Dev Anand in Ten Moods

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As teenagers, my friends and I were unanimous about one thing: there was no beating Shammi Kapoor and Dev Anand as the most watchable stars. Not that they were then in their prime; this was in the very late 80s, but as far as my pals and I were concerned, Hindi film heroes stopped being interesting somewhere in the 60s. Both Shammi Kapoor and Dev Anand were all we starry-eyed sahelis could’ve hoped for: utterly handsome, always in films that were generally happy (we conveniently forgot Guide), and always singing the most awesome songs.
We weren’t mature enough then to appreciate that Dev Anand was actually also a good actor, who could switch from melancholy to philosophy, tapori to suave gentleman, in a jiffy.

Here, therefore, is part 1 of a tribute that’ll probably stretch over the next few posts. This is a list of ten songs that showcase Dev Anand in ten different moods. They focus on everything from the madcap with no qualms about acting the clown – to the heartbroken, disillusioned drunk who has lost everything – to the irresistible romantic. And more. All are from pre-70s films that I’ve seen, and no two songs are from the same film.

1. Romantic: O nigaah-e-mastaana (Paying Guest, 1957): To begin with, one of the first Dev Anand songs I remember watching – and immediately falling in love with. He’s at his handsomest, most romantic best here, yet the romance isn’t a sappy, sentimental kind. It’s playful, sweet and affectionate as he wraps Nutan’s sari pallu around his head and shoulders, grins beguilingly at her, and dances around, arm in arm with his sweetheart. Both of them are so obviously at their ease – not the simpering, silly couple of so many other romantic Hindi film songs – that I can’t help but find them utterly endearing.


2. Huffy: Acchaji main haari chalo maan jaao na (Kala Paani, 1958): Another of my favourite Dev Anand songs, also with a lively, gorgeous heroine – but, this time round, our hero isn’t being the romantic one. In fact, he’s being distinctly huffy. He’s miffed at the way his girl’s been treating him, and though she sings, pleads, even pouts – it takes a lot for him to finally forgive her. Dev Anand does the peeved hero act perfectly: that annoyed expression, that sneer, the words flung back in her face – but you can see, despite that façade, that he really does love her. Sweet!


3. Maudlin: Kabhi khud pe kabhi haalaat pe (Hum Dono, 1961): Amongst the flurry of Dev Anand tributes I’ve read recently, there was a comment about how an entire post could be created out of Dev Anand-and-liquor songs. This is one of them. Rejected by his girlfriend’s father because he’s poor and jobless, this hero joins up so that he can leave his past behind – and finds that nothing will allow him to forget. A chance encounter with a lookalike, a few glasses of liquor, and all the memories come surfacing, bringing with them the pain of the past.
One of Dev Anand’s best performances, as the young hero who’s gloomy and maudlin, and as his lookalike, befuddled, amused, and all the while understanding, too.


4. Broken-hearted: Din dhal jaaye haai (Guide, 1965): Another Dev Anand-and-drink song, this one even sadder than Kabhi khud pe kabhi haalaat pe. Whereas the Hum Dono song is more philosophical, this one is pure anguish – the outpouring of a lonely soul. There are memories here, the knowledge that where there was intimacy, there is a vast, uncrossable expanse – even though the beloved is physically here, just a few rooms away.
Dev Anand, in a role that won him a Filmfare Best Actor Award, is excellent here as Raju, whose crookedness has finally estranged him from Rosie: melancholy, regretful, bitter – and deeply miserable.


5. Comforting: Hain sabse madhur woh geet jinhe hum (Patita, 1953): I was a little surprised when I first saw this song, because the Dev Anand I’d seen onscreen till then was generally the street-smart type who wooed his ladies with bright grins, flirtatious songs and mischief in his eyes. Hain sabse madhur woh geet isn’t (as those of you who’ve seen Patita will know) a love song, really – but it’s one of Hindi cinema’s finest expressions of love: of a warm, supporting comfort offered to a dear one deeply in need of it. Just watch the tranquility, the peace on Dev Anand’s face, the gentle movement of his fingers in Usha Kiron’s hair as he sings… there is so much love, so much empathy and sensitivity there.


6. Teasing: Kali ke roop mein chali ho dhoop mein (Nau Do Gyarah, 1957): If Dev Anand could be romantic and affectionate onscreen, he could also be teasing – both irritating as well as attractive, all at the same time. In this delightful song (from a film that was chockfull of delightful songs), he teases mercilessly the girl who’s been taking a free ride in his lorry. The devilish, gap-toothed grin, the eyebrow riding up into the disheveled hair, the loony tooting of the tin horn: none of it pleases the girl (Dev Anand’s real-life wife, Kalpana Karthik), as she strides away in a huff, determined not to yield to his pleas. She eventually does, of course – and who can blame her?


7. Cajoling: Arre yaar meri tum bhi ho gazab (Teen Deviyaan, 1965): And not just cajoling, but also vastly embarrassed. If Dev Anand was the one doing the teasing and good-natured tormenting in Kali ke roop mein chali ho dhoop mein, the tables are turned here. In Arre yaar meri tum bhi ho gazab, he’s at the receiving end – the ‘famous actress Kalpana’ (played by Kalpana), eager for all the adulation she can grab, launches into a song and dance among a crowd, and our friend is left to run after her, trying to reason with her. See the way he whispers to her to veil herself; his wincing and cringing as she makes a spectacle of herself. His many frustrated attempts to get her away. Yes, our man’s being paid back in his own coin.


8. Seductive: Yeh raat yeh chaandni phir kahaan (Jaal, 1952): I was a pre-teen when I first saw this song, and I was a little taken aback by the sheer sensuality of it all. There are no heaving bosoms and nodding flowers, but there’s more eroticism here than you shake a stick at. The confusion and helplessness in Geeta Bali’s face, the self-confidence in Dev Anand’s. His assured strumming of the guitar as he sings of the night – the moonlit trees, the waves of the sea, the wind… but, even though his words beckon to her, his stance and the almost absent-minded languor of his singing seem to suggest he isn’t half as tense as she is.


9. Playful: Gori zara hans de tu (Asli-Naqli, 1962): Not just playful, but also affectionate in a sweet, somewhat paternal way. Here, Dev Anand – as the bus driver of the Sarojini Girls’ School bus – finds himself having to wheedle a reluctant little girl who doesn’t want to go to school. In the process, he ends up in a brief interlude (with some clowns on stilts helping out!), singing to all his little charges. And, of course, it’s not long before all the little faces around are wreathed in smiles. Dev Anand was certainly popular with the female of the species, wasn’t he? Irrespective of age!


10. Footloose: Naacho ghoom-ghoomke (Sarhad, 1960): Okay, nobody ever said Dev Anand was a good dancer. And it’s apparent even more here, where he’s teamed with a very formidable dancer, Ragini. But so what? He makes the best of what he’s got, jumping about (both feet at once, knees bent, too!), going prancing through the crowd of dancers, linking arms with Ragini, and playing what looks like a balalaika. He shows here some of the unself-conscious joie de vivre, the uninhibited having-a-good-time feel of an actor like Shammi Kapoor: giving the party all he’s got. I just wish this song were longer.


By the way: on a related note. Here’s a sweet little article that Dev Anand wrote about Shammi Kapoor, as a tribute when Shammiji passed away in August this year. The old friends must be catching up now…

177 thoughts on “Dev Anand in Ten Moods”

    • Thank you, Harvey! Glad you enjoyed it. :-) I’d thought of doing a ‘Ten of my favourite Dev Anand songs’, but then gave it up because it was too Herculean a task…! Am looking forward to seeing your contributions.

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    • Aise toh na dekho is such a lovely song – so are almost all the other songs of Teen Deviyaan, actually. Somehow, I’ve never thought of it as seductive (probably because Nanda’s sweet, shy smile never strikes me as fitting in with a ‘seductive’ scenario!), but listening carefully to the song’s lyrics, I see what you mean. :-)

      I think I sort of blanked out on Dev Anand’s music after the early 70s. I remember hearing Chori chori chupke chupke, but not the other one.

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      • Mein tasveer atarta hu had a big fan-following on Vividh Bharati and lots of requests used to come from Jhumri-Talaya for it. I understood the song completely the other way around as a small kid, but I will elaborate it on a lengthier gaane ka kachumbar list post someday.

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        • Oh! I’ve heard this song so many times before, but hadn’t seen it… or at least didn’t remember having seen it. So I didn’t realise it was a Dev Anand song. I like the music and Kishore’s rendition of it, but I’m afraid Dev Anand doesn’t appeal to me at all here.

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          • This is one of the songs to one which just listens and not look. But that is the case with most 70s Dev-Pancham songs.
            And unfortunately for most Hindi songs in general. Not every song is well shot like dil ka bhanwar or achha ji me hari chalo.

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            • True, about a lot of Hindi songs being not as well picturised as the song’s music/lyrics/rendition warrant. In this case, though, I think it was also because I just didn’t like Dev Anand after Prem Pujari – he was really too old to be playing the roles he was; he just made me cringe. So I didn’t watch most of his films post the early 1970s – as a result, while I may have heard the songs (they were popular on radio), I avoided watching the films, even if they were on TV.

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      • There is one more song in “Teen Deviyaan,”
        which is very good sung by lata,kishore picturised on Simmi and Dev anand, I find it very sensual, atleast while listening:”Uff kitni tandi hai ye ruth, sansan kaampe jeeya mera….sulage hain badan”

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  3. In honor of Harvey’s first Dev Anand film in a theatre
    Teacher
    Logon Ka Dil – Man Pasand

    Harvey mentioned he did not understand the ending, maybe he should enroll in the Dev Anand Film Making Academy ;)

    In honor of my first A certificate film in a theatre with a fake ID
    Sales & Marketing
    Tu Pee Aur Jee – Des Pardes

    As an oenophile I heartily recommend this philosophy, especially if the drinking is restricted to moderate amounts of wine. However, do not recommend pairing Tina Munim with a barrel of wine (as is shown towards the end); but since that is obviously a solution of
    potassium permanganate and not a vintage Bordeaux — it is OK.

    Great list you have there, it is hard to dispute any of your choices;
    and my favorite would be Are Yaar Meri Tum Bhi Ho Ghazab.

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    • Aap kahe aur hum na aaye aise to halath nahin…

      Nice song that tu pee aur jee. Has nearly a shakespearean quality to it: To B or G
      After all it is in the bard’s own homeland! ;-)

      Nitpicking:
      BTW, if it were KMnO4, wouldn’t it stain her skin. Dev surely appreciated his Bordeaux, so he surely wouldn’t let Tina bath in it.

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      • “Has nearly a shakespearean quality to it: To B or G” LOL.
        Ajit in this movie would make a great “Ayyago”, as Sunil Dutt says in Humraaz.
        You are right, KMnO4 would stain, perhaps it was just regular Mumbai Municipality Water.

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        • O Ajit is the villain, is it? I thought it might be Amjad Khan. both would be good Ayyago. Removed from its context, doesn’t it sound like ‘Ayya gade’.

          As for the colour of the brew in the barrel: no, the regular Bombay Municipality Water at that time had a rusty orange colour! ;-)

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    • LOL. Your recommendations are delightful, Samir. (And the conversation that’s been going on between you and harvey is even more hilarious!) Actually, you guys could probably come up with a post all your own which has nothing to do with Dev Anand in ten moods, but everything to do with Dev Anand acting as ten men in different professions. You’ve already notched up a photographer, a teacher, and a salesman there. For someone who acted in Pocketmaar, Taxi Driver, Guide, etc, that would be a fitting tribute. ;-)

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  4. Excellent topic and superb selection of songs, Madhu. Thrilled to see “o nigaahen mastaana” in this list. Totally agree that it is extremely romantic – that was my first reaction too when I saw this movie a few years ago. Just love the Dev-Nutan chemistry here. Somehow this song does not get the credit it deserves – it tends to get overshadowed by “maana janaab” and “chhod do aanchal”.

    There’s one song I’ve never heard before – the Sarhad song. haven’t even heard of the movie. *embarrassed*

    Otherwise, the rest are spot on. I might just have found a spot somewhere there for “apni to har aah ek toofan hai” – either as teasing or playful. :-)

    Absolutely love the fact that you’ve got “hain sab se madhur” in there. I saw Talat sing this live once in a concert. Awesome! Lovely lyrics too.

    “Din dhal jaaye” could just as well have been “kya se kya ho gaya”, I suppose. Broken-hearted indeed!

    “Kabhi na kabhi, kahin na kahin” could also fit in there I suppose.

    And “dil ka bhanwar kare pukaar” with its awesome Dev-Nutan chemistry would also get in there somehow for me. And probably “abhi na jao chhod kar”. And maybe “hai apna dil to awara”. And maybe “aaja panchhi akela hai”also.

    Ah, too many songs and too few categories. I think I’d have cheated and invented new categories if I’d been making this list. ;-)

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    • Thank you, Raja! Glad you liked that list. :-)

      Somehow I’ve always preferred O nigaah-e-mastaana to Maana janaab ne pukaara nahin or Chhod do aanchal – not that those are bad; they’re great songs – but somehow O nigaah-e-mastaana has an affectionate sweetness to it (in large part thanks to how it’s picturised) that is fabulous.

      I’ll admit I’d completely forgotten about the songs of Sarhad, though I remembered vaguely that they were good. Some research revealed just how good! I must look out for that film – I’ve mostly forgotten about it, but I remember good chemistry between Dev Anand and Suchitra Sen.

      You’ve mentioned several songs that were on my shortlist – but most of them actually boiled down to plain and simple romantic songs – and I refused to budge from O nigaah-e-mastaana for that! I don’t think inventing new categories would help; one would simply have to come up with a ‘Dev Anand: Ten Great Romantic Songs’ list… and even then, I doubt if just ten would be enough. :-)

      P.S. Hadn’t heard Kabhi na kabhi, kahin na kahin for a long time, but have just rediscovered it, thank you for that recommendation!

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    • Incidentally, I’d started off with Kya se kya ho gaya on this shortlist for ‘broken-hearted’, but when I rewatched the video, I thought the picturisation didn’t have as much iimpact – and didn’t showcase Dev Anand’s sheer hopelessness and despair as effectively as Din dhal jaaye did. Therefore, the latter, But I love Kya se kya ho gaya too… so very bitter.

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      • For the pathos of pensiveness, songs of ‘Sharabi’ by Madan Mohan or ‘Saathi Na koi Manzil’ of Bombai Ka Babu’ by S D Burman are few of the gems not only for Dev Anand but for even Madan Moahan and SDB respectively and certainly few of the best ever fro Rafi.

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  5. Madhu, I knew you would come up with something different! I love the songs you listed (what’s not to like?) and totally agree that yeh raat yeh chaandni phir kahaan is easily one of the most erotic songs picturised. And <yeh nighaein mastana tops my list of romantic numbers! (That has a personal reason attached to it, too. :) )

    Isn’t the line Sadiyon ke faasle from kya se kya ho gaya

    My ‘moody’ picks:
    Enjoyment: He looked like he was having so much fun!

    Wooing / firting :)

    Preaching (Doesn’t fit him, no? :( )

    Head hurts at present; will come back later to see all the lovely songs that are sure to be uploaded in the comments!

    ps: I was the one who said that I could probably make a list of Dev Anand’s sharaabi songs. :)

    http://anuradhawarrier.blogspot.com/2011/12/never-say-die-remembering-dev-anand.html

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    • Ae meri topi palat ke aa was what I’d have put in the list for ‘Madcap’! – If I’d seen Funtoosh. That was a sad story for me, because the DVD packed up after the first hour, and no amount of cussing/wiping/praying would help.

      Apni toh had aah ek toofaan hai is a lovely song, too – I’d toyed with that, wondering whether I should put in a ‘sly’ mood. But yes, flirtatious it certainly is!

      Ah, so it was you who said that about the sharaabi songs. I didn’t have the time to go searching blogs, so thank you! :-)

      P.S. Thank you for correcting me about that Sadiyon ke faasle stuff! I’m losing it, Anu. Seriously. :-(

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  7. OT to Shalini: I sound like a doofus but how do I upload a song from my cd? And where do I upload it to? (Totally ungrammatical, but too feverish to bother about grammar and punctuation at the moment. You do get the gist?)

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    • Good question, Anu! I think if you play the CD on your computer, you should be able to rip the song as an mp3 file using RealPlayer (or similar software) on your comptuer. You have a blog, right? You can just post it there if you like. Or if all that is too complicated just email the file to me – shalinirazdan@gmail.com.
      But please – get better first! There is no urgency.

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  9. Madhu, I was in the middle of making a list of his romantic songs for my next post – and I realised that it mirrors yours, because even though you just said ‘Ten Moods’, they are ten romantic moods. :(

    By the way, the song from Patita – Yeh sabse madhur who geet? Shailendra was inspired by PB Shelley’s Ode to a Skylark – Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought.

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      • :) I think so. I started on my post yesterday morning after listening to all the songs that were uploaded in the comments. There was a whole bunch of romantic songs, and I came up with the unique (ha!) thought of listing them by mood instead of just picking them at random. I just had to put them in order today when I saw that Madhu had posted her tribute. In a similar vein. My only consolation is that my songs and moods are mostly different!

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    • I missed this comment of yours, Anu! Yes, now that you point it out, it’s obvious that Hain sabse madhur woh geet was inspired by Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought. I must go and have another look at Ode to a Skylark, and listen to the Patita again to see how much more, if any, inspiration Shailendra drew from Shelley.

      P.S. Mine are not all romantic songs! Well, not the last two, at any rate – and even in a song like Hain sabse madhur woh geet, I think I wouldn’t call it romance, but something far deeper.

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      • I missed it back then.

        But yes, I’ve always believed that nobody could have done Teesri Manzil better than Shammi Kapoor – he nailed that part. Can’t imagine anybody else as Rocky/Anil. And if Dev Anand acknowledged it too, well – it just confirms it.

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          • Though I wonder if Dev Anand could have pulled off as effectively as Shammi did all the dancing he was supposed to be doing as Rocky… but yes, I agree that credit must go to Shammi Kapoor and Vijay Anand for having moulded the film so superbly to Shammi’s personal style. I wonder what changes Vijay Anand would have made if Dev Anand had stayed on as Rocky/Anil.

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            • I think Vijay Anand would have cut all the dances for Dev. He might have not been a drummer but saxophonist, if at all a musician, Pancham would have composed a music accordingly or maybe like that of Teen Deviyan (where he was allegedly deeply involved than just being an assistant). Dev was used to being a hero on run or at least do a bit of detective work like in Paying Guest or Baat Ek Raat Ki. And while Teesri Manzil was being made, he was involved with Jewel Thief.

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              • Though (as I’ve said earlier on this blog), I must admit I didn’t think Jewel Thief made for satisfying repeat viewings – whereas I can see Teesri Manzil again and again, and enjoy it just as much. But we can only speculate on how good Dev Anand would’ve been in that role… it might have been a very different movie with him in it.

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  11. The song Khoya khoya chaand is one where Dev Anand crazy walking cracks me up every time. His carefree goofy walk symbolizes how recklessly he’s in love with a woman who is sort of engaged to another guy.

    And the song Dekh ne mein bhola hai dil ka salona from Bombai ka babu is another one where he’s totally funtoosh.

    The song Kaha ja rahe the kaha aa gaye hum from Love Marriage and She ne khela he se aaj cricket match from the same move have some crazy and entertaining facial maneuvers from an eternally expressive and charming faces on Hindi cinema.

    Though Dev Anand, in his autobiography, talks so much and so graphically about his erotic escapades, he is not very adept at expressing eroticism on screen. What a contradiction! So you’re totally right in your description of the song Yeh raat yeh chandni phir kaha. He is not as intense as Geeta. He’s great at romance but not so much on eroticism. I think the Kapoors were much better at this! :)

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    • Khoya khoya chaand is such a lovely song, but it was spoilt for me when I was quite young, because someone in my family (my sister, I think – or maybe my mum) said Dev Anand was swinging his arms like a chimpanzee. That sapped all the romance from the song for me. :-(

      Kahaan jaa rahe the is another one I like for the unself-conscious way in which he acts, swinging from the beam below the roof and rolling his eyes and prancing about. Loads of fun.

      I agree completely about the Kapoors being much better at eroticism than Dev Anand was, even if he was good at romance! Just the thought of Shammi Kapoor singing Ae gulbadan ae gulbadan, or in those ‘caught in a blizzard’ cottage scenes in Junglee… whoo!

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      • I think that is because Dev was never playing ‘loverboy’ in his films whereas Shammi was – most of the latter’s films were woven around that theme – of wooing the heroine and getting her after overcoming all obstacles. Dev, on the other hand, was wooing his heroines enroute to other things. If he wasn’t living on the fringes of society himself, then he was busy chasing criminals, either as an Inspector or a special force guy or as a lawyer. I would venture to say that Tere Ghar Ke Saamne was his only ‘win girl and parents over’ film.

        And by the way, Madhu, my feverish brain has come up with the devil of an idea for my dictate-a-theme-post.

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        • “And by the way, Madhu, my feverish brain has come up with the devil of an idea for my dictate-a-theme-post.”

          Awesome! Now hurry up and dictate your order! :-D

          Yes, Dev Anand’s films were more geared towards noirish themes than Shammi’s were – though even a lot of films that Shammi acted in had criminals out to grab his wealth or the girl’s wealth or the girl, or whatever.
          I’ve seen Love Marriage too far back to remember the details, but I think even that was more a social-family drama type of film, rather than crime. As was Asli-Naqli.

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  12. Dusted Off, a lovely list. But a list of Dev Anand’s songs can be really long. In my opinion, he is the actor with the MOST number of classic, beautiful songs in his film history. I don’t think he was ever acknowledged as a good actor, but I agree with you, that he was.

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    • Thank you, Banno.

      I think Dev Anand’s acting got swamped to a large extent by the mannerisms he began to adopt in the early 60s. Some of his roles in the mid- and late-50s are the ones in which I think his acting is more genuine: you see the actor, or rather the character he’s portraying, rather than the star he’d become later. I especially like his acting in films such as CID, Munimji or Nau Do Gyarah.

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    • Agree completely with Banno and Madhu, he did do unconventional roles quite well. Unfortunately, as with most stars, his star persona took over whatever character he was supposed to portray.
      I was wondering if I could do an alternative list with the same moods but couldn’t complete the list. Will keep trying. However, I would definitely have to have ‘Dil ka bhanwar’ and ‘saathi na koi manzil’ somewhere.
      I was debating on whether ‘sun ja dil ki dastan’ would win against ‘aise to na dekho’. Had to pick the former because although I prefer the latter as a song, the seductive effect created on screen by the director and actors is unparalleled. Movies in the fifties were so modern in their subject matter and technique, why there was a regression into chauvinistic, unintelligent movies, I will never know. Producers to blame, I guess.

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      • I’ve been reading an interesting book (I won’t say which, just now, because I will be publishing a post on that sometime) which offers some interesting insights into the ‘modernity’ of some of the 50s films. What I find particularly interesting about Yeh raat yeh chaandni phir kahaan is that it never shows the hero and heroine together – Geeta Bali’s character is upstairs in her room, and the way she battles her attraction to him just adds to the tension.

        Yeh hawa yeh fiza from Gumraah, by the way, while not a Dev Anand song, reflects a similar feel:

        It all became far more in your face in later films. Producers (and distributors) are probably the ones to blame, as you point out.

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    • Thank you for reminding me of these two songs, Lalitha! I’ve watched Baarish, but a long while back, so I don’t remember much of it (and the songs didn’t make much of an impression on me at the time). But they are lovely.

      A theme for the second? Hmmm… I wonder. Faithful? From what I remember, this song occurs after he’s married her secretly, and because there are loads of people baying for his blood, he’s forced to come and meet his wife only at night, when nobody can see him. So, in a way, this song’s an affirmation of their vows to each other.

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      • What a shame that he was forced to go and meet his wife only at night! It reminds me of a couple I know, who married much to the disapproval of the guy’s parents, who are also resident in this country. So here the guy is, visiting with his parents, and his wife has to travel to the same city for work purposes, and she stays in a hotel and he stays at his parents’ home, and goes out at 10 p.m to see some ‘friends’ and visits his wife instead! And they are not a young couple, either, and have been married for over five years now.

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  15. It’s been a bad year. We’ve lost so many greats. BUt one thing is sure… they all are catching up and having a jolly good time in heaven. I was in Calcutta attending a family wedding when I got this ghastly news. What a loss!! But he was evergreen till the last day and he will live on in our memories as the dandy charming hero!!
    Lovely post btw :)

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    • Thank you, Sharmi!

      Yes, it’s been a ghastly year, hasn’t it? But there was a cartoon in the TOI the other day, where one curvy angel is whispering to another (with Dev Anand hovering in the foreground), “He wants to cast us in the next film he’s planning!” Maybe Shammi and Nalini Jaywant will find themselves in roles too! ;-)

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        • There would be some interesting possibilities there, no? I was just thinking that I wouldn’t know which of the men I’d want to get the girl – but then, of course, it struck me. The Hum Sab Chor Hain formula: Nalini Jaywant plays a double role. Maybe Dev Anand (since he acted the anti-hero in so many of his early films) will be the villain who kidnaps one sister (and marries her for her money, but ends up being reformed by her sweetness)… and Shammi Kapoor will be the man who falls in love with her twin.

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  16. Wise move to do multiple song lists for Dev.:-) He really was blessed with wonderful music in his movies.

    I was especially pleased to see “O nigahen mastana” in your list. While Dev made a great pair with a number of actresses, there was something special about his pairing with Nutan. Their on screen relationships seemed more grown-up and egalitarian to me. I love them in this song from Manzil:

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    • I love that song from Manzil, Shalini. In fact, it had been on my shortlist, but I’ve put it on a couple of lists already, so I decided to give it a break. It’s so beautiful, though, that I’m listening to it all over again. The picturisation is wonderful, and so is everything else – the music, the singing… ultimate romance.

      There was something about Nutan – the fact that she was such a good actress, besides being lovely – that she could fit in perfectly with Dev Anand, no matter if it was comedy (Tere Ghar ke Saamne, Paying Guest in places), somewhat-weepy-romance (Manzil) or even ‘rural noir’ (Baarish).

      Here’s another of my favourite Nutan-Dev Anand songs, though he doesn’t sing it; she does. Yeh tanhaayi haai re haai from Tere Ghar ke Saamne:

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  17. There is one film of Dev Anand which is cruelly ignored, Tere Mere Sapne (1971) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067840/.
    He plays a doctor (surprised?), with Mumtaz , Vijay Anand and Hema Malini – I think her character was of an ‘actress’ having mood swings and depression (that was interesting).
    Considering the starcast and the fact that it was “‘directed by Vijay Anand”, it should be better known.
    Reminded me of ‘Guide’ at times, i.e. the film not the title.
    It also has some hit songs
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hntxR5JxWWE and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPuZ-FXzRr4

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    • Nah, I’m not surprised that he plays a doctor (I’ve watched Tere Mere Sapne ;-)), though I don’t remember much of the film – saw it a long, long time ago. But yes, you’re right, it tends to get ignored when people think of Dev Anand’s (not to mention Vijay Anand’s) filmography.

      I’m not too fond of Ta thai ta thai, but I really like Ai maine kasam li. We used to hear it fairly often on radio back when I was a kid, and this was one of my favourite songs. I like the picturisation a lot too.

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    • ‘Tere mere sapne’ is one of the best Navketan movies in my book. I find ‘jeevan ki bagiya’ and ‘jaise radha ne mala japi shyamki’ very poetic. I think Mumtaz has a miscarriage and they play the former in a slow tempo which is very poignant.
      Again dev is a slightly negative character as a doctor who gets seduced by money making and loses the respect of his wife, mumtaz. Hema malini as a starlet controlled by her mother and Vijay Anand as a brilliant but disillusioned doctor, complete a quartet of nuanced and realistic performances, that made this movie an unforgettable watch for me.

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      • Thanks for the recommendation, Anoushka. I’d been too small when I watched Tere Mere Sapne to appreciate anything other than the music, but I’ll make it a point to look out for the film now.

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    • Yes, I read about that just the other day. Interestingly, The Citadel seems to have been made and remade over the years. Have a look at AJ Cronin’s filmography, and you’ll see how often it was filmed:

      http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0188743/

      By the way, the Anand brothers liked to do films based on well-known European works. One of Dev Anand’s first films, Afsar (opposite Suraiya) was inspired by Nikolai Gogol’s The Inspector General; and Chetan Anand’s Neecha Nagar was based on Maxim Gorky’s The Lower Depths.

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      • AJ Cronin was Devsaab’s favourite author – he also adapted Cronin’s ‘Beyond This Place’ for Kala Pani. ‘Jaal’ was an adaptation of an Italian film called ‘Riso Amaro’ (Bitter Rice) that Dev and Guru Dutt saw in Venice. ‘Bambai ka Babu’ was based on O Henry’s ‘The Double-Eyed Deceiver’ (without the brother-sister angle).

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        • Ah, yes. I’d forgotten about those, despite the fact that only the other day I was telling my husband about Bitter Rice – I wanted to watch that film primarily because it stars Vittorio Gassman, whom I like a lot. :-)

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  19. A man torn by love- (I simply love this song)

    Optimism- (“Sahir”‘ is a wizard!)

    Poetry recital (mukhda and antara) :-)(love the way he is surrounded by children, the same in ‘Kanchi Re Kanchi Re’ too)

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        • Hmmm. That’s an interesting take on it. I never thought about it that way. I’m listening to the song again, and I’m realising that you could well be right… barbaadiyon ka jashn manaata chala gaya may indicate the fact that while it’s being destroyed. the cigarette keeps cheerily billowing smoke. Jo mil gaya usi ko muqaddar samajh liya could be about whoever lights up the cigarette – but the last line (Gham aur khushi mein farq…) doesn’t quite fit. At that point it seems more like what it obviously is: a man’s take on his own personal philosophy.

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          • No, on the contrary “Gam aur Khushi mein farq” gives it away more than anything else. People look to a cigarette or sharaab to relieve tension often and create an atmosphere of artificial bliss possibly, but I cant comment about it since I have never smoked one :-).

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            • Same here! I’ve never smoked (except second hand fumes, since a lot of my friends smoked quite a bit)… so it’s hard for me to tell. But yes, I guess what you say could be a possibility – though I’d think the gham aur khushi mein farq business might be truer of alcohol than of nicotine.

              Whatever. It’s a good song, and Dev Anand himself said that it was pretty much the philosophy of his life.

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  21. Here I come after a long time, was out of action– no thanks to health problems. But I have to put down my comments health or no health. I enjoyed all the songs from Devanand’s early films though I must admit I have never been a fan of his acting, I did find him very charming.
    My list of Devanand songs could go on and on but I will just choose two for between you and your readers you have quite a selection. Selecting just two is quite a task but here goes;
    I just love the title song from Tere Gharke Saamne

    and another one with beautiful lyrics Koi sone ke dilwala

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    • Shilpi, I read about your ill health on memsaab’s blog too. I’m so sorry to hear that, but I hope things are looking up for you. The past year has been hard on many; I hope the coming one will bring health and love and laughter back into your life. *Hugs*

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    • Shilpi, I hope you get well soon! *hugs from me too*

      Thank you for those two songs – I love both of them too, and they’d been on my shortlist. Ek ghar banaoonga tere ghar ke saamne for ‘Romantic’ and Koi sone ke dil waala for ‘Disillusioned’, but eventually other songs displaced both.

      I couldn’t remember any films in which I’ve seen your father with Dev Anand, but some searching on imdb shows they worked together in Pyaar Mohabbat. It’s been too long since I’ve watched that film, so other than this song on the raft, I remember nothing of it:

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  22. Dev explaining the “philosophy” of love- (rare use of the work ‘Falsafa’). The antaras remind me so much of ‘Oh mera Shah-e-khuban’

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  23. Thanks so much! This is a gem of a post and wonderfully enhanced by the comments. Will be coming back to it often :-)

    According to Rajesh Khanna, Dev saab “had the rare ability to lip songs effectively for any singer be it Mohd. Rafi, Talat Mehmood, Hemant Kumar, Kishore Kumar or even Manna De….. the abundance and versatility he displayed whilst lipping the number, Dene Wala Jab Bhi Deta, in Funtoosh remains a lesson in acting.”

    It’s really an amazing song! Crazy Kishore and a totally loony Dev!

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    • “had the rare ability to lip songs effectively for any singer”

      So true! Coincidentally enough, before I finally settled on doing a ‘Dev Anand in Ten Moods’ post, I’d toyed with doing a ‘Ten Songs, Ten Singers for Dev Anand’ post – just because so many different singers have sung for him, and their voices always seem to fit him perfectly. Kishore and Rafi, of course; but also others. Even then, this post does manage to include Hemant, Talat and Chitalkar (the Sarhad song was sung by him).

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      • That 10 singers post would have been wonderful, I am trying to find the 10th. The 9 I know are :- Kishore, Rafi, Mukesh, Hemant Kumar, Talat, Manna Dey, SD Burman, C Ramchandra, Dwijen Mukherjee, so please tell me the 10th.
        By the early 80’s, Dev Anand had the maximum # of playback singers of any hero, I think it was either 12 or 13; so i am missing at least 3.

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        • Did SD Burman actually sing playback for Dev Anand? I remember songs – such as Wahaan kaun hai tera – which SDB sings in a Dev Anand film, but not as playback.

          Anyway, here’s another for you. Jagmohan Bakshi sang playback for Dev Anand in this song from Taxi Driver, Dekho maane nahin roothi haseena:

          I didn’t know Dwijen Mukherjee had sung for him, either. But it’s in Maya, right?

          I love that song – have heard it after years. I remember being utterly in love with this song once upon a time – when I was young enough to think it was Hemant singing it!

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          • Thanks for the information, I had never heard of Jagmohan Bakshi, but I will listen to the song.
            SD Burman did not actualy sing playback in the strictest sense as far as I know (hero lip syncs), but I thought that Wahaan Kaun Hai Mera is good enough. I mean even if it is in the background, it provides a glimpse into his inner thoughts.
            And yes, Dwijen Mukherjee is Ae Dil Kahaan Teri Manzil, I also thought it was Hemant Kumar :)

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          • Thanks for Dwijen Mukherjee and jagmohan Bakshi. I also had thought that it was Hemant Kumar singing ae dil kahan teri manzil. What a wonderful song! Isn’t there another song who had the same timbre as Hemant Kumar?

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            • @harvey: Another singer whose voice sounded similar to Hemant’s (and whom I occasionally mistook for Hemant) was Subir Sen. As far as I know, he never sang playback for Dev Anand, although among his better-known songs are the title song of Aas ka Panchhi (Dil mera ek aas ka panchhi), and Main rangeela pyaar ka raahi from Chhoti bahen.

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      • You won’t believe it! But I had the same thought, before I settled for Dev jodis, but I came up with only Rafi, Kishore, Talat, Manna, Durrani, Hemant, Bhupendra. I don’t know if Mahendra Kapoor ever gave playback for Dev.
        But since I don’t know much about his post Kishore songs and I wanted to publish the post on 10. Dec. itself, I settled for the jodi post.

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        • You mean Bhupendra as in “Dil Dhoondta Hai” Bhupendra ? Which song did sing for Dev ? Is it just “O Shaalu” in “Hothon Mein Aisi Baat” ?
          I have not heard much about Durrani, and I do not think Mahendra Kapoor ever gave playback to Dev (but I will happily accept any correction.)

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        • @Samir, Shalini, Harvey: Thank you for all that information! I hadn’t known about Durrani, and I certainly didn’t know that Bhupendra was the one who sang those little bits in Hothon pe aisi baat. Didn’t know about Mahendra Kapoor singing playback for Dev Anand, either. (And yes, Dev Anand’s ridiculous attempts to ‘dance’ are accentuated even further by the fact that in all of these dances he seems to be paired with an actress who’s a great dancer. ;-)

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    • Dev Anand and KIshore Kumar made such a fabulous team, didn’t they? If I’d not seen the video, the only actor I could’ve visualised acting this out on screen would’ve been Kishore Kumar himself.

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      • Here they share screen space with each other as well.Didn’t knew of this till day before yesterday, when bollyviewer shared a song from this film at my blog suggesting the jodi of Dev Anand and Meena Kumari!

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  25. That’s a lovely lovely tribute DO.
    I came back and see all these lovely songs, some of them long forgotten.
    I had never heard of the song from Sarhad. It brought a smile to my face watching him take an energetic part in a dance sequence. :)

    Some of the moods I thought of (please forgive if I’ve repeated any)

    The *Grand* wooer (? – hope it’s a word)

    It “is” Dev Anand wooing even if not singing himself.

    Dev Anand in a *strange (fisherman) mood* – well he does have that ‘plastic’ fish hanging at the end of the rod.

    The *self pitying* mood

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    • Thank you, pacifist! – And welcome back. I’ve missed you, even if you’ve been gone only a week. :-)

      I love the songs you’ve put up (and LOL about that *strange fisherman mood*!!). He looks so wonderful all through CID – and so blessedly free of those mannerisms he later adopted – I think I’d happily call it my favourite Dev Anand film. So a song like Leke pehla-pehla pyaar, which his character may not sing, but in which he figures as a central figure, is perfect.

      I like Teri duniya mein jeene se a lot too, but I’ve never been quite able to figure out the mood behind it. The lyrics are depressing and self-pitying, but the music somehow detracts from that – and I never do end up feeling sorry for either Dev Anand for the boy with him.

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      • Thanks DO. Good to be back and checking out the blogs with their amazing contribution to Dev Anand songs.

        Here’s another mood – rather a *mixture of two different moods*
        It starts with a *social awakening* mood (where he seems to be really enjoying himself), but then Dev Anand being Dev Anand he flows into the *romantic mood* after being told by the girl ‘chchodo yeh baatein’.

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          • You will never believe this – it is Tarla once again! I remember hearing about this movie but didn’t know that she was acting opposite Dev Anand. Hmm, so she was more than a one movie wonder!

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          • >A wise and practical girl.

            I’m wondering if she’s Radhekrishan’s daughter. When he walks off announcing he’ll ‘take care of this’, suddenly the daughter comes on the scene with her singing – to distract him (?)
            Perhaps Dev Anand loved her (she didn’t, at this point), and his friends leave so that he can woo her. Meanwhile she’s pretending to love him because he’s so mean to her father, and succeeds in distracting him. LOL!

            I don’t know how, but I seem to know that the film is about family planning (I think it’s Dev’s brother who has children, ek ke baad ek).

            @Lalitha
            Thanks for the info. Never heard of Tarla before. Wonder what became of her.

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        • Thank you for that, pacifist! It’s really an unusual song. He switches tracks so completely once she starts singing! It’s as if he’s forgotten about his friends and their crusade…

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    • Isn’t he wonderful there? Everything about that song is out of this world – the music, lyrics, Madhubala (of course!), even the way Jankidas’s, Agha’s and Mukri’s actions are synchronised with the music.

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  27. Wonderful post and great comments which add to our information. I was not aware of Sarhad songs. Similarly I could have never imagined that Mahendra Kapur also sang for Dev Anand. Phir wohi chand from Baarish was interesting. Though I had heard the song, I was not aware it was by Chitalkar. It is interesting Talat Mahmood sang a solo in Jahan Ara with the same Mukhadaa. That GM Durrani also sang for him one could have guessed, as Dev Anand debuted in the heydays of Durrani.

    I had read this post earlier in passing with intention to come back again. Meanwhile I did a post on Dilip Kumar’s many voices and I counted ten and was wondering how many Dev Anand or Shammi Kapoor would have done. Then Harvey referred me to this post and mentioned you have counted 12 or 13 for Dev Anand. Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Manna Dey, Hemant Kumar, GM Durrani, Chitalkar, Talat Mahmood, Dwijen Mukherji, Jagmohan Bakshi, Mahendra Kapoor and Bhupendra – that is 11, which others am I missing?.

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    • That’s such a lovely song – romantic in a playful way, no? (Something it shares with O nigaah-e-mastaana, I think). Very nice, and I love the music, the picturisation, Waheeda – oh, everything!

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  29. Whew, that was one big, long discussion! Anyway, I absolutely loved the songs you chose there, Dustedoff. I just stumbled across your blog a few days ago and I’ve been loving it ever since! :) Dev Anand had so many classic songs in different moods that it would take forever to list them all! But I’m going to settle for just one right now:

    One of my all-time favorites, and just look at the chemistry between Dev and Kalpana Kartik! Oh, and his puff, and rolled-up sleeves. Delightful.

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    • Thank you, Rakesh! I’m glad you like my blog. :-)

      That’s a lovely song, from what ranks as one of my favourite Navketan films – and, as far as I’m concerned, the film that best showcases the Dev Anand-Kalpana Karthik chemistry. And it had such fantastic songs, too.

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      • I’ve been looking for film reviews for ages, and lo and behold! Your blog comes along and I’m hooked! :D

        I’ve only seen one film of theirs together. I was considering checking out Baazi or House No. 44, or maybe even Taxi Driver. What do you think? Should I do it? And yes, the songs are absolutely delightful. Hum hain rahi pyar ke… :)

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  31. Just saw this post hence this late entry. Dustedoff, as usual you have come up with an interesting, off beat angle. yes, he could be a clown and he could lapse into melancholy. Din dhal jaaye is proof of the latter. the footloose category is a Dev Anand specialty–he was the original flaneur. From Hum hain rahi pyar ke to hai apna dil to awara to mein zindagi ka saath and of course, yeh dil na hota bechara; all have that carefree attitude he came to be known for. One song that has vanished from most lists is teri dhoom har kahin from kala bazaar; the more i see it the more i love it

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    • Thank you, Sidharth! Yes, Dev Anand could be delightfully versatile. I’d initially toyed with doing a ‘ten of my favourite Dev Anand songs’ list, but that would have been impossible – no matter how hard I tried, I could not restrict my Dev Anand favourites to just ten. Therefore, this.

      Thank you for reminding me of Teri dhoom har kahin – it’s been a long time since I heard (or saw) that one – it always seems to get forgotten amidst his more popular songs.

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  32. Dev Anand was a risky star for his Producers and Directors other than his brothers and regulars like Amarjeet, Raj Rishi, Shankar Mukherji and of course Guru Dutt who was also his ‘only’ friend. If one looks at his career he was never signed by any established Director of his times. There are only a few films in which he acted under good directors like Basu Chatterji in Man Pasand. Hardcore commercial and below average production houses could never think of a subject in which they could rope in Dev. I remember one such movie called Amir Garib directed by Mohan Kumar who signed him because Rajesh Khanna refused it, but it turned out be a hit and also Warrant directed by Pramod Chakravorty, who was an established name and made movies with Dharmendra. So here we are missing more moods of Dev since the subject is ten moods because he never got to work with established or pure commercial production houses. This is one regret that I have about Dev, other is the one when he refused to sign two milestone movies of late sixties, Teesri Manzil and Zanjeer. One more thing which always haunts is this that why his own nephew Shekhar Kapoor never made a film with him?

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  33. You are right I missed their names but when they directed him they were not so well established. Two more names coming to my mind are of Hrishikesh Mukherji and Yash Copra who directed him in Asli Naqli and Joshila.

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  34. Thank you so much Madhulika ji for creating such a awesome post on one of my favorite actor -Dev Anand.
    If I would have made this list there would be hardly any change accept a few.I would kept ‘Dil Pukare’ from Jwel thief and a new song which I came across just a few days back ‘Sanjh dhali dil ki lagi’ from Kala Bazaar.Other than these two all the songs would be similar in my list too.Though I haven’t heard the last two song ever so can’t say anything about them.

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    • I like Dil pukaare – except for Vyjyanthimala’s saree, which really puts me off! :-) And Saanjh dhali dil ki lagi is a really nice song. It was a big favourite of mine when I was a child. Both, however, are romantic songs – mood #1 in my list – and somehow I can’t see any song (except perhaps Abhi na jaao chhodkar) replacing O nigaah-e-mastaana at that spot for me.

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  37. I love black and white Dev Anand (many people gave me weird looks when I said that). Now, I seldom watch TV, but back then, I could have watched any film, just admiring him. Achchha Ji Main Haari and Din Dhal Jaaye are absolute favourites. But, I don’t even recognize 3-4 songs. Need to check. For romantic, I like ‘Abhi Na Jaao Chhor Kar’.

    So many beautiful songs: ‘Deewaana Mastana Hua Dil’, ‘Phoolon Ke Rang Se’, ‘Tere Ghar Ke Saamne’, ‘Aankhon Hi Aankhon Mein’, ‘Tere Mere Sapne Ab Ek Rang’, ‘Tu Kahan’… I’ll be waiting for the next part.

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    • Dev Anand is one of those actors whose career falls into two fairly neat halves for me! Up to about 1962-63, I am happy to watch pretty much any film he’s in (though some of his earliest films are really rather grim). From about 1970 onwards, he gets increasingly hard to watch – those mannerisms, that pretending to be so much younger, everything irritates me no end.

      But yes, Dev Anand in his prime is hard to beat. :-)

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        • Yes! I was just discussing Manoj Kumar’s painful acting from the 70s onwards, on another blog post. Terrible, and such a change from his early films – all those suspense thrillers up to the mid-60s or so were very entertaining, and he was pretty good in them too.

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