Dev Anand is always in my heart: wife

On Dev Anand’s 90th birth anniversary today, his wife, Mona Anand, remembers her life and time with the legendary showman. "I was just out of St. Bedes College, Simla, in the early 50s when..."

On Dev Anand’s 90th birth anniversary today, his wife, Mona Anand, remembers her life and time with the legendary showman.

His-1961-black-and-white-film-Hum-Dono-was-digitised-and-colourised-and-released-recently

I was just out of St. Bedes College, Simla, in the early 50s when Chetan Anand’s X-ray eyes spotted the talent in me. I made my debut as a leading lady, Kalpana Kartik (my screen name) in Navketan’s Baazi, (1951) opposite the debonaire Dev Anand.

In Baazi my character was that of a doctor with a noble mission who falls in love with Dev. Initially shy, Dev took time to open up, but we slowly built a good rapport. Never did I feel a stranger on the sets. Baazi was a rip-roaring success. My second film with Dev was Aandhiyan. It bombed at the box office, but I have very fond memories with him.

However, it was Taxi Driver (1954) which actually changed the course of my life. In one scene of Taxi Driver I had to dress as a male. Dev actually cut my long hairs with a car repairing tool and I cried, “Mera Baal.!” The shot was canned in one take by Chetan Anand. We got married during the shooting of Taxi Driver. Ours was a midnight marriage on the sets and it was a homely affair.

(As told to Ranjan Das Gupta)