Dev Anand passes away; last rites in London

Zeenews Bureau

Mumbai: Screen legend Dev Anand died in his sleep on Sunday, leaving behind a legacy of classics like ‘Guide’ and ‘Hum Dono’. From colleagues to fans - everyone woke up to a rude Sunday morning shock as the news of the legendary actor Dev Anand passing away in London unfolded. Hindi cinema’s evergreen star who epitomised the suave, urban gentleman on screen, died after a cardiac arrest in London. He was 88. RIP Dev Saab in Pics "His son Sunil came out of the bathroom and saw that Dev saab was not responding. He called the doctor, who said that he had a heart attack. He died at 10 in the night in London," Mohan Churiwala, Dev Anand's manager, said. According to Churiwala, the cremation will be held next week in London. "He will be cremated in London only after Tuesday. Cremation cannot take place till his daughter reaches there. His body is kept in a hospital right now," adding that his wife may also accompany her daughter. He is survived by his wife, former actress Kalpana Karthik, a son and a daughter. In a career spanning over 65 years, Dev Anand worked in films like `Kala Pani`, ‘Guide`, `Hum Dono`, `Tere Ghar Ke Samne`, `Gambler`, `Jewel Thief`, `Hare Rama Hare Krishna` and `Ishq Ishq Ishq`. The stalwart was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2001. His last film `Chargesheet`, which released this year, was directed, written and produced by him. The film proved to be a dud at the Box Office, but his enthusiasm to contribute more to Hindi Cinema could not be dampened. A controversial personality, Dev Anand made films that were bold, something the Indian audiences could never expect from an Indian filmmaker. However, he was loved and adored for who he was - a happy-go-lucky man, who was full of life. Veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan expressed grief over the death of his senior colleague and took to the Twitter to say, “Had just met Dev Sahab at his premiere recently…he was weak but full of life(sic)”. Dev Anand seemed to have adopted the philosophy of the song "Main Zindagi ka saath nibhata chala gaya" from "Hum Dono", in real life too. His body of work speaks volumes about the man who was not only a great actor, but multi-tasker and a trendsetter. If as an actor he proved his versatility with hits like ‘Tere Ghar Ke Samne’, ‘Jewel Thief’ and ‘Guide’, as a director he made a "zara hatke" movie ‘Hare Rama Hare Krishna’ that also gave Bollywood its first anglicised glamour icon in Zeenat Aman. He played a long innings in filmdom and saw ups and downs, but his never-say-die spirit reigned supreme. His fans and colleagues still say, "Abhi na jao chodkar ki dil abhi bhara nahin". (With IANS Inputs)