Evergreen Bollywood actor Dev Anand is no more. He passed away in London on the night of 3rd December 2011 following a cardiac arrest. He was 88. Dev Anand, who had come here for medical check up, was not keeping well for the last few days, family sources told PTI. His son Sunil was with him when he breathed last.
Dev was the second of three brothers who were active in Hindi Cinema. His brothers were Chetan Anand andVijay Anand. Their sister, Sheel Kanta Kapur, is the mother of renowned Hindi and English film director Shekhar Kapur. The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Bhushan in 2001 and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2002 for his contributions towards Indian cinema.
Dev Anand made his debut as an actor in 1946 in Hum Ek Hain. By the time his Ziddi was released in 1947 he was a superstar and has never looked back. Versatile Dev Anand has given countless hits like Paying Guest, Baazi, Jewel Thief, CID, Johny Mera Naam, Amir Garib, Warrant, Hare Rama Hare Krishna and Des Pardes.
I was never a follower or fan of his but I do like two of his films – Hare Rama Hare Krishna & Hum Naujavan. Dev Anand is credited with giving actors like Jackie Shroff, Tabu and the late Richa Sharma a break into the film industry and encouraging music composer Rajesh Roshan.
Dharam Dev Anand (26 September 1923 – 3 December 2011)