Jaidev Hindi:जयदेव वर्मा (3 August 1919-6 January 1987; born Jaidev Verma), was a music composer in Bollywood films, most known for his work in films: Hum Dono (1961), Reshma Aur Shera (1972), Prem Parbat (1973) and Gharonda (1977).

He is the only music director in the Indian film industry (apart from A.R. Rahman and Ilayaraja) to have won the National Film Award for Best Music Direction, three times, Reshma Aur Shera (1972), Gaman (1979) and Ankahee (1985).^[1]

Early life[link]

Jaidev was born in Nairobi and brought up in Ludhiana, India. In 1933, when he was 15 years old, he ran away to Bombay to become a film star. There, he acted in eight films as a child star for the Wadia Film Company. He was initiated into music at a young age in Ludhiana by Prof. Barkat Rai. Later, when he made it Bombay, he learnt music from Krishnarao Jaokar and Janardan Jaokar.

Unfortunately, he had to leave his film career abruptly and return to Ludhiana, due to his father’s blindness, which thrust the sole responsibility of his family on his young shoulders.

After his father died, Jaidev took the responsibility of looking after his sister, Ved Kumari and later got her married to Sat-Paul Varma. After that in 1943, he left for Lucknow to study under the tutelage of music maestro Ustad Ali Akbar Khan.

Career[link]

Ali Akbar Khan took Jaidev as his music assistant, in 1951, when he composed music for Navketan's 'Aandhiyan' and 'Hum Safar'. From film 'Taxi Driver' on, he became assistant to music composer, S. D. Burman.

His big break as a full-fledged music director came with Chetan Anand's film, Joru Ka Bhai, followed by Chetan Anand's next Anjali, both of these films became very popular.

Though it was with the film Navketan's Hum Dono (1961) that Jaidev true came into the limelight, with classic songs like, "Allah Tero Naam", 'Abhi Na Jao Chhodkar", "Main Zindagi Ka Saath" and "Kabhi khud pe Kabhi Halat pe". His other big success came with Sunil Dutt star, Mujhe Jeene Do (1963).

Though many of Jaidev's films failed at the box office, many of them, such as Alap, Kinare Kinare and Ankahee, are remembered for his imaginative musical scores. He had a unique capability to mix traditional and folk music into bollywood film situations, giving him a unique advantge to other music directors of his times.^[2]

He also known for his non-film album of the couplets of Hindi poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan's classic work Madhushala set to music and sung by singer Manna Dey.

He is one of the favourite composers of Lata Mangeshkar besides Salil Chaudhari and Madan Mohan.

Jaidev never married, though he remained close to his sister’s family, who later settled in the United Kingdom. He died on 6 January 1987, at the age of 68.

Filmography[link]

• Joru Ka Bhai [1955]
• Samudri Daaku [1956
• Anjali [1957]
• Hum Dono [1961]
• Kinare Kinare [1963]
• Mujhe Jeene Do [1963]
• Hamare Gham Se Mat Khelo [1967]
• Jiyo Aur Jeene Do [1969]
• Sapna [1969]
• Aashadh Ka Ek Din [1971]
• Do Boond Pani [1971]
• Ek Thi Reeta [1971]
• Reshma Aur Shera [1971]
• Sampoorn Dev Darshan 1971]
• Bharat Darshan 1972]
• Bhaavna [1972]
• Maan Jaiye [1972]
• Prem Parvat [1973]
• Aalingan [1974]
• Parinay [1974]
• Ek Hans Ka Joda [1975]
• Faasla [1976]
• Aandolan [1977]
• Alaap [1977]
• Gharonda [1977]
• Tumhare Liye [1978]
• Dooriyaan [1979]
• Gaman [1979]
• Solvan Saawan [1979]
• Aai Teri Yaad [1980]
• Ek Gunaah Aur Sahi [1980]
• Wohi Baat [1981]
• Raam Nagri 1982]
• Ek Naya Itihaas 1983]
• Ankahee 1984]
• Zumbish 1986]
• Trikon Ka Chautha Kon [1986]
• Amarjyoti [198?]
• Aazadi Pachchis Baras Ki [1972]
• Shadi Kar Lo [197?]
• Aatish [1979]

Other credits[link]

• Papa the Great (2000) (additional music)
• Agneepath (1990) (composer: song "Raat Bhi Hai Kuch Bheegi Bheegi")
• Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958) (music assistant)
• Lajwanti (1958) (music assistant)

As actor[link]

• Keemat (1973)
• Miss Frontier Mail (1936)
• Hunterwali (1935)
• Martanda Varma (1933)

Awards[link]

• National Film Award for Best Music Direction:
  • Ankahee (1985) ^[3]
  • Gaman (1979)
  • Reshma Aur Shera (1972)
• Sur Singar Samsad Awards, four times
• Lata Mangeshkar Award Madhya Pradesh Government.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Jaidev at the Internet Movie Database

Dev Anand
Felicitation of Dev Anand by the Indo-American Society
Born	Dharam Dev Pishorimal Anand (1923-09-26)26 September 1923 Gurdaspur, Punjab, British India (now in Punjab, India)
Died	3 December 2011(2011-12-03) (aged 88) London, England
Residence	Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Nationality	Indian
Other names	Dev Sahaab
Occupation	Actor, producer, director, co-founder Navketan Films (1949)
Years active	1946–2011
Spouse	Kalpana Kartik (1954–2011 his death)
Signature	150px

Dharam Dev Pishorimal Anand (26 September 1923 – 3 December 2011), better known as Dev Anand, was an Indian film actor, writer, director and producer known for his work in Hindi cinema. Part of the Anand family, he co-founded Navketan Films in 1949 with his elder brother Chetan Anand.^[1][2][3]

The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Bhushan in 2001 and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2002 for his contribution to Indian cinema. His career spanned more than 65 years with acting in 114 Hindi films of which 109 have him play the main solo lead hero and he did 2 English films.

Early life[link]

Dev was born Dharam Dev Pishorimal Anand on 26 September 1923 ^[4] in the Shakargarh tehsil of the Gurdaspur district in Punjab (British India) (present-day Narowal district of Pakistan). His father Pishori Lal Anand was a well-to-do advocate. Dev was the third of four sons born to Pishori Lal Anand. One of Dev's younger sister is Sheela Kanta Kapur, who is mother of Shekhar Kapur. His older brothers were Manmohan Anand (Advocate, Gurdaspur Dist. Court) and Chetan Anand and younger one was Vijay Anand. Dev Anand spent his early years in Gharota village near Gurdaspur, Gurdaspur town. He did his schooling till matriculation from Sacred Heart School, Dalhousie, Himachal Pradesh (then in Punjab) and went to college Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh before going to Lahore to study.^[5][6] Later Dev completed his graduation in English Literature from the Government College, Lahore in British India.

Career[link]

After graduating in English Literature from the Government College, Lahore (then in British India, now in Pakistan), Anand left his hometown for Bombay in the early 1940s. He began his career in the military censor's office at Churchgate, for a monthly salary of Rs. 165. Later he joined as a clerk in an accountancy firm for a salary of Rs. 85.^[7] He joined his older brother, Chetan, as a member of the Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA).Dev Anand aspired to become a performer after seeing Ashok Kumar's performance in films like Achhut Kanya and Kismat.^[8] Dev Anand quoted in an interview that "I remember when I gatecrashed into the office of the man who gave me the first break, he kept looking at me — Babu Rao Pai of Prabhat Film Studios. At that time he made up his mind that this boy deserves a break and later mentioned to his people that ‘this boy struck me because of his smile and beautiful eyes and his tremendous confidence."^[9] Then he was soon offered the lead role in Prabhat Films' Hum Ek Hain (1946), a film about Hindu-Muslim unity, where Dev Anand played a Hindu boy and was paired opposite Kamala Kotnis.^[10] While shooting the film in Pune, Anand befriended the actor Guru Dutt. Between them, they agreed that if one of them was to become successful in the film industry, they would help the other to be successful. They formed a mutual understanding that when Anand produced a film, Dutt would direct it and when Dutt directed a film, Anand would act in it.^[11]

Late 40s and romance with Suraiya[link]

Dev Anand and Nargis starred in Birha Ki Raat (1950).

In the late 1940s, Anand was offered a few roles starring as the male lead opposite singer-actress Suraiya in woman-oriented films. He considered himself to be lucky to get a chance to star opposite such an established actress and accepted the offers. While shooting these films, he became romantically involved with Suraiya. The two of them were paired in seven films together: Vidya (1948), Jeet (1949), Shair (1949), Afsar (1950), Nili (1950), Do Sitare (1951) and Sanam (1951), all of which were successful at the box office. In these films, Suraiya was always first-biller in the credits, indicating that she was a bigger star than Anand. She fell in love with him during the shooting of the song Kinare kinare chale jayen ge from the film Vidya—while shooting the scene, the boat they were in capsized, and Anand saved Suraiya from drowning. Their entire affair was conducted in a clandestine manner, with friends like Durga Khote and Kamini Kaushal going out of their way to engineer secret rendezvous. On the sets of the film Jeet, Anand finally proposed to Suraiya and gave her a diamond ring worth Rs 3,000. Her maternal grandmother opposed the relationship as they were Muslim and Anand was Hindu, and so, Suraiya remained unmarried. They stopped acting together after her grandmother opposed their partnership, and Do Sitare was the last film in which they appeared.^[12][13] Although the films he starred in with Suraiya had been successful, the producers and directors of those films attributed their success to the acting prowess and screen presence of Suraiya. Anand began looking for an opportunity to play the main male lead in a film where his acting skills could be demonstrated, so as to dispel scepticism about his acting abilities.

Break and the 1950s[link]

Anand was offered his first big break by Ashok Kumar. He spotted Anand hanging around in the studios and picked him as the hero for the Bombay Talkies production, Ziddi (1948), co-starring Kamini Kaushal, which became an instant success. After Ziddi's success, Anand decided that he would start producing films. It was in the film Ziddi, where the first-ever Kishore-Lata duet, Yeh Kaun Aaya Karke Yeh Sola Singhar, was recorded.^[14] This duet was an instant hit, and from here, on both the playback singers' association with Dev Anand began. It continued for next four decades. His association with Kishore Kumar started when the former sang the first solo of his playback singing career – Marne Ki Duayen – picturised on Dev Anand in the movie Ziddi. Dev had forged a very strong bond of friendship with Kishore Kumar during the making of the film. In 1949, he launched his own company Navketan Films (which means "newness"), which, as of 2011, had produced 35 films.^[15]

Dev chose Guru Dutt as director for the crime thriller, Baazi (1951). The film, starring Dev Anand, Geeta Bali and Kalpana Kartik was a trendsetter, regarded as the forerunner of the spate of urban crime films that followed in Bollywood in the 1950s. The film Baazi saw debut of Kalpana Kartik (aka Mona Singh) as the lead female actress and Guru Dutt as a director. The collaboration was a success at the box office and the duo of Dev Anand and Kalpana Kartik were offered many films to star in together. They signed all the film offers and subsequently the movies Aandhiyan, Taxi Driver, House No. 44 and Nau Do Gyarah went on to become big hits too. During the making of film Taxi Driver, the couple fell in love and Dev proposed marriage to his heroine Kalpana. In 1954, Taxi Driver was declared a hit and the two decided to marry in a quiet ceremony. The couple had a son, Suneil Anand in 1956 and later a daughter, Devina, was born. After her marriage, Kalpana decided not to pursue her acting career further. Nau Do Gyarah was the couple's last movie together.

A rapid-fire style of dialogue delivery and a penchant for nodding while speaking became Dev's style in films like House No. 44, Pocket Maar, Munimji, Funtoosh, C.I.D. and Paying Guest.^[16] In the 1950s his films were of the mystery genre or light comedy love stories or were films with social relevance like Ek ke baad ek and Funtoosh.His style was lapped up by the audience and was widely imitated. He starred in a string of box office successes for the remainder of the 1950s opposite newcomer Waheeda Rehman in C.I.D., Solva Saal, Kala Pani, Kala Bazar and Baat Ek Raat Ki. Waheeda first became a star with C.I.D becoming a hit.^[17] In 1955 he also co-starred with Dilip Kumar in Insaniyat. With his acting in Kala Pani (1958), as the son who is willing to go to any lengths to clear his framed father's name, he won his first Filmfare award for Best Actor for the film.^[18] He attempted films of tragic genre occasionally like Pocketmaar (1956), Kala Pani (1958), Bombai Ka Baboo (1960) and Sharabi (1964) and tasted success with them. Dev also played a few characters with a negative shade, like in Jaal(1952) where he played a smuggler, then as an absconding gang member in Dushman, as a black marketer in Kala Bazar.^[19] Apart from his pair with Suraiya and Kalpana Kartik, his pair with Nutan and Waheeda Rehman was popular among the audiences in late 50’s and 60’s. His films Rahee and Aandhiyaan, were screened along with Raj Kapoor's Awaara. From the early fifties till mid sixties, the trio of Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand ruled the roost.

Romance hero image in the 60s[link]

In the sixties, Dev Anand acquired a romantic image with films like Manzil and Tere Ghar Ke Samne with Nutan, Kinaare Kinaare with Meena Kumari, Maya with Mala Sinha, Asli-Naqli with Sadhana Shivdasani, Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai and Mahal with Asha Parekh and Teen Deviyaan opposite three heroines Kalpana, Simi Garewal and Nanda. In the film Teen Deviyaan, Dev Anand played a playboy.

His first colour film, Guide with Waheeda Rehman was based on the novel of the same name by R. K. Narayan. Dev Anand himself was the impetus for making the film version of the book. He met and persuaded Narayan to give his assent to the project.^[20] Dev Anand tapped his friends in Hollywood to launch an Indo-US co-production that was shot in Hindi and English simultaneously and was released in 1965. Guide, directed by younger brother Vijay Anand, was an acclaimed movie. Dev played Raju, a voluble guide, who supports Rosy (Waheeda) in her bid for freedom. He is not above thoughtlessly exploiting her for personal gains. Combining style with substance, he gave an affecting performance as a man grappling with his emotions in his passage through love, shame and salvation.

He reunited with Vijay Anand for the movie Jewel Thief, based on thriller genre which featured Vaijayantimala, Tanuja, Anju Mahendru, Faryal and Helen. Their next collaboration, Johny Mera Naam (1970), again a thriller, where Dev was paired opposite Hema Malini was a big hit.^[17] It was Johnny Mera Naam which made Hema Malini a big star.^[21]

Directorial debut and the 70s[link]

His directorial debut, the espionage drama Prem Pujari, was a flop but has developed a cult following over the years. He tasted success with his 1971 directorial effort, Hare Rama Hare Krishna which talked about the prevalent hippie culture. His find Zeenat Aman, who played the mini-skirt sporting, pot-smoking Janice, became an overnight sensation. Dev also became known as a filmmaker of trenchantly topical themes. This same year, he starred with Mumtaz in Tere Mere Sapne, an adaptation of A. J. Cronin's novel, The Citadel. The film was directed by Dev's brother, Vijay and was also successful.

In the 1970s, Raj Kapoor started playing roles of father in films like Kal Aaj Aur Kal in 1971 and Dharam Karam in 1974 and had put lot of weight and films with Dilip Kumar as lead hero were failures at the box office . Some of the hurriedly-made films with Dev Anand as the leading man—three each opposite Hema Malini and Zeenat Aman and Yeh Gulistaan Hamara with Sharmila Tagore became flops and posed a threat to his career as leading man. But he delivered commercial hits again with young heroines Yogita Bali and Rakhee in Banarasi Babu (1973), Hema Malini in Chhupa Rustam (1973) and Amir Garib (1974),^[22] Zeenat Aman in Heera Panna(1973), Warrant(1975)^[23] and Darling Darling(1977) and Parveen Babi in Bullet(1976). The presence of his discoveries in the 1970s—Zeenat, and later Tina Munim, in films and his good onscreen chemistry with beautiful young stars like Rakhee, Parveen Babi, Hema Malini, Zeenat Aman in various films boosted Dev's image as the evergreen star even though he was well into his fifties.

Political activism during the Emergency in the late 70s[link]

Dev Anand has also been politically active. He led a group of film personalities who stood up against the Internal Emergency imposed by the then Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi. He actively campaigned against her with his supporters in Indian parliamentary elections in 1977. He also formed a party called the "National Party of India", which he later disbanded.

The 1978 hit Des Pardes, directed by Dev Anand was the debut movie of actress Tina Munim and this film’s success gave him the tag of evergreen hero. He was 55 but he shared very good chemistry with the 20 year old Tina Munim. Dev Anand was offered lead role in Man Pasand by director Basu Chatterjee. Dev Anand’s successful run at the box office continued in the 1980s with Man Pasand, Lootmaar (both opposite Tina Munim), Swami Dada (1982) being both critically acclaimed and box office hits.

Later career[link]

Felicitation of Dev Anand by the Indo-American Society

Though Dev Anand’s demand as the lead hero had not decreased even in the 1980s, he decided that it was the right time to introduce his son Suneil Anand in films as the hero. He launched his son in the Kramer vs. Kramer inspired Anand Aur Anand (1984), which was produced and directed by Dev Anand himself and had music by R. D. Burman. He expected the film to do well but the film was a box office disaster and Suneil Anand decided not to act in films any more.

But films with Dev Anand as the lead hero Hum Naujawan (1985), Lashkar (1989) continued to be box office success and was appreciated by critics.^[24] Awwal Number (1990), where Dev Anand co-starred with Aamir Khan became an average grosser. Aamir said in an interview that Awwal Number is the only film he signed without reading the script because it was being directed by his senior Dev Anand. Aamir quoted “Dev saab was an icon for many generations and entertained us throughout his life.^[25] He was already 60 years old in 1983 when he acted with Padmini Kolhapure in Swami Dada but looked half his age and shared a good on screen chemistry. In 1989, his directorial venture Sachche ka Bolbala was released. Though critically acclaimed, it was a commercial failure.

Since the 1990s except for Awwal Number, rest of the eight films directed by him were box office failures. But Sau Crore (1991) and Censor (2000) were critically acclaimed. His last film Chargesheet (2011) was panned by critics across the board. The only two hero film he acted in were Insaniyat in 1955 with Dilip Kumar and Return of Jewel Thief with Dharmendra in 1996. He also starred in English films like The Evil Within(1970) where he was paired opposite Vietnamese actress Kieu Chinh and Zeenat Aman^[7] and Guide (English Version). Off the 114 Hindi films he appeared in 6 decades, Kahin Aur Chal (1968) and multistarrer film Ek Do Teen Chaar (1980) remained unreleased and Shrimanji (1968) had him in guest appearance and 82 were box office hits and 29 were commercial failures. By 2011, he held the record for being the first actor from Hindi films who has played the central solo lead character in maximum films—109.

Comparisons with Gregory Peck[link]

Often compared to the famous actor Gregory Peck the world over,^[26] Dev Anand said that he didn't feel ecstatic bearing the tag line bestowed on him in his hey days. "When you are at an impressionable age you make idols. But when you grow out of the phase, you develop your own persona. I don't want to be known as India's Gregory Peck, I am Dev Anand".^[27]

Acquainted to the Bollywood actor, Peck's personal interactions with him spanned four to five long meetings in Europe and Mumbai.^[27][28][29]

Dev Anand and Suraiya met Peck for the first time at Mumbai's Willingdon Club,after the Filmfare Awards in 1954, on Peck's stopover in the city from a schedule at Sri Lanka after shooting for Purple Plane. He knew of the 'Indian Star' as an actor, more so probably because of his romance with Suraiya was grabbing the headlines, and they had a chat. The second time they met in Rome when Dev Anand was on his way back from the Venice Film Festival, he visited him on the sets of Roman Holiday. "I was returning from the Venice film fest. I stopped my car and joined the crowd watching the shoot, hoping that his eyes would fall on me. As expected, he nodded and I walked up to him. He remembered me and we exchanged pleasantries." The third meeting was at London on the sets of Moby Dick. However, Suraiya asked for an exclusive meeting with her idol at her house. Though Anand says jealousy was natural for anyone in love, he didn't mind that he was not invited. "I didn't quite feel anything. It wasn't as if they were going to fall in love or make love. Even if they would have, it wouldn't have mattered. I was mature enough. Moreover, he wasn't my rival. I too was a big star by then," says Anand.

Critical appraisal[link]

Dev Anand has directed 19 films and produced 35 films of which 7 directorial ventures and 18 films respectively were commercially successful at the box office. He wrote the story for 13 of his films. Critics say his directorial ventures have always been ahead of its time. Dev Anand's films are well known for their hit songs. He is known to have been an active participant in the music sessions of a number of his films. His association with music composers Shankar-Jaikishen, O. P. Nayyar, Kalyanji-Anandji, Sachin Dev Burman and his son Rahul Dev Burman, lyricists Hasrat Jaipuri, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Neeraj, Shailendra, Anand Bakshi, and playback singers Mohammad Rafi, Hemant Kumar and Kishore Kumar produced some very popular songs. S.D Burman, R.D Burman, Rafi, Pran and Kishore Kumar were his closest friends from film industry.^[30][31]

In September 2007, Dev's own autobiography Romancing with Life was released at a birthday party with the Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh.^[32] In February 2011, his 1961 black and white film Hum Dono was digitised and colourised and released.

Dev Anand is credited with giving actors like Zarina Wahab in Ishq Ishq Ishq, Jackie Shroff in Swami Dada, Tabu in Hum Naujawan and Richa Sharma(Sanjay Dutt’s first wife) a break into the film industry, discovered Zeenat Amaan, Tina Munim and encouraging music composer Rajesh Roshan.^[7] Amit Khanna started his career with Navketan as executive producer in 1971 and had been secretary to Dev Anand in 70's. He adds, "The uniqueness of Navketan today is that it's the only film company in the world still run by the one who started it."^[33] Shatrughan Sinha disclosed in an interview that it was Dev Anand who gave him a break in films by giving a role in 'Prem Pujari' and since Dev had given Sinha a very small role in that film, he compensated for it by giving Sinha another role in his next film 'Gambler'. Sinha quoted "Later on we worked together in 'Sharif Badmash' and it was really a privilege to work with him,".^[34] It was under Dev Anand's Navketan Banner where Guru Dutt, Raj Khosla, Waheeda Rahman, S.D. Burman, Jaidev, Sahir Ludhianvi, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Yash Johar, Shekhar Kapoor, Kabir Bedi were given breaks into Hindi films and Dev launched actors Zaheera, Zaheeda Hussain, Zarina Wahab, Natasha Sinha, Ekta Sohini, Sabrina.

Death[link]

Dev Anand died in his room at The Washington Mayfair Hotel in London at the age of 88 on 3 December 2011 (4 December 2011 by Indian Standard Time) of a cardiac arrest.^[35][36][37] His death came just months after the release of his last film, Charge Sheet.^[38] Anand was reportedly in London for a medical check up at the time of his death.^[39] Condolences poured in from all corners of the Indian film industry, with most of them remembering his positive attitude towards life.^[38][40] On 10 December, his funeral service was held at a small chapel in London after which his casket was taken to the Putney Vale Crematorium in West London for cremation. His ashes were returned to India for immersion burial in the Godavari river.^[41]

Awards, honors and recognitions[link]

Civilian Honors[link]

• 2001 – Padma Bhushan (India's third highest civilian award from the Government of India)^[42]

National Film Awards[link]

• 2002 – Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India's highest award for cinematic excellence^[43]

Filmfare Awards[link]

• 1959 - Winner Best Actor for Kalapani ^[44]
• 1967 - Winner Best Film for Guide ^[45]
• 1967 - Winner Best Actor for Guide ^[45]
• 1991 - Winner Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award ^[46]

National honors and recognitions[link]

• 1996 – Star Screen Lifetime Achievement Award
• 1997 – Mumbai Academy of Moving Images Award for his Outstanding Services to the Indian Film Industry
• 1998 – Lifetime Achievement Award by the Ujala Anandlok Film Awards Committee in Calcutta^[47]
• 1999 – Sansui Lifetime Achievement Award for his 'Immense Contribution to Indian Cinema' in New Delhi^[48]
• 2000 – Film Goers' Mega Movie Maestro of the Millennium Award in Mumbai^[49]
• 2001 – Special Screen Award for his contribution to Indian cinema
• 2001 – Evergreen Star of the Millennium Award at the Zee Gold Bollywood Awards on 28 April 2001 at the Nassau Coliseum, New York^[50]

• 2003 – Lifetime Achievement Award for "Outstanding Achievement in Indian Cinema" at IIFA Award in Johannesburg, South Africa ^[51]
• 2004 – Legend of Indian Cinema Award at Atlantic City (United States) ^[52]
• 2004 – Living Legend Award by the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in recognition of his contribution to the Indian entertainment industry^[53]
• 2005 – Sony Golden Glory Award^[54]
• 2006 – ANR Award by the Akkineni International Foundation^[55]
• 2006 – Glory of India Award by IIAF, London^[56]
• 2007 – Punjab Ratan (Jewel of Punjab) Award by the World Punjabi Organisation (European Division) for his outstanding contribution in the field of art and entertainment.^[57]
• 2008 – Lifetime Achievement Award by Ramya Cultural Academy in association with Vinmusiclub^[58]
• 2008 – Lifetime Achievement Award by Rotary Club of Bombay^[59]
• 2008 – Awarded at the IIJS Solitaire Awards^[60]
• 2009 – Outstanding contribution to Indian cinema at the Max Stardust Awards^[61]
• 2009 – Legend Award was given to Dev Anand by Rajnikanth^[62]
• 2010 – Phalke Ratna Award by Dadasaheb Phalke Academy^[63]
• 2010 – Rashtriya Gaurav Award^[64]
• 2011 – Rashtriya Kishore Kumar Samman from the Government of Madhya Pradesh^[65]
• 2011 – NDTV Indian of the Year's Lifetime Achievement Award with Rahul Dravid^[66]

International honors and recognitions[link]

• In July 2000, in New York City, he was honoured by an Award at the hands of the then First Lady of the United States of America, Hillary Rodham Clinton, for his 'Outstanding Contribution to Indian Cinema'.^[67]
• In 2000, he was awarded the Indo-American Association "Star of the Millennium" Award in the Silicon Valley, California.
• Donna Ferrar, Member New York State Assembly, honoured him with a "New York State Assembly Citation" for his 'Outstanding Contribution to the Cinematic Arts Worthy of the Esteem and Gratitude of the Great State of New York' on 1 May 2001.
• In 2005, he was honoured with a "Special National Film Award" by the Government of Nepal at Nepal’s first NationIndian film festival in Stockholm.
• In 2008, he was guest of honour at a dinner hosted by the Provost of Highland Council in Inverness, Scotland to celebrate 10 years since he first worked in the Scottish Highlands. He spent several days in the area, en route to Cannes, as a guest of the Highlands and Islands Film Commission.

Filmography[link]

Further reading[link]

• Cinema Modern: Navketan Story, by Sidharth Bhatia. Harpercollins, 2011. ISBN 978-93-5029-096-5.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Dev Anand

• RIP Dev Anand – Bollywood Mourns Dev Anand’s Death
• Dev Anand at the Internet Movie Database
• Dev Anand on Twitter
• List of Dev Anand songs
• Dev Anand at Find a Grave
• The Telegraph - Dev Anand Bio and Obituary

Shahid Kapoor
Shahid Kapoor on the sets of DLF IPL Extraa Innings.
Born	(1981-02-25) 25 February 1981 (age 31) Delhi, India
Occupation	Actor, Dancer
Years active	2003–present
Parents	Pankaj Kapoor Neelima Azeem

Shahid Kapoor (born 25 February 1981^[1]) is an Indian actor who appears in Bollywood films. He is also a trained dancer.

Starting off his career by working in music videos and advertisements, Kapoor made his Bollywood debut as a background dancer in Subhash Ghai's Taal (1999). Four years later, he made his acting debut in Ishq Vishk (2003) and won a Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut for his performance. Following through with films like Fida (2004) and Shikhar (2005), he had his first major commercial success with Sooraj R. Barjatya's Vivah (2006), his biggest commercial success, and followed it up with Jab We Met (2007) and Kaminey (2009), both of which earned him Best Actor nominations at the Filmfare ceremony.

Early life[link]

Kapoor was born to actor Pankaj Kapoor and actor/classical dancer Neelima Azeem on 25 February 1981. Kapoor's parents divorced when he was 3. After the divorce, he lived with his mother and maternal grandparents in Junaghad. He shared a good relationship with his father and stepmother Supriya Pathak. As far as his religious affiliation is concerned, Kapoor has stated in an interview that while his father is a Sikh and his mother is a Muslim, both his parents have taught him that he "should look at all religions without hatred and have compassion for every human being whatever his religion may be," saying that he believes that "there is one God up above."^[2]

As a child, he studied in Rajhans Vidyalaya, Mumbai. He has three half siblings: a sister named Sanah and brothers named Ruhaan and Ishaan Khattar; Ishaan acted with him in the movie Vaah! Life Ho To Aisi (2005). His maternal grandfather was Anwar Azeem, a noted Marxist journalist and author from Bihar.^[3] His great great grandfather was the film director, screenwriter, Urdu novelist and journalist Khwaja Ahmad Abbas more popularly known as K. A. Abbas. His mother Neelima is the daughter of Anwar Azeem, one of the greatest Urdu writers. K.A. Abbas in turn was the grandson of Hali, the chief protégé of Urdu poet, Ghalib.^[4][5]

Career[link]

Early career, until 2005[link]

Before starting off his career as an actor, Kapoor worked in several music videos and ads, including the Pepsi commercial with Shahrukh Khan, Kajol and Rani Mukerji post Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) and the music video Aankhon Me Tera Hi Chehra by the Aryans along with Hrishitaa Bhatt. While doing so, he decided to join the Shiamak Davar Institute for the Performing Arts (SDIPA), where he was later seen in Subhash Ghai's film Taal (1999) as a background dancer in the song "Kahin Aag Lage Lag Jawe" along with actress Aishwarya Rai.

In 2003, Kapoor played his first leading role as Rajiv Mathur, a carefree young man in Ken Ghosh's moderately successful love story Ishq Vishk.^[6] Appearing opposite Amrita Rao and Shenaz Treasurywala, the film was well received by audiences and Kapoor's performance earned him a Filmfare Best Male Debut Award. Film critic Taran Adarsh from indiaFM wrote, "Shahid Kapoor is an actor to watch. He has all the qualities to hit the top slot. Not only is he good looking, but he is an amazing performer as well. Very original as a performer [sic], the youngster has handled the dramatic and emotional moments with flourish. He is an exceptional dancer as well. All he needs to do is pick and choose his forthcoming assignments with care, so that the journey to the top slot is minus hiccups."^[7]

The following year, Kapoor joined once again with director Ken Ghosh in the thriller Fida, where he co-starred alongside Kareena Kapoor and Fardeen Khan. The film failed to do well at the box office, yet Kapoor's performance was praised.^[8] The Tribune concluded, "...Shahid Kapoor shines in his role. He looks fresh. As an impulsive emotional and innocent guy, who is sucked into crime because of these very qualities, he manages to evoke your sympathies."^[9] He then appeared in the romantic comedy Dil Maange More opposite Soha Ali Khan, Tulip Joshi, and Ayesha Takia. His performance opened to mixed reviews; Rediff.com wrote that "Shahid tends to imitate Shahrukh Khan a lot. He does it well in some scenes, overdoes it in others..."^[10]

Featuring in three more films in 2005, success continued to elude Kapoor.^[11] However, his performance as Jaidev Vardhan, a man who is sucked into the world of money and greed in John M. Matthan's drama Shikhar was critically acclaimed, earning Kapoor his first Star Screen Award for Best Actor nomination. According to IndiaFM, "Shahid Kapoor is only improving with every film. He matches up to Ajay in almost all sequences."^[12]

Breakthrough, 2006–present[link]

In 2006, Kapoor starred in 36 China Town. Revolving around the story of seven individuals and a murder, the film became a moderate success despite receiving mixed reviews from critics.^[13] Shortly after the release of the film, Kapoor's second release of the year, Priyadarshan's comedy Chup Chup Ke, followed. The film became a moderate success at the box office.^[13]

Kapoor's last release of 2006 was Sooraj R. Barjatya's romantic drama Vivah, a film depicting the journey of two individuals from engagement to marriage. Co-starring alongside Amrita Rao, the film was received favourably by most critics and became one of the highest grossing films of the year as well as Kapoor's second biggest commercial success to date.^[13][14] Kapoor's performance earned his second consecutive nomination for Best Actor at the Star Screen Awards. Taran Adarsh wrote, "Shahid Kapoor performs like never before. If he was super-cool in Ishq Vishk and showed flashes of brilliance in Fida, you've to watch him in Vivah to see his growth as a tremendous actor. He is exceptional in emotional sequences."^[15]

During the summer of 2006, Kapoor embarked on his first world tour, the Rockstars Concert, along with Bollywood stars, Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor, John Abraham, Esha Deol, Mallika Sherawat and Zayed Khan.

In 2007, Kapoor appeared in two movies. His first release was Ahmed Khan's Fool and Final. The film received negative reviews and failed to do well at the box office; Kapoor's performance in the film did not receive positive reviews.^[16][17] His next release, Imtiaz Ali's comedy-romance Jab We Met, opposite Kareena Kapoor, became one of the biggest hits of the year.^[16] The film tells the story of two people with two very different personalities meeting each other on a train and how they fall in love eventually. Kapoor portrayed the character of Aditya Kashyap, a dejected young industrialist full of angst and despair. The film was well-received by critics and Kapoor's performance earned him several nominations for Best Actor at a number of award ceremonies, including Filmfare. Rajeev Masand from CNN-IBN noted, "Despite the risk of being overshadowed by Kareena, his co-star in the film, Shahid Kapur leaves an indelible impression with a performance that is understated and mature, and indeed the perfect foil to Kareena's boisterousness."^[18] Kapoor then appeared in the Aziz Mirza-directed film, Kismat Konnection (2008), opposite Vidya Balan. Upon release, the film under-performed at the box office.^[19]

In 2009, Kapoor portrayed the dual role of twins Charlie and Guddu in the caper thriller, Kaminey. Directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, the film was a critical and commercial success and received mostly positive reviews. Kapoor's performance was also critically acclaimed. Rajeev Masand from CNN-IBN wrote, "Shahid Kapur rises to the challenge of creating two entirely different characters out of Charlie and Guddu, and delivers a credible performance as each. Breaking out of his chocolate-boy image, he gives evidence of his potential when trusted with well-written roles."^[20] Later in the year, Kapoor appeared alongside Rani Mukerji in Anurag Singh's romantic comedy Dil Bole Hadippa!, which failed to do well at the Indian box office.

In 2010, Kapoor appeared in Ken Ghosh's film Chance Pe Dance opposite Genelia D'Souza, in which he portrayed the role of a struggling Bollywood actor.^[21] The movie received poor review from critics, but Kapoor's performance was well received.^[22][23] He then starred in Ahmed Khan's Paathshala in a extended cameo alongside Ayesha Takia and Nana Patekar. This was then followed by Yash Raj Films Badmaash Company which was released on 7th May 2010 and opened mixed to positive reviews and was an above average success at the box office and his performance in the film was received well too. His last release of the year was the long delayed Satish Kaushik's Milenge Milenge.

In 2011, Kapoor appeared opposite Sonam Kapoor in Mausam (2011), a movie directed and written by Pankaj Kapoor. The film received mixed to positive response from critics, however his performance was generally well received. Critic Taran Adarsh wrote, "Shahid gives his all to this role, submitting himself to his director-father to mould him the way he chooses to. It won't be erroneous to state that Shahid surpasses all his previous performances, including the one in Kaminey, with this film. The film also marks the coming of age of this actor."^[24] His upcoming venture, Teri Meri Kahaani opposite Priyanka Chopra is expected for release on 22 June, 2012.

Personal life[link]

Kapoor identifies himself as a vegetarian.^[25] While filming Fida (2004), he began dating Kareena Kapoor.^[26] They separated during the filming of Jab We Met (2007).^[27] According to him, they remained on good terms, with him saying, "I wish her all the happiness in the world. I have great respect for her. She is a wonderful girl."^[28]

Filmography[link]

See also[link]

• List of Indian film actors

References[link]

External links[link]

• Shahid Kapoor at the Internet Movie Database

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (August 2010)

Amrita Rao
Born	(1981-06-17) 17 June 1981 (age 31) Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Occupation	Actress / Model
Years active	2002–present
Website
http://www.amrita-rao.com

Amrita Rao (əmrɪt̪aː ˈraːu; born June 17, 1981)^{[citation needed]} is an Indian actress who appears in Bollywood films.

Beginning her career as a model, Rao made her acting debut with Ab Ke Baras (2002). She then starred in Ken Ghosh's love-story Ishq Vishk (2003) and earned a Filmfare nomination in the "Best Female Debut" category.

Personal life[link]

Amrita was born in Mumbai to a Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmin family.^[1] She speaks Hindi, English, Marathi, besides her mother tongue, Konkani.^[2] She attended Convent Girls School (Prabhadevi) in Mumbai, and later enrolled in Sophia College to pursue a degree in Psychology. Her sister, Preetika Rao, is a Model, Journalist-Columnist and a South-Indian film actress.

Career[link]

Modeling[link]

While studying in Sophia College, Amrita auditioned for an advertisement for Fairever Face Cream. Her appearance in Cadbury’s Perk Karwa Chaut ad and the Bru Coffee advertisement helped her receive offers from film directors in Bollywood.^{[citation needed]}

Acting[link]

Amrita made her acting debut with Anjali Thapar/Nandini in Ab Ke Baras with Arya Babbar (2002), and followed that with her (2003) film, Ishq Vishk, in which she portrayed Payal with Shahid Kapoor. She became an overnight star after the success that film. She followed this up with films Aanchal Mehta in Masti and in (2004) she playing Sanjana (Sanju) Bakshi in Main Hoon Na with Zayed Khan , Deewaar (2004), and she playing Priya Vaah! Life Ho To Aisi with Shahid Kapoor (2005), and Madhvi in Shikharwith her co-Star Shahid Kapoor (2005), and she role Piya inPyare Mohan with vivek oberoi (2006). (2006) She was playing in Heyy Babyy in Special appearance in song "Heyy Babyy. She starred in Sooraj R. Barjatya's Blockbuster Vivah (2006) opposite Shahid Kapoor.^[3]

In 2007 Amrita Rao made her debut in the Telugu film industry with Athidhi opposite Mahesh Babu with Mahesh Babu.^[4] Amrita's releases in 2008 include RiyaMy Name Is Anthony Gonsalves with Nikhil Dwivedi and she was playing kamala in Welcome to Sajjanpur with Shreyas Talpade. Amrita's releases in 2009 are Victory, she was playing Nandini and Shortkut. Amrita's only release in 2011 was main role Ritu in Love U...Mr. Kalakaar! with Tusshar Kapoor.^[5] She acted in Hook Yaa Crook, which is still shelved. She will next be in Jolly L.L.B opposite Arshad Warsi, and an untitled movie opposite her first Co-Star Shahid Kapoor, also produced by Ramesh Taurani under the Tips banner.^{[citation needed]}

Awards and nominations[link]

Filmfare Awards[link]

Nominated

• 2004: Filmfare Best Female Debut Award for Ishq Vishk
• 2005: Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award for Main Hoon Na

Star Screen Awards[link]

Nominated

• 2003: Star Screen Award Most Promising Newcomer - Female for Ab Ke Baras
• 2004: Star Screen Award Most Promising Newcomer - Female for Ishq Vishk
• 2007: Star Screen Award Best Actress for Vivah^[6]
• 2007: Star Screen Award Jodi No. 1 along with Shahid Kapoor - Vivah^[7]

Zee Cine Awards[link]

Nominated

• 2004: Zee Cine Award Best Female Debut for Ishq Vishk

International Indian Film Academy Awards[link]

Winner

• 2004: IIFA Awards, Best Female Debut for Ishq Vishk

Stardust Awards[link]

Winner

• 2004: Stardust Superstar of Tomorrow - Female for Ishq Vishk
• 2009: Stardust Searchlight Best Actress Award for Welcome to Sajjanpur

Other awards won[link]

^{[citation needed]}

• 2004: Sansui Awards, Best Debut - Female for Ishq Vishk
• 2007: GR8 Women Awards, Young Achiever
• 2007: Anandalok Puroshkar Awards, Most Promising New Talent for Vivah
• 2007: Sports World Awards, Jodi of the Year along with Shahid Kapoor for Vivah
• 2007: Dadasaheb Phalke Academy Award for Vivah

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Amrita Rao

• Amrita Rao at the Internet Movie Database

Mahadevi Verma महादेवी वर्मा
Born	(1907-03-26)26 March 1907 Farrukhabad, Farrukhabad District, Uttar Pradesh, British India
Died	11 September 1987(1987-09-11) (aged 80) Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India
Occupation	Writer, Poet, Freedom Fighter, Woman's Activist, Educationist
Nationality	Indian
Period	Chhayavaad
Notable award(s)	1979: Sahitya Akademi Fellowship 1982: Jnanpith Award 1956: Padma Bhushan 1988: Padma Vibhushan

Mahadevi Varma (Hindi: महादेवी वर्मा, 26 March 1906 – September 11, 1987) best known as an outstanding Hindi poet, was a freedom fighter, woman's activist and educationist from India. She is widely regarded as the "modern Meera"^{[citation needed]}. She was a major poet of the Chhayavaad generation, a period of romanticism in Modern Hindi poetry ranging from 1914-1938. With passage of time, her limited but outstanding prose has been recognised as unique in Hindi Literature. She was a prominent poet in Hindi Kavi sammelans (Gatherings of poets).

She was the Principal, and then the Vice Chancellor of Prayag Mahila Vidyapeeth, a woman's residential college in Allahabad. She was awarded India's highest literary award, for lifetime achievement, the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship in 1979, followed by the Jnanpith Award in 1982.^[1] She was the recipient of the Padma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian award, in 1988.^[2]

Life[link]

Mahadevi was born in Farrukhabad, United Provinces in a family of lawyers. She was educated at Jabalpur- Madhya Pradesh. She was the eldest child of Govindprasad and Hemrani and had two brothers and a sister, Shyama. She was married in 1914 with Dr Swarup Narain Varma in Indore at a tender age of 7. She stayed with her parents while her husband studied in Lucknow to complete his education, during which time, she received her higher education at the Allahabad University and passed her B.A. examination in 1929 and completed her Master's degree-M.A. in Sanskrit in 1933. She later joined her husband in the princely state of Tamkoi around 1920 and later moved to Allahabad to pursue her interest in poetry with agreement from her husband, as she refused to accept her marriage with him in childhood. Mahadevi Varma and her husband mostly lived separately pursuing their respective interests and used to meet occasionally.

After the death of her husband in 1966, she moved permanently to Allahabad and lived there until her death. Mahadevi Varma was deeply affected by Buddhism and also contributed to the Indian freedom movement. She even tried to become a Buddhist bhikshuni.

Mahadevi was appointed as the first headmistress of Allahabad (Prayag) Mahila Vidyapeeth, which was started with a view to imparting cultural and literary education to girls through Hindi medium. Later, she became the chancellor of the institute.

She died on September 11, 1987 at 9:27 pm. Her bunglow still stands at Ashok Nagar colony in Allahabad. It is under possession of descendants of her deceased secretary, Pt. Ganga Prasad Pandey. On her birth centenary year (2007), they have recreated a room dedicated to her memory. Mahadevi Verma (1907–87) : was educated in Allahabad, where she founded the 'Prayag Mahila Vidyapitha', promoting education for girls. An active freedom fighter, Mahadevi Verma is regarded as one of the four pillars of the great Romantic movement in modern Hindi poetry, Chayavada, the remaining three being Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala', Jaishankar Prasad and Sumitranandan Pant. She is renowned for her book of memoirs, Atit Ke Chalchitra (The Moving Frames of the Past) and Smriti Ki Rekhayen (The Lines of Memory). Her poetic canvas boasts Dipshikha (The Flame of an Earthen Lamp, 1942), a book comprising fifty one lyrics, all of which carry maturity of expression and intense mystical quality. Some of her other famous publications are Nihar (1930), Rashmi (1932), Neerja (1934), and Sandhya Geet (1936). Of her four prose works, Shrinkhala ki Kadiyan deals with the plight of Indian women. Her reflections on art and literature included in Sahityakaar ki Astha, evince a highly cultivated aesthetic sensibility, firmly rooted in the permanent values of life.

In 1935, She was appointed Honorary Editor of the famous Hindi monthly magazine Chand. She was honoured with the Padma Bhushan by the President of India. She died on 11 September 1987.

Works[link]

Mahadevi is considered to be one of the four major poets of the Chhayavaadi school of the Hindi literature, others being Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala', Jaishankar Prasad and Sumitranandan Pant. She was also a noted painter. She drew a number of illustrations for her poetic works like Hindi and Yama.Her other works include short stories such as Gillu (गिल्लू) which talks about her experience with a squirrel.

Poetry[link]

Her poems have been published under a number of other titles as well, but they contain the poems from these collections only. They include:

• Neehar (1930)
• Agnirekha (1990, published after her death)
• pagal hai kya?(1971, published in 2005)
• Neelkanth

Awards and honours[link]

Mahadevi Varma's creative talents and sharp intellect soon earned her a prominent place in the Hindi Literary world. She is considered among the four pillars of the Chaayavad movement. In 1934, she received Sekseriya Puraskar from the Hindi Sahitya Sammelan for her work, Niraja. Her poetry collection (Yama, यामा-1936) received the Jnanpith Award, one of the highest Indian literary awards.

• She also Honored with “Proud Past Alumni" in the list of 42 members, from "Allahabad University Alumni Association", NCR, Ghaziabad (Greater Noida) Chapter 2007-2008 registered under society act 1860 with registration no. 407/2000^[3].

In 1956, the Government of India bestowed her with Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian award. She was the first woman to be awarded the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship, in 1979.^[4] In 1988, Indian Government bestowed her with Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest civilian award.^[5]

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Gupta, Indra India's 50 Most Illustrious Women ISBN 81-88086-19-3
• Schomer, Karine (1998). Mahadevi Varma and the Chhayavad Age of Modern Hindi Poetry, New Delhi: Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-564450-6.

External links[link]

• Mahadevi Verma at Kavita Kosh (Hindi)
• Mahadevi Verma at Indohistory
• Mahadevi Varma at Anubhuti
• Some poems of Mahadevi Varma (in Devanagari script)

v t e Notable Hindi writers Rambriksh Benipuri Sachchidananda Hirananda Vatsyayan 'Ajneya' Rahul Sankrityayan Harivansh Rai Bachchan Dharamvir Bharati Subhadra Kumari Chauhan Makhanlal Chaturvedi Ramdhari Singh 'Dinkar' Mahavir Prasad Dwivedi Swami Sahajanand Saraswati Dushyant Kumar Hazari Prasad Dwivedi Maithili Sharan Gupt Acharya Kuber Nath Rai Bharatendu Harishchandra Kamleshwar Gajanan Madhav Muktibodh Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala' Sumitranandan Pant Jaishankar Prasad Munshi Premchand Mohan Rakesh Nagarjun Phanishwar Nath 'Renu' Viveki Rai Bhadant Anand Kausalyayan Acharya Shivpujan Sahay Bhisham Sahni Nathuram Sharma 'Shankar' Shivani Krishna Sobti Shivmangal Singh Suman Mahadevi Varma Pandit Nalin Vilochan Sharma Nirmal Verma Maitreyi Pushpa Vibhuti Narain Rai