Suneil Anand’s English film Bagator Mixer will go on floor on Dev Anand’s birth anniversary. He talks to D Kaushik about growing under the genius’ shadow and learning the nuances of filmmaking from the actor-filmmaker who disliked holidays and believed punctuality is the soul of business
last year on September 26, there were close friends like Tom Alter invited at the Sun N Sand, Juhu in Mumbai, where Suneil Anand celebrated the 89th birthday of his father, just like he would have celebrated it. Suneil made an announcement of an English film, Bagator Mixer, and said that Dev Anand always wanted to make an English film. This year is different for Dev saab’s son, he is not looking forward to any celebrations, rather he would start the making of the film on his birthday. “The film will finally go on floor this week. Dad loved his work and the time he used to spend on the sets. He just didn’t want to stop making films. So I thought that there could not be any better way to celebrate his birthday other than working,” said Suneil and shared that he will be playing the lead and directing the romantic film. It stars international actors and will be dubbed in Hindi later. Suneil took upon himself the task of carrying forward the legacy of Navketan Films, the banner that was formed in 1949 by Dev Anand and his elder brother Chetan Anand. Some of Dev Anand’s best filmsHum Dono, Guide, Jewel Thief and Prem Pujari were the home production films. Suneil acted in films like Anand Aur Anand, Car Thief and Master in 2001. It was after sufficient gap that Suneil announced a film last year. “But I had lots of other responsibilities to take care of in the meantime. I kept doing my work. I was writing my scripts and one big thing that I always have on my mind is to re-establish my dad’s Pali Hill studio,” said the actor-director. Dev Anand bought a 19,000 sq ft space in Pali Hill to establish a recording studio for recording and dubbing films produced under the Navketan banner. However, the studio was shut later and it was Dev Anand’s dream to reopen it.
Suneil credits his childhood days spent on the sets with his father for whatever he is today. “The basic learning began early in life. I think I was seven when I first accompanied my father to the sets of Tere Ghar Ke Saamne at Mehboob Studios in Mumbai. That was just the beginning. I was enamoured by everything at the sets, and seeing my father, the great actor, at his job was rather a privilege only few would get. As an actor he was thoroughly involved in his job and was completely a director’s actor. He trusted his vision and only concentrated on acting. But he always had a great sense of storytelling, so wherever he would feel the story is going in the wrong direction, he would definitely discuss it with the director but he never asserted himself or his opinion on the director,” said Suneil. Talking about how much of filmmaking he actually inherited from the genius actor, he said, “Almost everything. He was very dynamic and prudent as a director and producer. He believed in originality. To give an example, he was planning to make a Hollywood film and met Stevie Wonder as he wanted him to compose the music for the film. It was my good luck that I was with him when he went to meet him. It was for the first time I saw two superstars chatting and exchanging notes. It was an experience to watch dad speak about his project, with great energy and passion. Stevie was so much impressed that the meeting was supposed to last for an hour but it continued for over two and a half hours. Unfortunately, once the script of the film was revealed people said that it sounded like someone’s biography, which was not true. It was an original story, which was later canned. As a filmmaker he chatted with me more like a friend, explaining why he wrote something like that, why the shot was in a particular way. He was a man of details and would even take note of minutest thing on the sets. Other important thing I learnt from him was to value time. He was the most punctual filmmaker one could ever meet. If he has asked the unit to be there at six in the morning, it meant six. Even a few minutes delay would upset him. Also, he hated holidays and thought they were waste of time. It was sometimes difficult for the crew to keep up with him.”
Most films that Dev Anand came in the later part of his life, like Censor and Sau Crore were critically acclaimed and it has been said that his films were always ahead of his times. Suneil says that “my dad always had a Western bent of mind when it came to filmmaking. That is why most people who understood the Western style of filmmaking liked his films. Being an avid and through reader most of his subjects and ideas came from his readings. He was also a huge fan of Jimmy Stewart and Spencer Tracy.”
Suneil feels that out of his many famous films Johny Mera Naam was closest to his real self. “He looked as dashing, classic and stylish as he was in his real life,” he stated.
Though Dev Anand was always very busy as an actor and filmmaker “but in his heart he was a family man, who would love to have his dinner and breakfast with his family.” Suneil says that as a father he always left less scope for complains. “He allowed us to visit the sets and we knew he would be with us at the end of the day. My friends in school would often tell me how busy a man he is and what great work he is doing, I then felt more proud that even after this he was a doting father,” he ended.