Romancing With Life: An Autobiography
Author: Dev Anand
Publisher: Penguin Viking
Price: Rs 695
Pages: 438
This is a book I was looking forward to reading. Dev Anand. The stylish, rakish star of memorable films from the 1950s like Jaal and CID. He had the most wonderful songs picturised on him. He worked with Bollywood legends like Guru Dutt and S D Burman. He was paired with stunningly beautiful leading ladies such as Madhubala and Waheeda Rehman. He has been around for more than 50 years and seen the film industry change and grow.
The autobiography of such a man should make for fascinating reading, full of revelations about the movies and legendary figures of Hindi cinema’s golden period. But alas. My overwhelming feeling, when I finished the book, was one of disappointment.
The early years, recounted in the first 150-odd pages, are the most interesting part of the book: growing up in undivided Punjab, running away to Bombay to act in films, working in the censor office during the Second World War (the British censored letters by Indian and British army personnel) to make a living, finally getting a break with Prabhat Films, moving on to Bombay Talkies, falling in love with Suraiya.
But that’s about it. The Bollywood greats Dev Anand worked with make frustratingly fleeting appearances. There are some anecdotes around films like Jaal and Taxi Driver.There is an engrossing account of the making of Guide. But otherwise, the spotlight is pretty firmly focused on Dev Anand, the producer-director-mentor. Unfortunately, apart from Hare Rama Hare Krishna, Des Pardes and perhaps Prem Pujari, most of the other films aren’t of the remotest interest to the reader. Has anyone even seen Main Solah Baras Ki, Censor, Love At Times Square or Mr Prime Minister? His discoveries like Zeenat Aman, Tina Munim and Jackie Shroff went on to become big stars. But there’s too much in the book about the likes of Mink and Ananya and Fatima Sheikh, girls Dev Anand has launched in his recent films.
The latter half of the book could pass of as a travelogue of sorts, as Dev Anand keeps zipping off to different parts of the world, with two recurring motifs in all his journeys: he always meets sexy, beautiful young girls who are his ardent fans and want to act in his films; and he’s always felicitated and honoured wherever he goes.
There are also many accounts of all the famous people he met over the years — foreign celebrities like Shirley Maclaine, Charlie Chaplin, Gregory Peck, and back home, political leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Jayaprakash Narain, etc. And we get to read about all the awards and honours he got over the years, with descriptions of the accompanying media attention and fan adulation.
The latter half of the book could pass of as a travelogue of sorts, as Dev Anand keeps zipping off to different parts of the world, with two recurring motifs in all his journeys: he always meets sexy, beautiful young girls who are his ardent fans and want to act in his films; and he’s always felicitated and honoured wherever he goes.
There are also many accounts of all the famous people he met over the years — foreign celebrities like Shirley Maclaine, Charlie Chaplin, Gregory Peck, and back home, political leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Jayaprakash Narain, etc. And we get to read about all the awards and honours he got over the years, with descriptions of the accompanying media attention and fan adulation.
As to that part of his life (the women, of course), Dev Anand has been selective. There are a few accounts of sexual encounters and affairs with unnamed women; he writes about how he and Suraiya fell in love with each other but couldn’t marry because of her grandmother’s opposition; and he also writes about how he met, fell in love with and then married Mona. Oh yes, he also tells us (very briefly) that he was in love with Zeenat Aman but withdrew from her life when she moved into the Raj Kapoor camp. Beyond that, nothing. What really went wrong with his marriage? We don’t know. Exactly what was his relationship with Zeenat? We don’t know.
In the end, you keep thinking of what the book could have been. You are left with the image of a charismatic, restless, energetic movie star seduced by his own stardom.