One of the most beloved, charismatic and accomplished actors as well as one of the most imaginative and pathbreaking directors in the history of Indian cinema, Dev Anand was a leading man for more than five decades in over
110 motion pictures and continues to bestride Indian film fraternity even after his passing. He gave a new dimension to that magical state known as
Stardom. And for his exemplary work he was awarded the Padma Bhushan in
2001 by the President of India. From the time he embarked on his career
as a Film Actor in the mid-forties till his demise, his movies had been a
journey filled with enriching experiences for the 'Evergreen Living
Legend' of Indian Cinema. And he had always remained eternally youthful
by his remarkable ability to live always in the present and the future;
never in the past.
Also, as head of his film production company Navketan International
Films, which was founded in 1949, Anand introduced a multitude of
talent to the Indian Film Industry by way of actors, directors, music
composers and cinematographers. He introduced new
talent to cinema and experimented with new ideas for movies. He also headed one of the finest Film Sound Post-Production facilities
in India - Anand Recording Studios - which has to its credit more than
3,000 Indian feature films that have been mixed/ surround mixed for
worldwide release.
Anand won two Filmfare Awards - India's equivalent of the Oscars -
in 1958 for his performance in the film "Kala Paani" (Black Water) and
in 1966 for his performance in Navketan International Films' "Guide".
"Guide" went on to win Filmfare Awards in five other categories
including 'Best Film' and 'Best Director' and was sent as India's entry
for the Oscars in the foreign film category that year. He co-produced
the English Version of "Guide" with the Nobel Laureate Pearl S. Buck
("The Good Earth"). Eventually, his creative sensibilities got the
better of him and he started writing and directing his own movies.
In 1993, he received a Filmfare 'Lifetime Achievement Award' and in
1996 he received a Screen Videocon 'Lifetime Achievement Award'. Then
in 1997 he was given the Mumbai Academy of Moving Images Award for his
Outstanding Services to the Indian Film Industry. In 1998, he was given
a 'Lifetime Achievement Award' by the Ujala Anandlok Film Awards
Committee in Calcutta. In 1999, he received the Sansui 'Lifetime
Achievement Award' for his 'Immense Contribution to Indian Cinema' in
New Delhi. In the year 2000, he was awarded the Film Goers' 'Mega Movie
Maestro of the Millenium' Award in Mumbai. And then in July 2000, in
New York City, he was honored by an Award at the hands of the then
First Lady of the United States of America - Mrs. Hillary Rodham
Clinton - for his 'Outstanding Contribution to Indian Cinema'. And
again Anand was awarded the Indo-American Association 'Star of the
Millennium' Award in the Silicon Valley, California. The President of
India honored Anand with the prestigious Padma Bhushan Award on India's
Republic Day - January 26th, 2001. And yet again, Donna Ferrar, Member New
York State Assembly, honored him with a New York State Assembly
Citation for his 'Outstanding Contribution to the Cinematic Arts Worthy
of the Esteem and Gratitude of the Great State of New York' on May 1st,
2001.
Most recently, in April 2003, Anand was given a 'Lifetime Achievement
Award' by the F.I.F.A. Committee in Johannesburg, South Africa. For an
Indian Movie Icon who has hobnobbed with royalty, heads of State and
celebrities, he did it all.
Anand passed away on December 3rd, 2011 in London's Washington Hotel, aged 88.
There are some who might remember Anand for not hanging his boots at the right time like his rival Dilip Kumar. But for millions of his admirers, both India and overseas, he shall remain the embodiment of someone who just never learnt to give up and being one of the pivotal figures who shaped the destiny of Indian Cinema in its formative years post independence and with his peerless intellect combined with his killer good looks gave it a footing on the map of world.
