The winter of 1999 was a special one in many ways. It was 3 months to the SSC examinations, and it was time to take stock of what I wanted to do in life. So while ‘confusion’ best describes that winter for me, I’ll also remember it for getting to know my favorite cinestar. One of the television channels was running a month long festival of Dev Anand’s films and songs, and I did manage to catch many of the classics. No one brought the screen to life the way he did. While there were better actors and better lookers in his generation, no one since has matched the charm and zest of the good old Dev Anand. Leading ladies looked prettier, the world appeared at peace, and might I dare say that Rafi sounded more divine with Dev Anand on screen.
Dev Anand has brought me immense joy over the years and there is favorite Dev Anand song for every mood. For a while, scouting for audio cassettes of his movies became a passion, and the collection remains a prized possession. I devoured one movie after the other from the time he came into his own in ‘Baazi’ to ‘Tere Ghar Ke Samne.’ He was not an actor but an experience, a Never land, which no other actor has since been able to recreate. In my mind, he exists only in black and white.
Every time I hear one of his songs from way back then, the visuals vividly play out in front of me I can feel a a smile spontaneously breaking out. And I can feel a bounce in my step to match the twinkle in his eye. Thank you Dev Anand.
Posted by aditya nabial 
