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07 December 2011

Romancing Dev Anand

There was something irresistable about Dev Anand. Something in the way he looked at you, in the way he made you feel you were the only woman on earth for him (at the moment). His gap-toothed grin, the twinkle in his eye, the charm in his voice - all these were an inherent part of the man. Nothing was fake. This was what he was.
 
The germ of the idea for this post was given to me by a reader who listed some absolutely beautiful romantic numbers that were his favourites on my previous post. As I thought about it, I realised that while romance and Shammi Kapoor went hand in hand, Dev Anand was not too far behind in the wooing stakes. The two of them were so different, yet essentially the same. While Shammi Kapoor delighted in evoking his inner junglee even when he was city born and bred, Dev Anand remained what he always was - the city sophisticate. Even if he lived on the fringes of society, that society remained urban. 

While Shammi Kapoor often came as a package - a mother, a father, a sister - Dev Anand almost always was a single man with no apparent encumberances. Even if he did have parents, and loving ones at that, as in Tere Ghar ke Saamne for instance, he still lived apart from them. And if he brought his love home to those inexplicably missing parents, it was to present them with a fait accompli - here she is, the girl I love.

While Shammi Kapoor threw himself most energetically into wooing his heroines, Dev Anand was studiedly inert. He walked a few steps maybe, he looked yearningly into their eyes, he sang in Rafi's or Kishore's or Talat's voices, he nodded his head and shook his arms around perhaps, but he hardly broke out a sweat. 

Romantic, they both were. If one could not but give in to Shammi's eagerness, his mobile face or liquid eyes, one could hardly resist Dev's earnestness, his puppy dog looks or his charming smile.

So, ten movies, ten heroines, ten shades of love (like the different shades of waiting)... Devsaab in ten romantic moods. ( With all due apologies to dustedoff*.) How can one not fall in love?

1. Wooing: Apni to har aak ek toofan hai (Kala Bazaar, 1960)
One of my favourite Dev Anand numbers, this one has him sighing for the impossible. Each line he sings is cloaked in unmistakeable meaning. The girl in question is Waheeda Rehman (who wouldn't sigh for love of her?) She is in the berth above him and he puns magnificently on uparwaale jaankar bhi anjaan hai... The innocence in his expression when he sings that line is too good to be true, and the other male passenger is suspicious: is the man singing about his wife? The girl has some doubts - is he singing about her? She shakes it off. No, it cannot be. As he continues to woo her, she wavers - God? Or her? 

2. Coaxing: Dil hai aapka huzoor (Jaali Note, 1960)
Now that he has his heroine good and mad, he exerts himself to coax her out of her sulks. It doesn't help his cause any that he seems to think that since he has given her his heart, she shouldn't be too proud of her looks. The beautiful Madhubala is not one to unbend so easily. Has he looked at himself in the mirror? She may or may not be proud of her looks, but perhaps he should be appalled at his? And if his heart is so dear to him, maybe he should keep it to himself! Ouch! He is learning that she's not a walkover; he has to try harder.

3. Exuberance: Jiya o jiya kuch bol do (Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai, 1961)
A fresh-faced Asha Parekh. He knows she is in love with him, that the same passions burn inside her, but she is loath to admit it, and he is bent on getting her to do so. When he persists, telling her that she will regret her silence, she tells him to go to hell. He will, he says, and then she will cry her heart out. Go ahead, she says, sure he will not do anything of the sort, but he jumps out of a moving train, and she is stunned - she loved him! He has had a soft landing, though, and her relief is evident. She is embarrassed by his public wooing, but she is thawing at his unabashed exuberance. Her shy smiles, her downcast eyes, her pretend anger - they are visible evidence of her love for him, but he will not be happy until she begs forgiveness for her earlier disdain.

Nasir Hussain would recycle some of the plot elements in Teesri Manzil.

4. The flush of new love: Yeh nayi nayi preet hai (Pocketmaar, 1956)
After all the wooing and coaxing, they are finally in love. With Geeta Bali, who was one of his first and favourite heroines. He's making reparations for the wrong he committed; she's the sister of the man who killed himself because of him. They fall in love, and nothing can mar their happiness. Except the past. However, right now, they are caught in the throes of this new emotion, and do not have time to worry about the dark clouds of the future. There's the flush of happiness, there's playfulness (he pulls her hair over the bar, she uses his tie to pull him to her), there's awe, there's the hope of a future together... 

5. Bantering: Aankhon mein kya ji (Nau Do Gyaarah, 1957)
 
She is humming when he begins to whistle in tandem; when she looks at him in irritation, he blinks at her, laughing. Miffed, she asks: Aankhon mein kya ji? Her irritation melts with his answer. As they continue, she says 'you're not as innocent as you look'. He is unrepentant. So it continues, their playful banter, each asking a question and getting an answer - in verse. They understand each other, these two, the nomadic man and his beautiful heiress.

With his wife, Kalpana Kartik. They met during Baazi, fell in love, got married during the shoot of Taxi Driver and then proceeded to do handful of movies with each other (Aandhiyan, Funtoosh, House No.44 etc.,). One of Hindi cinema's earliest road movies, Nau Do Gyaarah saw Dev Anand as a truck driver, and Kalpana as a runaway heiress.

Nau Do Gyaarah also marked the directorial debut of Vijay Anand. This was probably Kalpana Kartik's final screen appearance. 

6. Romantic: O nigahen mastana (Paying Guest, 1957)
This is one of my personal favourites and will make any list of romantic songs. Wooing, coaxing, teasing - they are all in the past. He's totally in love. So much so that he's lost in her beautiful, luminous eyes. As she hums along, he cannot help but compose an ode to them. Arm in arm with one of his favourite heroines, Nutan; their chemistry is unbeatable. They are lost in their own little world, a fact that Shubha Khote, watching from her windows cannot bear. Each word that sings of their emotions, each ray of happiness that emanates from them is a well-aimed shaft at her own emotionally barren life.  Apart from Waheeda, it's my personal opinion that no other heroine suited him as well as Nutan did. 

7. Earnest: Ek but banaaoonga tujhe (Asli Naqli,1962)
He's left his home and his wealth behind; she's poor but self-respecting. She is beautiful, he's charming. They fall in love, but find it difficult to tell each other. After much dithering around, he exclaims that if she continues to stand there like a stone idol, then he will have no other option but to pray to that idol. He's teasing but there's a promise implied in his words. Of faithfulness. Of everlasting love. Of commitment. Which girl can resist? Not Sadhana. 

8. Confident: Main keh doon tumko chor (Sanam, 1951)
When have you seen Dev Anand not be confident?  Dev Anand with his first love, Suraiyya. Here they are, in love, and she asks coyly - what will you do if I raise a hue and cry? If I say you are a thief? He's supremely confident of her love; he knows she will not do anything of the sort. 'If I creep into your heart by stealth, and steal it, what then?' And if she were to leave, why, he would go away and find someone else. He knows her only too well. She cannot live without him, and that's his trump card. 

9. Disillusioned: Koi sone ka dilwala (Maya, 1961)
 It's his birthday, and the party is just beginning. But his thoughtlessness has wreaked havoc in a friend's life; his lover cares more for his wealth than she does for him; his so-called friends are using him. Within a few minutes, the mood has changed from celebration to desolation. Disillusionment sets in. Is there such a thing as true love? Is there a woman somewhere who will love him for himself? Fret not, Mala Sinha is there in his future. Or so the gypsy with the crystal ball has told him...

10. Broken-hearted: Saathi na koi manzil (Bambai Ka Babu, 1960)
The other face of love. Fleeing from the scene of a murder, he has no idea that the house he infiltrates thousands of miles away is that of the man he murdered. He is accepted as the long-lost son of the house, but he has not bargained on falling in love with the daughter of the house (Suchitra Sen in one of her rare Hindi outings). As he falls deeper and deeper into the quagmire, her emotions are not untouched. Even though she is palpably uncomfortable with her nascent feelings, he  is unabashedly open about them. Even after she learns that he is not her brother, the improbability of their union being consummated sees an anguish will sear them both.

Like in Jaal, here too, Dev Anand simmers with a barely hidden passion. Both films saw Dev Anand's romantic image take on a more adult, sheen. The covert sensuousness of Jaal is more overt here, though it is in Guide, five years later, that one finally sees it out in the open.   

Trivia: Bambai ka Babu was based on O. Henry's 'A Double-Eyed Deceiver'. 

*Since I started writing this, dustedoff posted her wonderful tribute to Devsaab, which, essentially has the same underlying theme of ten different moods. I wondered whether I should scrap this post and begin a new one, but decided that while the theme overlapped, our choice of 'moods' were quite different, and the songs, with the exception of one, were totally different.  Since, after all, one can never have too much of Dev Anand or romance (at least, I can't), I decided to post this anyway. 

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122 comments:

  1. Am so glad you posted your version as well. Although madhu's and your themes are on the surface the same, the approach is totally different!
    Loved going thorugh it and can't add anything to it.
    I hope your health is better now.

    BTW in the song apni to har aah ek toofan hai, I have the feeling that Waheeda's character knows very wellthat she is being referred to in her song, but her parents, are those, who don't know for sure at first and believe that the handsome man is all spiritual.

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  2. Wonderful list and wonderful songs! I have been drowning myself (and my family) in Dev Anand nostalgia for the past three days, as I keep listening to his songs over and over again, and going through your blog, DO's, Harvey's, Memsaab's and any other site that talks of Dev Anand.

    I love all the songs you have listed, but the top favorites of mine are Apni to har aah ek toofan hai, Khoya khoya chand ..., both of Kala Bazar, and Tere mere sapne ab ek rang hain ... from Guide. The black and white photography in Khoya khoya chand, a pensive heroine who sits facing a calm lake, and a magical, mysterious night - how can anyone get sleepy, especially when Dev Anand is around?

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oT9kqNvaUoQ

    In Guide, we have the same pair, but here Waheeda is unhappy - she has left her husband and come to Raju, but did she do the right thing? Will he stand by her? Will she be abandoned to her fate since his mother and family are against her? What will the world think and say about her? Raju tells her not to worry, he will always be there for her, in the most romantic manner possible, in a song that is so soft it is impossible to resist:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27ASuBNWBQQ&feature=relmfu

    Both Dev Saab and Shammi Kapoor got the best songs for their movies, and those songs will remain forever, along with their memories.

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  3. Thank you so much for that compliment, harvey. I'm glad that you enjoyed the songs I posted.

    Fever still abounds, and I feel like something even the cat wouldn't drag in. :(

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  4. Thank you so much for that compliment, harvey. I'm glad that you enjoyed the songs I posted.

    Fever still abounds, and I feel like something even the cat wouldn't drag in. :(

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  5. 'Drowning' is the right word, Lalitha. It's amazing how deeply his deaths cuts to the bone. It's not even like the passing of an era; it's the passing of innocence, of romance, of life itself. That's how much he influenced a couple of generations. And that, without being in the limelight at all!

    Tere mere sapne ab ek rang hai is almost similar in theme to the song Madhu posted, from Patita. It is comfort, it is reassurance, it's being there for your loved one. Ahh... that's what love should be like (and so often, is not).

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  6. Sounds like the flu - you need my Bombay curry soup and rolls! Or a big pot of milagu rasam!

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  7. Ohhhh... JUST what I need! :( I'm making my own tomato rasam here - what I want is someone who will pamper me, and cook for me. You're mean to tempt me with such bounty!

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  8. A romantic Dev song, which I like a lot is tasveer teri dil me from Maya
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5BC4gdOqT8

    But to go by your story line.

    He is alone and treading his path
    akela hu mein from Baat ek raat ki
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTmHFymdjLo

    And then he sees her and is stunned doesn't know if it day or night or if all is just a dream. khwab ho tum ya from Teen Deviyan
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3tJ-nPtFYA

    He woos, although she is not much inclined towards him
    de bhi chuke dil from jaal
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JqFSUcDYYk

    But soon both are in love with each other and one just has to call and the other is there
    yaad kiya dil ne kahan ho tum from Patita
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YY2pZa22Io

    In love one has to take leave as well, bahut door mujhe chale jana hai from Heera Panna (abhi na jao would have suited better, but we have been talking about it so often that is why something different)
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMB083boS5w

    Sleepless nights spent in longing for the beloved
    khoya khoya chand khula aasmaan - Kala Bazar
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5neEc7PjHg

    And when one is parted from the beloved, one writes a letter
    phoolon ke rang se from Prem Pujari
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvLgKi3FpjI

    Planning for the future is a practical aspect not to be neglected, when in love.
    tere ghar ke saamne
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gx5QdW8G-4o

    and when one has the house and got married and an addition to the family comes:
    jeevan ki bagiya mehkigi from Tere Mere Sapne
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GnLeoKO5Os

    But there is always the danger that between Pati and Patni a Woh can come
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWEfh1XrWBQ

    Enough for now, yeh to poora adult scene hai!

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  9. Wow, harvey, you have given me an hour or so of pure listening pleasure! I'm looking forward to going through your links one by one! Multiple times! You should make a post of these, really. Your version of his various moods. Fantastic! Simply fantastic! Thank you so much! *forgetting about rasam and fever and rice and everything else in sheer Dev magic!*

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  10. I am not tempting you, it is an offer, made sincerely. The only condition is that you have to come here. Right now, I am nursing a sore jaw after having a wisdom tooth extracted, so dinner was soup and fresh rolls, and all I could eat was a roll, since the soup was too spicy! Come here and get pampered by this chechi (?) or kochamma (?) or whatever.

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  11. And as we recuperate, we can watch some of my old DVD's (if my hi tech player will let us!)

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  12. Ouch! I feel for you! I've had all four of them extracted (I'd so much extra wisdom no?) - they were all impacted, and so needed surgical extraction.

    Where is 'here'? I'm sorely tempted to hop onto the next train / plane / whatever (no car - I'm too tired to drive) and land up. Rasam, rolls, and films is an 'offer I can't refuse!' And I think I'll stick to chechi. Kochamma (cheriamma?) sounds quite off! :)

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  13. Thanks, Anu, for that reference to me (it is, isn't it?). Wonderful write up (I loved the idea of the different shades to love), and wonderful songs! I really liked the way you linked the emotions from 'wooing' to 'heartbreak'. (Now I have to go visit your shades of waiting.) My favourites, apart from the ones I posted in the comments last time, would be:

    Dev and Nutan from Manzil: Chup ke mile pyaase pyaase

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tskaGIXBD7c

    and Chhod do aanchal from Paying Guest:-

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuMgYRG3vPU

    I liked Harvey's list too, though I'm not a great fan of Devsaab in his rangeen avatar. But hats off to him for linking the songs just the way you did. :)

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  14. Wah, Anu. Lovely compilation as always; wonderful writeup, as always. I love 'O nigahein mastana' too. Nutan looks so absolutely beautiful in that song, so like a woman in love!

    As for harvey's list, I will echo you and Rishi and say 'Fantastic!' That takes some doing - to not only list romantic songs, but also link them to Anu's post in the same manner... take a bow, harvey.

    Between your list, his list, and Lalitha's and Rishi's contributions, I know what I will be listening to for the next couple of hours. :)

    My personal favourites from Devsaab's romantic songs (apart from all of the above) would be:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--sA1FZ7slY

    and

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBZrEIBHeWk

    and this:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amRMVEXb-xI

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  15. Yes, Rishi, it was definitely you who gave me the idea for a post on romantic songs. I would have put all three of the songs you posted if only I had not restricted myself to one song per film per heroine. Actually, you have given me an idea for another post. ;)

    Chupke se mile pyaase pyaase is wonderful - I love that Geeta Dutt only recites the poetry.

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  16. Thank you, Ruhi. It's this appreciation that keeps me going. :) (So now you know what to do when you want me to stop blogging. :) ) I love all the songs you listed; Rhim jhim ke taraane is a perennial favourite. Which also gives me an idea for a post. What fun!

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  17. That is FANTASTIC, harvey! A worthy comment to a post as good as Anu's. :-)

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  18. Oh, poor you! I hope you get well very soon, Anu.

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  19. "I feel like something even the cat wouldn't drag in."

    Good, because cat bites can become septic.

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  20. oi, oi, oi!
    You poor thing! That reminds me that i have to make a dentist appointment soon!
    Wish you a fast recovery!

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  21. "I'd so much extra wisdom no?"

    But the missing wisdom is showing! ;-)

    All the same hugs and extra fast recovery to Lalitha and you. Do Behne!

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  22. You are too kind to me, Anu!
    But am very happy to hear that the songs entertained you! *hugs*

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  23. Thank you, Madhu! You are really too kind to me! But it does the heart good!
    I posted the comment above at around 1:30 am last night. Maybe next time I write a post, I should be half-sleepy.
    But no, I won't turn it into a post like Anu requested. The above comment is sort of a post in itself. But what Anu's request made me think was to write a post on Dev's life after he arrives in Bombay till late 70s in songs. But I am too lazy and busy for that. So if anybody feels like doing it, feel free!

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  24. Thank you, Rishi! My ego is bloating! I have my difficulties as well while watching Dev in his rangeen avatar, but Pancham composed so many great tunes for him in that era, it is difficult to overlook them. So, I mostly look at his lovely heroines or just listen to the audio.

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  25. Thank you, Ruhi!
    I love the rim jhim ke tarane leke aayi barsaat, it is short but cute!
    It catches the feeling of romantic rain so perfectly!

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  26. Madhu, I like likha hai teri aankhon me too. As a child I was surprised that Nanda like bhoota too!

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  27. Here is Charlotte, North carolina. Don't know about trains, but there are plenty of flights to here. And I am fine today, and back in the thick of things, so there will be plenty of soups, fresh bread and whatever else is needed to recuperate!

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  28. Your wisdom is reduced and you still produce such wonderful posts? I am in awe, thinking of the wonders you would have produced with the extra wisdom!

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  29. With still more wisdom? Ah, she would have been unbearable! ;-)

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  30. Thanks, bhaiya!

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  31. Thanks, Harvey! I have recovered now, and ready to tackle all the dishes today. Besides, today is one of our festivals, so I have to make goodies for the evening meal, so it's off to the grocery store for me now!

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  32. This is just wonderful! How do you do it? And you say it was in the middle of the night? My hats off to you for your wonderful post, and a warning to all those mediocre film-makers - if you continue with these awful movies, we will send Harvey over to Bollywood, and you will all be out on the streets!

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  33. Thank you, Madhu! Laughing at the 'listening with eyes closed' description - for me, both songs would fit that description. I can't stand Nanda. She gives me diabetes.

    That sari in Jewel Thief was truly horrendous, wasn't it? I can't imagine who thought that would be a good idea!

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  34. No,no. You don't get off quite as easily. Neither Madhu nor I watch the 70s stuff anyway. I mean, Madhu probably doesn't watch it at all, and I watch one once in a while (when I'm especially in the mood to torture myself, or when Memsaab posts a particularly intriguing review). So you are the obvious choice!

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  35. I know *all* about cats! :( I had some that regularly adopted me when I was growing up! For some reason I was a cat magnet.

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  36. Thanks, Madhu. I hope so too. I now have a bad throat, so rasam, rasam, and more rasam - as hot as I can drink it. Only, with Lalitha in NC, I'll have to make it myself.

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  37. LOL. Thank you. That makes the aches and pains I suffered, bearable.

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  38. harvey, harvey, couldn't you find something nice to say to me when I'm down and out? I can't even yell at you because my throat hurts. *saddest puppy face you can ever imagine*

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  39. You make it sound more and more tempting! If I didn't have to worry about the bachhus, I think I would have hopped on to the first flight!

    My friend, Vrinda, used to live in Charlotte, NC. My husband's friend lives in Raleigh.

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  40. I said 'extra' wisdom, bhai mere. As in 'surplus'; 'more than I need'; So much, so I gave it away.

    LOL. Thanks for the good wishes.

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  41. Lalitha, today is Karthikai, no? Aargh. I can't even drag myself to make rasam much less think of making appams and vadais. Eat some for me, will you? And light one deepam for me too.

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  42. Sharmi Ghosh Dastidar8 December 2011 at 10:56

    One of the most romantic songs of Dev Anand is Dil ka Bhanwar!! It's too sublime to be true :)

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  43. <>

    Wow! For your next one? (I'm scratching my head and wondering what I said or wrote that would prove the basis for the next post, but I can't think of anything!)

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  44. My absolute favourite from that film is Tu kahan yeh bata , though I like Dil ka bhanwar too (obviously!) What a lot of good songs he had, no? I would venture to think he had more good songs than even Shammi did, and that's saying something!

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  45. Wait and see. :) I promise to give you credit for it, though.

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  46. Echoing everybody here - lovely post, Anu. He has soooooo many lovely romantic songs, just culling out 10 (or 20 or 30) from those means you have hours of FUN research ahead of you. And what do you mean "Fever still abounds"? Of course it does, Dev Saab is hardly likely to reduce the temperature! You need to dose yourself with some Biswajit for that. ;D

    I was toying with the idea of a Dev A moods post too, but I can't think of anything I could add to your post or Madhu's! So a Dev A post has to wait while I watch some more of his films and research his songs some more on youtube (yup, it's a tough job, but a blogger's gotta do what a blogger's gotta do!).

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  47. Consider the deepam lit and the appam eaten!

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  48. One appam, no make it two! and one deepam for me too!

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  49. Now, does this knowledge belong to your regular wisdom or surplus?

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  50. You are a darling, Lalitha!
    You are spoiling me!
    *blush deep red under my coffee brown cheeks*

    *giving a sly look*
    How exactly did you meant it, when you say "wonderful"? ;-)

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  51. We are quit, you don't like Nanda, I don't like Raj Kapoor! Ha, no more bad conscience! ;-)

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  52. Thanks, bollyviewer. Appreciation does wonders as treatment for feeling down and out. :)

    20 or 30 is right. LOL. I've the seeds of ideas for two more song lists. How to do it without duplicating my own lists,much less Madhu's, I do not know. In fact, I'm surprised that for a change, our lists were so different, but that maybe because I was focussing on the romantic angle and she wasn't.

    I agree with you that it's such a *tough* job watching his films and songs. :)) *snort* We should have a virtual watch-fest. And then compare notes. Anyone game for that?

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  53. Don't you even dare compare diabetes-inducing shugary-shweet Nanda with RK! I will come after you with the broom that you escaped the last time you made such comments. Hmph!

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  54. Ha ha ha, surplus. The cats are long gone, so are my wisdom teeth.

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  55. bili gayi, dilli gayi, dimag bhi gaya, ab tera kya hoga, anu?

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  56. I can imagine this scene quite well,
    you, the broom,
    you riding the broom....
    :-D
    :-D!
    arre, zara zamane ke saath chalo, ab to vaccum cleaner milne lage hai!
    ;-)
    love you!

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  57. Ha! You can't hit anyone with a vaccum cleaner. Besides the broom comes in handy for travel, n'est pas?

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  58. Why am I suddenly remembering Kaaliya and shuddering?

    *And we made harvey the villain too!*

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  59. Done! And hubby said the appams were very good!

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  60. Seriously though, we should meet, maybe in the summer. You live in the Boston area, right? Boston in summer sounds good. I used to go there when my older son lived there, until he moved in '09.

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  61. I have no idea what kind of ideas are going through your head, but all I meant was "wonderful" as in "very good" - I am a good big girl, you see! Don't ask too many questions about my compliments, or else they will all stop coming!

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  62. Lalitha, definitely! Come and stay - one large dog who thinks he's a puppy and that everyone who comes home is coming to play with him; and one soon-to-be-seven-year-old whose greatest joy is to dance to old Helen songs (with a dupatta tucked around him, forsooth!) will be waiting to welcome you. Yours truly will provide you with lots of good things to eat (I'm considered quite a good cook) and Sadu can provide the songs...

    Sounds inviting? :) (And I mean the invite, by the way.)

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  63. And when you come, bring some appams too. :)

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  64. Oh, I loved the cotton balls on her sari. :) Must go and get my eyes checked now.

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  65. MEEEEE!!!! *madly waving hands in the air* We can drool over Dev Anand together! :D

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  66. Of course one can hit somebody with a vacuum cleaner it is even harder than a broom and since they are driven with electricity, they are even faster than brooms. I know this because some years ago I saw a production of Verdi's Macbeth at the local opera and the witches their rode vacuum cleaners. And it was really good!

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  67. Oh, you misunderstood me, what I meant by sly look was that I was fishing for more compliments, naturally jocularly!
    communication only through words, that is without seeing the facial expressions of the person does lead to ladki neeche khadi hai (miss under standing)

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  68. Shudder when you can!
    *villainous laugh*

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  69. If you weren't living on the other side of the big lake Atlantic, I would be there in a jiffy!

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  70. bhai log hote kiske liye hai?

    My sister would answer: to laze around and make mess

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  71. Keep hoping, keep hoping! Yes, sometimes words alone without facial expressions do lead to the "ladki neeche khadi hai"! How do you come up with these expressions (ladki neeche ...)? Were these the in thing when you were in college? I ask because we didn't have such things where I went to college - or maybe these were after my time!

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  72. Just so you know - Eros Entertainment has a huge one day sale of DVD's - and I spotted CID, Nau Do Gyarah, Baazi, Pyaasa and Kaagaz ke Phool among others, and most of them are for $0.99 to $3.99. I will go through the list slowly after hubby leaves for work, and then place my orders.

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  73. In fact, ladki neeche kadhi hai is from my college days (late 80s, early 90s). And you people are the only ones in my daily life, who would understand it, thus can use it only with you. *sob*
    As for hope, hope is one thing which let's one hope, right? ;-)

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  74. That is the job of a true bahen - to point out the problems of the bhais! Are we doing our job well?

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  75. Don't have the time to go through it today. :( On the other hand, I have all the titles you mentioned up there. (Brightening up.)

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  76. Yes! Which one should we watch first??

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  77. LOL, Banno. Not to worry. One man's meat is another man's poison, and what not. :)

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  78. Tauba, tauba *clutching at non-existent pearls in horror* Macbeth's witches riding vaccum cleaners! What next! And poor Shakespeare didn't even have them riding their brooms. He only had them stirring their cauldrons.

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  79. ladki neeche khadi hai

    LOL, harvey! I love it!

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  80. harvey, if you ever have occasion to come
    across the big lake, you are more than welcome to drop in. Filter coffee and dosas will be provided on demand.

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  81. I am making this a separate comment because it is hard to type on such a skinny section! You could probably get Memsaab to come with you and both of you could come down here and we could go to Myrtle Beach or Hilton Head and drown ourselves in Dev Anand and other old movies for a couple of days, or - and this is an even better idea - we should all plan a trip together to India. Then Harvey can also join in, and we can all go to Delhi, join up with Madhu, and go to some quiet place where we all watch movies together! But the invitation to my place still stands, with appams, dosais, and filter kaapi (elaichi chai is an alternate option)! Tempting enough?

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  82. More than tempting, Lalitha. Especially the thought of escaping to India + watching movies + meeting Madhu + quiet place. :) Especially especially the last. With a six-going-on-sixty year old, 'quiet' is at a premium.

    I will stick to filter coffee, if you please. And if I'm coming by NC, then I'll surely drop in. BTW, sent you an email.

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  83. Nanda liked ganna too! Here is the proof:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxKbJyoiU58

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  84. It goes without saying that the theme of this post & the songs selected are excellent, but let me focus on your introduction which makes some very interesting points.
    1) "While Shammi Kapoor delighted in evoking his inner junglee even when he was city born and bred, Dev Anand remained what he always was - the city sophisticate."
    2) "While Shammi Kapoor threw himself most energetically into wooing his heroines, Dev Anand was studiedly inert."

    Several avid Bollywood moviegoers would instinctively agree with #1 & #2.

    3) "While Shammi Kapoor often came as a package - a mother, a father, a sister - Dev Anand almost always was a single man with no apparent encumberances."
    A really perceptive point, it probably is part of the success of Aradhana & Sholay; other films with parentless heros. I suppose some mildly provocative conclusions could be reached from this statement, but I will let it stand :)

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  85. Thank you, Samir. I started to become conscious of these points when I first began to watch Hindi movies seriously. Dev Anand and Guru Dutt were probably the only two heroes of their time who were so unencumbered. I could stretch that point to aver that it could come of their close friendship and their similar points of view, but that would be an assumption. :)

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  86. Would your friend's husband be Maddy of Maddy's Ramblings, by any chance? I follow his blog and he lives in the Raleigh area.

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  87. Lalitha, replying to your comment here. No, Maddy is not my friend's husband, though I do follow his blog. Maddy and I got in touch because he read the Yakshi post; later, he contacted me for some excerpts that he wanted from Dev Anand's biography.

    My friend and family moved to Canada.

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  88. :-D
    High time to make a list of songs featuring different snacks being eaten while singing!

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  89. Mind you they were Verdi's witches - witch chorus!
    The french version even had witch ballet, which is mostly cut in contemporary productions.

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  90. There are all these lovely songs of Dev Anand everywhere on the blogs :-)
    Lovely list Anu.
    I love all the songs in the post and the comments.
    One song which I also love, and no one seems to have mentioned is from Manzil.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UG5Tqe7zTAY

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  91. It helps that he had so many, no? :)  *hand to head* I *can't think* how I came to miss the song from Manzil! Thanks a lot, pacifist. I have been listening to it over and over again! I remembered the other one - Chupke Chupke pyaase but completely overlooked this one.

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  92. anything for kaapi, dosai and appams! I am drooling!
    How I remember the cries of the kaapi sellers on south Indian stations! Kaapi, kaapi, kaapiiiii and then chaiya, chaiya, chaiya!

    At this rate I'll have to put up a cloth on my key pad to keep it dry, but how will I type?

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  93. I just heard on JayaTV news (which my Dad watches faithfully every day, three times a day!) that today is Raj Kapoor's birthday.  Since you are a RK fan, can we expect a post on RK and his romancing?

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  94. I would love to, Lalitha, only I'm too sick to think and definitely too sick to post. Maybe a belated happy birthday post will appear some time soon (keeping fingers crossed).

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  95. You poor thing, you are still sick?  I am sending you virtual hugs and molagu rasam, get well soon.

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  96. Oooh, thanks for the mulagu rasam. Just what I need, only I'll have to make it myself. Sadu's also down with the same ailment, so we haven't cooked in a week, except for what our son needs.

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  97. O you poor thing!
    Warm get-well hugs to you and your family!

    @ Lalitha: I didn't know that it was Raj Kapoor's birthday today. Thanks for the info. He and Dilip had birthdays in the space of few days!

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  98. I am feeling lousy today with an achy throat and feverish, just hoping I don't have anything like what you and your hubby have - my cruise is on Monday!  Been drinking tea, rasam and coffee all day long!

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  99. I'm so sorry, Lalitha. I hope you haven't got what we are suffering from - Imean, 'flu can't go viral as well as *be* viral, can it? :( We are still down and out, and I certainly do not wish that for you! If you do believe in Homeopathy and have access to a store that sells it (Whole Foods has it) please go off and get Oscilloconium and take it right now.

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  100. Thanks, Harvey. I saw this only now.

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  101. I normally take echinacea drops (non Homeopathy)

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  102. Thanks for the tips, Harvey and Anu!  I am going to see the nurse at Minute clinic in the afternoon, and pick up some Echinacea since Whole Foods is too far away from my house.

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  103. How are you today?
    I hope you are keeping well today.
    Get well soon! Have to see, how is the health of my chela.

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  104. harvey, I'm much better as you can see by the new post on my blog. :) I should have dedicated it to Lalitha, no? I hope she's doing well.

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  105. Good to hear that. And now just hoping that Lalitha gets her cruise!
    She would have loved it if you'd dedicated the post to her, but it would have sounded as if she is already dead! Thus it is okay, that you didn't! ;-)

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  106. I had an email from Lalitha; she says she is 'sick, sick, sick!'. :( Poor thing. Her cruise is on Monday, too. I dearly hope she gets well.

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  107. Just saw this and, it is very very early in the morning, practically laughed out loud.  Yup, I want to go on that cruise, even if my nose is stuffed up, my head is stuffed, and I feel like I am half dead, so a dedication would have just confirmed that fact!  Hubby is wondering where I got this bug from, and I am wondering if one can get it from Skype or the Internet - the former means my son and his baby gave it to me, the latter means you know who!  My bag is packed and I aim to stretch out on the deck and sleep for the next five days and recuperate!

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  108. Yay, girl, that's the spirit!

    And don't return back home before you have at least infected half of the crew with your virus or bacteria or whatever it is.

    Stretch on the deck and slurp on your cocktails! Sneeze loudly if anybody wants to occupy the easy chair near yours! Order the waiters around! Send a message to the cook that his food, doesn't even taste half as good as your rasam! Make a general nuisance of yourself! They will curse you and you will feel good! ;-)

    "and I feel like I am half dead"

    But half dedication is so difficult. It is like being half-pregnant!

    But jokes apart, Hot water with ginger and lemon in it does wonders! But most probably you know that already!

    GET WELL SOON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    Tumhare liye nahin to hamare liye sahin!

    Hugs!

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  109. @Lalitha, Hey, hey, hey, stop piling on the guilt! :(

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  110. I thought I should milk the situation for what it is worth!

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  111. Ha! You Must be feeling better then. I caught the whiff of a smile when you wrote that!

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  112. Thanks for the hugs and the get well wishes, as well as the tips for driving away everyone who dares to come near me on the ship, Harvey!  Don't worry, just seeing me in a bathing suit will keep them all away!

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  113. Lovely songs, Anu. I would have liked to add a few of my favourites, but am too tired to go looking for the links. I notice that you have been ill too (and some of your readers) - what's this? A virtual epidemic??

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  114. Almost didn't see this! Virtual epidemic is right, Srirdhar. I can totally sympathise with feeling tired. Even the tiniest of chores gets me feeling like I need to rest for a few hours. I hope you feel better soon.

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  115. it is a true fact that DEV saab's best films and songs were in black and white, but to me, if i select 5 best performances of DEV SAAB, i will go for TERE MERE SAPNE 1st.. sadly not much postings about that movie or song yet made in this discussion... HEY MAINE KASAM LEE, RADHA NE MAALA, and the melodious JEEVAN KI BHAGIYA still remains classic songs of S D BURMAN dada for NAVKETAN...

    in this film, you definitely see a entirely different face of DEV, as a lover and later as a husband...

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  116. Where was I even talking about his best performances? :) I was stringng together some of his best romantic numbers, even though he was not known to be 'romantic hero' unlike, say, Shammi Kapoor. I did a post on his performances when I wrote The Greats: Dev Anand, but even then, I entered a caveat that I was not going to be getting into his rang-birangi phase, even though three of my favourite films (Guide, Tere Mere Sapne, and Jewel Thief) are in that period. And both Tere Mere Sapne and Guide would qualify amongst his best performances.

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  117. Where was I even talking about his best performances? :) I was stringng together some of his best romantic numbers, even though he was not known to be 'romantic hero' unlike, say, Shammi Kapoor. I did a post on his performances when I wrote The Greats: Dev Anand, but even then, I entered a caveat that I was not going to be getting into his rang-birangi phase, even though three of my favourite films (Guide, Tere Mere Sapne, and Jewel Thief) are in that period. And both Tere Mere Sapne and Guide would qualify amongst his best performances.

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  118. So many, so many beautiful songs. And doesn't he look GORGEOUS!

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  119. Aargh! Rishi has been using my id to login to comment on your posts and even though I typed my name in, it still posted under Rishi's name. Do you know why that is?? The above comment is mine. Not Rishi's.

    Tina

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  120. super artIcle.no one like dev-miss him!till 1973 or so he was unmatchable.

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  121. Welcome to my blog, Ramesh. Yes, the post-70s Dev is not someone I want to watch on screen, though he was still charming in person. :)

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  122.  Yes, the SD/Vijay Anand/Dev Anand combination was definitely a winning one. I think Dev's charm worked with directors who knew how to direct it. Dev was not a good director, and it showed. Unfortunately.

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