Dev Anand Biography

Dev Anand, born Dharam Dev Pishori Anand, was an iconic Hindi film actor, producer and director who began his acting career in 1946, with a film called Hum Ek Hain. Born in September 1923 in Gurdaspur, Punjab (British India), Dev Anand was the son of a well to do advocate.

Anand graduated from the Government College, Lahore, from where he obtained a degree in English Literature. After completing his education in the early 1940’s, Dev Anand left his hometown for Bombay where he secured a job in the military censor’s office. He also joined his older brother, Chetan Anand as a member of the Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA). He was soon offered a role in Hum Ek Hain in 1946 and was soon seen to be paired along with popular and established actress and singer Suriya. The pair starred in seven films together, like Vidya, Jeet, Do Sitare and Sangam, including others. Soon Dev Anand and Suriya fell in love but could not marry due to religious differences (Anand was Hindu and Suriya was Muslim). They stopped acting alongside after that.

Dev Anand was offered his first big film by Ashok Kumar, who introduced him in a Bombay Talkie film, Baazi (1948) co-starring Kamini Kaushal, which went on to become an instant success. After the success of Baazi, Anand decided to become a producer and in 1949 he launched his own banner called Navketan, and which by 2011, had produced 35 films.

In 1955, Dev Anand chose legendary Bollywood actor and director Guru Dutt to direct his film Baazi, which he was producing and acting in. The film saw the debut of Kalpana Karthik and starred Dev Anand and Geeta Bali. Following the huge success of this trendsetting film, Dev Anand and Kalpana Kathik were offered many films together and eventually the onscreen couple fell in love during the filming of Taxi Driver and Dev Anand proposed marriage to Kalpana Kathik. The couple got married in a quiet ceremony in 1954 and in 1956 had a son named Suniel.

Anand is remembered for his trademark head tilt and his style of nodding while speaking, which drove his fans crazy. By the 1960’s, Dev Anand had acquired for himself the image of a romantic hero and shared space with actresses like Nutan, Mala Sinha, Meena Kumari and Asha Parekh among others. Later in the 1970’s Dev Anand became producer with his directorial debut, Prem Pujari, which was not a commercial success. He followed that with Hare Rama Hare Krishna, starring Zeenat Amaan and himself.

Thought his career Dev Anand has won many Filmfare Best Actor Awards, for his films like Munimji, Kala Bazaar, Hum Dono, and Guide, including others. He was also awarded the Filfare Lifetime Achievement Award. Anand was also honoured by the Government of India and had received the Padma Bhushan award in 2001 and the Dada Saheb Phalke Award in 2002 for his outstanding contribution to Indian cinema.

Dev Anand passed away on December 3rd 2011 due to a heart attack in London, where he had gone for medical treatment.

Facts about Dev Anand