Dharamdev Pishorimal Anand, popularly known as Dev Anand, was born on September 26, 1923. A noted Hindi film actor, writer, director and producer, Anand is considered as one of the greatest gems produced by Bollywood. He was born in the Shakargarh tehsil of the Gurdaspur district in Punjab (then British India). He acted in about 116 films, out of which, 114 were Hindi films and two were English. Some of his hit films in his initial years include Vidya, Jeet, Shair, Afsar, Nili, Do Sitare and Sanam. However, some of the hit films throughout his career are Guide, Jewel Thief, Nau Do Gyarah, Awaara, and a lot many others.
While the actor has been quite popular professionally, there aren't many things that are known about him. On his birth anniversary, know him better through these unknown facts.
- Anand, born as Dharam Dev Anand, did his schooling till matriculation from Sacred Heart School, Dalhousie, and went to college in Dharamsala before going to Lahore for graduation.
- Before making his debut in Bollywood, the actor faced struggling days in Mumbai, surviving at a meagre salary of Rs 85, which he earned working as a clerk in an accountancy firm. Later, he worked at the Military Censor Office and earned Rs 160.
- Dev Anand’s inspiration for becoming an actor was another legendary actor, Ashok Kumar. He was inspired after watching his performance in films like Achhut Kanya and Kismat.
- Interestingly, Dev was given his first big break by Ashok Kumar. The veteran actor chose him to play the hero in 1948’s Ziddi, co-starring Kamini Kaushal.
- In a career span of 65 years, in which he did 114 Bollywood films, Anand starred as the lead hero in 104 of them.
- He has been conferred with several accolades during his career. The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Bhushan in 2001, while he was awarded Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2002 for his contribution to Indian cinema.
- Dev Anand’s love life with Suraiya is not hidden to anyone. The actor did a number of films opposite the actress, who fell in love with him during the shooting of the song ‘Kinare kinare’ from the film Vidya. He later proposed the actress on the sets of the movie Jeet, giving her a diamond ring worth Rs 3,000.
- After some personal problems from Suraiya’s family, Anand fell in love with her another co-actress Kalpana Karthik. They got married secretly in 1954, and became proud parents to two kids.
- He has been a politically active hero. During the time of Emergency, he led a group of film personalities who stood up against the dictatorial rule. In fact, He also formed a party called the 'National Party of India', which he later disbanded.
- Unfortunately, the actor died in his room at The Washington Mayfair Hotel in London at the age of 88 on December 3, 2011 of a cardiac arrest, leaving a wide in the world of Indian cinema.
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