the washroom to freshen up, leaving Dev uncle sitting on a chair.

When he came out, he saw Dev uncle staring unseeingly at him.

When he tried to shake him, his head lolled and fell.

After the autopsy, the doctor informed that the heart attack had been sudden.

He went, silently and painlessly, like my mother Sushma, I’d imagine thinking of the parathas his mother would make for him as a child.

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