Woh zindagi ka saath nibhate chale gayye...

Dev Anand passed away on 3^rd December 2011 at the ripe age of 88. I got the news as soon as I woke up, thanks to Twitter updates and as I rushed downstairs to the TV, I couldn’t help but think how could this have happened? A question which may have seemed strange considering the age we are talking about…but its Dev Anand, and age does not apply to him. I am 20 years old which would mean I am 68 years his junior but I have no qualms in admitting that I have been harbouring a crush on Dev Anand for at least the last 6 years…ever since I saw Bambai ka babu…but why? That my friend is the question...or is it really?

Dev Anand exudes charm. He was unbelievably good looking...if you see some of his black and white movies, you will know what I am talking about. Those eyes...they spoke volumes and that swagger...it made your heart beat to the music. In those black and white days, his one smile could infuse in colours of the brightest hue, his confident manners and his ever so pleasant baritone...wow. They could make you stand still and thats what they did to me...when I was all of 14 or maybe even younger. And he could switch from the tormented lover (Din dhal jaaye from Guide) to the one chasing after his girl with cheekiness galore (try Hai apna dil toh awara from Solva Saal and you will know what I am talking about)...from ultra confident to lamenting and melancholy (Kabhi khud pe kabhi halaat pe rona aaya from Hum Dono)...his expressions in "Achcha ji main haari"...hayye! Kya bataayein! He could give you all the gyaan you want and you would want to follow it too! (Hum hain rahi pyaar ke from Nau do gyara or Main zindagi ka saath nibhata chala gaya from Hum Dono) and the same guy could convince you of his naughtiness in Chod do aanchal! Such versatility!

I was surfing through the channels when a beautiful melody caught my ears and a man came gliding into the screen…the song was Dekhne mein bhola (Bambai ka babu) and the man was Dev Anand, sauntering the way only he could.

I was hooked. The film was beautiful and deeply touching and now that I think about it, it could not be made today thanks to the extremely low on sensibility (and sensitivity) audience and flashy is best brainless film makers.

Khair…chodo…yeh post unn donon tarah ke jeevo ke baarein mein nahin hai...this post is about the man whose sheer charisma, sheer intensity and sheer sensitivity got a 14 year old to stop all work and get immersed in “boring” black and white cinema. Dev Anand’s films, specially the earlier ones, were blessed with two things – a very good and interesting story and brilliant musical scores and Bambai ka babu is no different. Two of its songs can make me sad and melancholy just thinking about them – Chal ri sajni ab kya soche and Saathi na koi manzil.

I must have watched a number of Dev Anand movies when I was younger but they were from the days of his later colour cinema and did not appeal to me much…maybe the story could be different today but we shall have to wait for a verdict on that.

Anyway…recently I watched Guide and as a student of philosophy (even if a reluctant one at that…and not too bright either) it appealed to me on a whole different level. The ending of the movie can put you in deep thinking and if you are willing to ask yourself some tough existential questions, do watch that movie.

Guide was once again not only a visual and a mental treat…its songs are classics – from Gaata rahe mera dil to Tere mere sapne to Din Dhal jaaye and finally Wahan kaun hai tera musafir…an album which comes probably once in a decade (if you are NOT Dev Anand, that is...because most of his films could boast of such brilliance in music).

Today I watched Solvan Saal and Tere ghar ke saamne back to back and fell in love all over again...Dev Anand looks like a million bucks and can make your heart race like you have never known before...the swagger...oh my, the swagger! And as soon as I post this, I will be watching Nau do gyaarah and the magic will surround me once again...the magic of Dev Anand...

This article may appear scattered (trust me I know it is) but I cant help it…my thoughts are as scattered…is he really gone? The man who had been around for so long that it seemed he would be there forever is actually gone? Can it really happen?

Perhaps…no, not really…his films are around and God knows the music is and the jest to live shall forever be around as an inspiration to have for all…I never once saw him in a wheel chair...heck! I never once saw him as anything but standing straight and upright and being ful of life. Dev Anand se jeene ka jazba seekho, yeh seekho ki usne kabhi parwah nahin ki ki tumne kya kaha…woh chala kyonki usko chalna tha, woh thama nahin kyonki koi aur chaahta tha…he lived life on his terms and he lived life like it is supposed to be. He continued making films, knowing no one really cared anymore, because he wasnt really making films for them anyway. He was making them because he wanted to and he was content with whatever limited audience he may have had. He was so kissed by success in his heyday that these so called 'failures' mattered little to him and rightly so...after all he was not in any need to impress anyone anymore, at least not explicitly. He was comfortable with all that he had achieved and that is something everyone should learn - be comfortable in your own skin and live life like you want to. Dont give a rat's ass to what other people say or think cos really they dont matter...not that much anyway.

He entertained millions, he swayed millions and he left us with a million memories…

“Aaj main kitni azaadi mehsoos kar raha hoon…jeevan aaj jaise muththi mein hai aur maut jaise khel hai…main aatma hoon, amar hoon – na sukh hai, na dukh hai, na deen hai na duniya. Na insaan na bhagwan…sirf main hoon, sirf main.”

Alvida Dev Sahab…aapne sach mein zindagi ka saath nibhaaya waise jaise nibhaana chahiye…shukriya aur alvida…we shall hum along...for always. :)

(1923 - Forever)

- Rae