Dev is the quintessential romantic ever since he graced the screen, to this day and forever

The Peter Pan of Indian cinema may have faded away 10 years ago, but not before leaving an indelible imprint on the hearts, minds and romantic doctrines of millions. He kept in thrall at least three swooning generations, who swore by his charisma, never-say-die spirit and debonair style. The soigne star — part of the unassailable troika comprising thespian Dilip Kumar and simpleton Raj Kapoor, who ruled the silver screen for over three decades — is best remembered for essaying Raju’s character in Guide. The 1965 movie, which was Dev’s first outing in colour and simultaneously shot in Hindi and English, was arguably a better show than even the much-hyped Sholay: The thinking masses adored it; it was much ahead of the times for addressing an issue like extramarital affair; and the one point that everyone claims worked for Sholay — that the characterisation was so good the audience still remembers each character — holds good for Guide too. After all, who doesn’t remember the voluble and exploitative Raju, the beautiful Rosie, the jealous-repentant-revengeful Marco, Raju’s friend Gafoor and even the bit players?

His magnetism was such that youngsters took to puffing on cigarettes after watching him lip-sync Main zindagi ka saath nibhata chala gaya (Hum Dono). The number was voted the “best inspirational film song” in a survey by one of the top two national dailies a few years back. Since the time Gregory Peck influenced his mannerisms to developing an inimitable style of his own, Dev had had many an infatuation. His first famous affair was with Suraiyya, who was elder to him, but her grandmother forbade the alliance. Suraiyya never got married. With his swaying walk and impeccable dressing sense, it was no surprise that girls swooned over him. The Mayor of Bombay had to issue an appeal against the star appearing in public wearing a black suit after a girl fainted and fell from a multi-storey in the melee to catch a glimpse of the star. Dev looked so dashing that even Madhubala had to be content with the No. 2 slot in terms of grabbing eyeballs in Kala Paani (1958). Dev didn’t just spend his life, he lived. And loved. As the penultimate scene of Guide shows, after all the excesses, it all boils down to: “Na deen hai, na duniya, sirf main hoon .. Main hoon… Sirf main…”. Long live, Dev saab!