A heartthrob who defined ‘cool’

Meera Malik

The birth anniversary of Dev Anand brings back a kaleidoscope of memories from my childhood and youth. Whenever there was a talk about cinema, and the great trio of Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand, many were partial to the tragedy king, some preferred the Chaplinesque everyman, but the ladies invariably had a soft spot for Dev Anand. My mother would clinch the argument: ‘Dev Anand’s style has substance... he has an honours degree in literature.’

At a club quiz, when asked, ‘Whom do you envy and why?’ 18 out of 25 women answered, ‘Kalpana Kartik, because she is married to Dev Saab!’ 

Our maid, Naina, was a diehard fan. She went to the temple to pray for the success of his movies, and treated us to barfi each time they hit a jubilee. She always wore a new sari for his movies. Once not having one, in the blistering heat of June, she draped a bright woollen shawl over herself. ‘What would he say if he saw me in an old sari!’ 

She would force the names of his movies in the conversation — ‘You know, baby, Joshila, Jewel Thief, who lived Tere Ghar Ke Samne as a Paying Guest, got a Warrant in his name for  stealing Heera Panna. In his place, Teen Devian have moved in. The old couple downstairs are just Hum Dono, busy in Hare Rama Hare Krishna. Their son is a Guide, who also works as a Taxi Driver. His taxi number is Nau Do Gyarah.....’

Fun, as it was, she was unstoppable. So, when she was asked to shut up, she looked hurt and sulked. The only way to perk her up was to tell her some titbits (real or imagined) about... who else! 

The screen drama went beyond Coleridge’s willing suspension of disbelief. The devoted lover looked so in love with the woman he romanced on the silver screen that he easily convinced a woman watching him that he was in love with her, too! Women adored him because he had this incredible quality of making each one of them feel special and attractive.

When Guide was released, we had used up our one-movie-a-month quota. We put forth a petition to papa — it was not merely for entertainment, it was educative, as the story was written by RK Narayan. He relented. Even today, I can narrate the story in the minutest detail!

Dev Anand was cool before ‘cool’ became fashionable. Like all great men, he had a tragic flaw. He did not know when to let go. The loveable gestures degenerated into an over-the-top style, reducing him to a caricature of his debonair self. The Gurdaspur lad did not heed the earthy wisdom of Punjab — ‘Mela bhariya chhad ke jaana’(Leave while the going is good).

‘Rest in peace’ will not be in sync with him. Even as we bemoan the end of an era, I am sure he is serenading apsaras with his inimitable style!