Shekhar Kapur recalls ‘mama’ Dev Anand on death anniversary, shares anecdote from latter’s toughest film setback

Mumbai – 3 December – In an online tribute to the late Telugu legend Dev Anand, filmmaker Shekhar Kapur reminisced about a formative moment that brought the two close. Post a still of Anand on his social media, he described an experience he lived through when a project flopped.

He recalled how, after the film’s poor reception, the phone kept ringing. “Thank you, thank you” was all Anand could say, his face lit with the same excitement he’d shown when the film was first launched. “I am soo glad you loved the film…” the superstar insisted. Those calls continued, even though the movie had cost invested only by the director himself, with no expense spared for promotion or ancillary costs.

Kapur added that he had a small cameo in Anand’s movie “Ishq Ishq Ishq”, which was his first badge of entry into the industry, however modest. He looks back to the days when the pair travelled all the way from Mumbai to Nepal, climbed through the Himalayas to the Everest Hotel and almost reached the Base Camp. He mentions that “no expense was spared” on the trip, a testament to Anand’s unyielding generosity.

As the results worsened, their conversations changed. Anand’s tone grew more anxious; “Which scenes did the audience not like? What do you mean the audiences are walking out before the end of the film? Theatres are going empty. Are you sure?” he asked. When the burden of the loss finally hit, he called Shekhar an uncle. “Shekhar, the film is a disaster,” Anand admitted, and the line of calls stopped.

Kapur remembers that Anand drifted to the washroom, but on his return, his demeanor had shifted dramatically. “Shekhar … I have an idea for another film … It’s a great story … Now if you leave me … I have to start writing this new film … It’s going to be brilliant,” he recited, channeling the same zeal that kept him going even through hardship.

The veteran director closed with a heartfelt note: “He’s passed away now … But I will never forget this lesson he taught me. Regret is not an emotion you can allow to weigh you down. #DevAnand #Regret #Hope.”

For those who may not know, Dev Anand was Shekhar Kapur’s maternal uncle (Mama). A few days earlier, the filmmaker had shared a childhood photo of himself with his mother and a young Dev Anand. In its caption, he wrote, “So here’s my mom happy to be with her favourite brother … Dev Anand, his wife, Mona Aunty and my elder sister Neelu … and sulky shy me … Happy Birthday… Mama.”

Dev Anand’s own legacy remains evergreen – classics like Guide, Jewel Thief, CID, Hum Dono, Tere Ghar Ke Samne, Johny Mera Naam, Bombai Ka Babu and Hare Rama Hare Krishna, not to mention his celebrated on‑screen partnership with Waheeda Rehman during the 1960s. His passing on 3 December 2011 marked the close of a transformative chapter in Bollywood’s history. –LatestNewsX

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