B-town upcoming journalist Pathare Prabhu happened to meet the father of his friend cum producer Bharam Vodka, as Bharam was busy narrating his dream project to the current happening Kumar of the tinsel town, Prabhu went straight inside the drawing room and saw Bharam’s father Karam a respected producer of the tinsel town, admiring a portrait of Dev Anand and saying, “Ahhhhh, Mera Hero Dev Anand.” Touching the recently pedicured feet of Karamji, Prabhu asked curiously, “Why are you looking at Dev’s picture so intensely. What’s so exciting about it?” Karamji replied, “It’s always exciting and inspiring to look at Dev. This is a landmark year. It is the 60th year, the diamond jubilee year of Navketan.” “It’s 60th year of Navketan, but why are you so much excited about it. You never worked in Navketan, and Dev never starred in any of your films. What for this excitement?” Prabhu asked. “Diamond jubilee of a production house is a matter of great joy for the entire industry,” Karamji said. “Like the diamond jubilee of a film,” inquired Prabhu. “The days of diamond jubilee of films are over. Even silver jubilees are not there. In this atmosphere, diamond jubilee of a production house is really great achievement,” said Karamji. “Yeah, really, nowadays you celebrate success on Sunday for the movie released on Friday, so early na Karamji” said Prabhu. “No comments on that, but for Navketan it’s really a great achievement,” said Karamji. “It’s such a joy to look at his picture. Dev Anand is my hero from childhood,” Karamji confessed.  “What do you mean by saying your hero from childhood?” Prabhu got curious again. “I’m fond of cinema from my childhood,” Karamji explained. “You really started early,” Prabhu commented. “I was lucky that way. I belonged to a joint family. I used to tag on with one uncle or another when they went to see a film,” said Karamji looking at the family portrait in his house. “Your father did not object,” asked Prabhu. “He was broad minded that way. He did not think that cinema would spoil me,” said Karamji proudly. “You were lucky. Why this fixation on Dev Anand? There were other heroes also,” asked Prabhu “Those were the days of the triumvirate Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand. Ashok Kumar was also around. I liked them if the film was good. But Dev was an exception. Whatever be the nature of the film I applauded him,” said Karamji wih a smile. “Why were you so partial for Dev?” asked Prabhu.  “I can’t say. May be because he looked more stylish to me, and he wore the most trendy clothes and colorful check shirts,” said Karamji. “Dev is certainly most stylish,” agreed Parbhu. There are so many of them. In my college days, there were Shammi Kapoor, Rajendra Kumar, Dharmendra and Manoj Kumar. Later Shashi Kapoor, Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan joined the brigade. I have been running after most of them, and made films with some of them. But the image of Dev Anand always remained fixed in my mind,” said Karamji. “Why you did not make a film with Dev Anand?” asked Prabhu. “I tried but it did not work out. My dream was to start my production house with a Dev Anand starrer, but it did not work out,” said Karamji with a sad tone. “You might be feeling sad about it,” said Prabhu. “I feel sad about it even now. If I could have launched my production house with Dev Anand I would have been much more successful. I would have been living in a bungalow and owned farm houses,” Karamji said. “How do you say this?” asked Prabhu. “All those who got their breaks with Dev Anand or made their early films with Dev proved to be fantastically successful filmmakers like Guru Dutt, Raj Khosla, Vijay Anand, Subodh Mukerji and Nasir Husain. It is well documented history,” said Karamji.  “Yeah, it is well documented history,” agreed Prabhu. “Dev Anand is a brave man,” Karamji said. “He is not an action hero,” Prabhu tried to clarify. “He is more than an action hero. He is a man of action in real life. He has kept Navketan banner flying high from Afsar to Chargesheet for 60 years. It is no mean achievement,” Karamji remarked. “Certainly, it is no mean achievement,” Prabhu agreed again. “Dev is my inspiration. I entered the industry singing Baazi song ‘Tadbeer se bigadi hui taqdeer bana le. Apne pe bharosa ho to ek daao laga le’,” Karamji started humming. “Aur aapne daao laga diya,” asked Prabhu interrupting. “Daao laga diya. Kabhi jeete kabhi haare. Haare to Hum Dono ka gana gaya ‘Main zindagi ka saath nibhata chala gaya. Har fikra ko dhuyen mein udata chala gaya’,” Karamji said with his trade mark glee and glow on his face. “But you don’t smoke,” Prabhu said. Karamji laughed and said, “I smoke out my worries. After all, my hero is Dev Anand and he is a real ‘action’ hero, his unstoppable, continuing action even at the age of eighty seven……” Prabhu turned his face and started gazing at the portrait of Dev Anand. |