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Deven Verma: How the veteran artist made us laugh
Deven Verma, best known for his comic roles in iconic films like Andaaz Apna Apna and Angoor, was, in a way, the celluloid personification of the fun loving common man. Actor Deven Verma dies of heart attack
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Veteran comedian, director-producer Deven Verma passed away on Monday night in Pune. The actor, best known for his comic roles in iconic films like Andaaz Apna Apna and Angoor had a knack for turning a routine scene into a joyful moment.
Here, we list a few of his most hilarious movie sequences.
Deven played Aamir Khan's dad in the movie that has now become one of the legendary comedies of our film industry. From the sarcastic comments on his son's new hairstyle to his reactions on the antics of Khan, Verma made his own mark in the movie. One of the most memorable moments in Andaaz Apna Apna is where Aamir Khan is trying to persuade him to sell of the barber's shop that Deven runs and turn it into a bangles' shop. Even before Aamir can say anything, Deven tells him, "Jab jab tu khush hua hai, tab tab mai barbaad hua hoon." And goes on to narrate a few incidents from Amar's (Aamir) childhood and explain how his happpiness cost the dad a lot.
2. Angoor
Deven played Sanjeev Kumar's friend and servant in Gulzar's 1982 directorial venture that was based on William Shakespeare's Comedy Of Errors. One of the many comic sequences in the movie is the one where Deven is served pakodas made of bhang and keeps telling himself, "Nahi Bahadur, aur mat kha." His drugged voice and out of control hand movements putting the pakodas in his mouth make for a hilarious watch. And he goes on to say, "Nahi maanta? To kha, mar!"
Deven Verma played Sanjeev Kumar's friend Pyarelal in the 1993 film that also starred Asha Paresk, Shekhar Suman and Padmini Kolhapure. In the sequence where Deven comes up with an idea to help Sanjeev skip a trip to his in-laws' place, he narrates a fictional story of Sanjeev's accident. he says, "Bhabhi, aap ye plaster dekh ke ghabraaiyega nahi. Doctor ne kaha hai do maheene ke aaram ke baad accha ho jaega." He also reads a fake telegram that says Asha's dad is ill. On realising that the dad is already dead, Deven says, "Ye telegram waalon ki galti hogi. Ek bar mai Ajmer gaya tha, unhone likh diya Aaj mar gaya!"
Deven Verma played Bhola, an unemployed slug in this Navin Nischol- Aruna irani-Lalita Pawar-starrer 1971 film. A sequence shows Lalita Pawar trying to wake up Deven in the Hrishikesh Mukherjee's movie and he sleepily tells her that she's getting fat like dadi (Pawar), mistaking her for Navin's girlfriend. On waking up, and being told that he couldn't get up earlier and escape the landlady (Pawar) as he was given sleeping pills, he is shocked and tells her, "Aapko pata hai hum police me shikaayat kar sakte hain. Bina kisi ki marzi ke neend ki goli dena jurm hai." That when he wanted to escape the landlady so he can delay paying his rent!
Deven essayed the role of a cop in the Shah Rukh Khan-Urmila Matondkar-Naseeruddin Shah-starrer 1992 film. When Deven encounters SRK and Naseer driving a car rashly. As Naseer isn't visible to him, Deven is shocked to see a car moving without anyone on the wheels. Naseer's antics shockDeven and he tells SRK, "Ek police officer se badtameezi, abhi dikhata hun," trying to pull out his gun. Only to see the gun in the air being pointed at his temple. Deven's scared reactions, blabbering and facial expressions make for a fun watch.
