End of an Era of Romance for Film Industry and me, an ardent fan of Cinema and Dev Saab remembers

I can’t think of any song to dedicate to him and his memory...every song he did was as if a part of his personality and attitude to life.

'Main zindagi ka saath nibhata chala gay....' something that the actor truly lived by. 'Abhi na jaao chodd ke ki dil abhi bhara nahi....' something that every one always said for him. 'yaad kiya dil nein kahaan ho tum...' something we would say for him from now on. 'Jeevan ke safar mein rahi milte hain bichhar jaane ko....' is something the heart knows is the truth of life but the heart still refuses to believe...the list is never ending, as is the understanding of him and his life and work.

I can’t believe he is no more.....of two people I truly ever fell in love with...I thought I still had chance to meet at lest one of them in this lifetime. But no that dream too is now all packed up and has a quite place in my heart, for now. 

Its still a truth, that will take time to dawn on me....for when I met him for 5 mins, about four years back, as a chance encounter at a film screening, I had a chance to see someone I loved in front of my eyes for real. But sadly the event that he was going for was only for invitees and media, so I it was just 5 mintues of ogling from my end, as he said ‘hello’ to me. That time I had thought that one day I will meet you with my name, but not just 5 minutes; and who knows maybe even work with you or be interviewing you....I lost my path in the way thereon...and now I have lost him...No, We have lost him.

A salute to the undying spirit and undying and forever young heart....Dev Saab


When I understood the mean of cinema and the place it went on to hold in my heart...I understood true love. This true love was not just for Cinema, but for two personalities. Two extremely different dynamic Indian or shall I say specifically Bollywood Personalities. These two were not just contemporaries of each other but also shared an exemplary friendship that however didn't last long. These were Guru Dutt and Dev Anand.

Guru Dutt and Dev Anand met when Dev Saab was shooting for his first film, Hum Ek Hain, and from there on a chance meeting turned into a sweet friendship, that sadly didn’t lost long, as the focus of film career and life in general drifted the two apart.

I feel in love with Guru Dutt after I understood Pyaasa and Kaaghaz Ke Phool. I fell in love with the brooding image of the poet that he portrayed. The hurt and pained expressions, a man troubled by life's ups and downs, I fell in love with it all. I feel in love with his sensibility in films, which arose out of his own personal experiences, understanding and thought. I feel in love with the man he portrayed on screen and feel in love with the man off screen. The more I saw, the more I read, the more I felt an intense emotion of connection with him, which was beyond any comprehension, even my own. Guru Dutt died at a fairly early age, after 2 unsuccessful attempts to end his life, sadly the third time it was unlucky strike for all those who loved him and wished him to recover out of his depression and don back his place in the film industry.

Dev Anand was an exact opposite of all that that Guru Dutt was. Dev Anand had a boyish charm about him always. He always donned a smiling face, whether you see it in his films, or in the stories of his friends. All his images on screen and off screen presented a young man full of life, for which age was just about increasing numbers to liveliness and a few wrinkled lines on face. Dev Anand was the romantic hero, who made hearts of everyone swoon, and had a bounciness of spirit and heart always.

I don't know, rather I don't remember, when I fell in love with Dev Anand. It must have started when I was 13-14 years old and saw a number of his films, and when I compared them to the romantic films by other actors, whether his contemporaries or newbie, I realized the romantic image of Dev Anand was more appealing due to the gentleman side that I saw in his characters. There was a gentle calming effect of seeing Dev Saab on screen, which bought a slight smile on lips and always stars in eyes.

Dev Anand took failures and success with same strife, an attitude that nothing changes as he moved on effortlessly from one role to another and climbing a steady ladder of success and love. Dev Anand was known for his smile and friendship. Whenever I heard any celebrity, his contemporaries especially, always talked about his dying attitude in life and his young at heart image.

It is now truly an end of era, a romantic era. Earlier on in the year another star of Romance and joviality had passed away, Shammi Kapoor; and now Dev Saab. The hero who belonged to the youthful times of our grandparents and parents, but his stories and film transcended every sense of time for me. For me he will be the ‘hero’ from my ‘romantic love stories’, something akin to what adolescent youngsters feel for the ‘heroes’ of Mills & Boon; maybe that is bad allegory to explain it, but ya will get the point bit across.

Yes, I do have my own array of heroes, on which I grew up. There are the Khans and Kapoors and more of my time as well. And yes definitely the star of all SRK. But what I feel for Guru Dutt and Dev Anand and their timelessness, surpasses any excitement I would ever feel for seeing any these on any screen.

And now even though the memories and the art of both dynamic personalities (Dutt and Dev Saab) survive, they both have now taken a departure from the physical existence. I had made a list of people whom I would like to meet for sure after I die, and that list was topped by Guru Dutt's name, and now even Dev Saab joins him there.

Two such different people, such different life, such different body of work, such different approaches to life. But for me, my love for their on-screen and off-screen personas, and dedication to never stop in my attempts to get to know them and understand them as much as possible; shall never exist.

RIP Dev Saab :(

Puss In Boots (2011): Watch it for swashbuckling charm of Puss, seductive voices of Banderas and Hayek, the innocence of script and chaotic mix of characters.

Well I personally love the character of 'Puss In Boots' from Shrek franchise. A spunky feline voiced by Antonio Banderas...is a lovable yet feisty outlaw. He is a lover and a leaver. The movie 'Puss In Boots' takes a look into the origin and story of this cheerful feline outlaw, before he is introduced in the second of the Shrek franchise.

Movie is somewhat a chaotic mix of a number of nursery rhyme characters in an old feel Spanish village setting, yet it is an enjoyable film. But the film mixes up too much too follow at times. You have the story of how innocent lovable Puss becomes Swashbuckler outlaw Puss in Boots, and goes on his ways of crime with characteristics of Zorro. And the story begins to bring in an array of familiar names such as Humpty Dumpty, Jack and Jill (who are a married couple here, and here I was thinking always they were brother and sister), and Jack and the bean stalk, and then Golden Goose and Mother Goose. Then there is the love angle with the seductive and sassy Kitty Softpaws (voiced by Salma Hayek).

The plot is interesting as well, it is about Puss's quest for the magic beanstalk, in order to reach the magic castle beyond clouds and steal the Golden Goose that lays golden eggs. He is joined in his plan by two sidekicks; an estranged friend Humpty and Kitty Softpaws; and pursued by villionous duo Jack and Jill. But as it turns out eventually not everyone as what they seem to be. But I won’t reveal this part much as the movie has just released and is for sure worth catching atlest once, if for nothing else then sexy voices of Antonio Bandares and Salma Hayek.

It is a story of adventure, friendship, love, betrayal, revenge and reunion. But yes I found the film lacking the charm of Shrek films and the usual suaveness of Puss. The film on the whole becomes a bit complex, with a whole array of Spanish folks and Folklore characters being mashed up together, and there are too many ‘change of heart’ moments in the story, which make it not so smooth. As a character Puss has just one angle, the swashbuckling, charming, sword dueling, with self delusional Spanish vainglory; and well after a few starting scene that charm seems to be loosing interest for me. For me I think the character of Humpty Dumpty (the egghead, voiced by Zach Galifianakis) was much more interesting and multi dimensional. Yet I really did enjoy those particular bits in the story where sword handling swashbuckling Puss uses big innocent cat eyes to disarm his enemies. And the Spanish dance of Puss and Kitty Softpaws.

The film is wonderful in terms of colorful visuals, and 3D works well in adding on to the spectacular animation. Puss as character and Antonio as its voice is a match made in heaven. And so Salma’s voice to the suave Kitty Soft paws.

I would rate the film as a good 3 out of 5. Even though often at times the mix of characters becomes chaotic, yet the child-like innocence of the story makes me smile even though on the most lamest and silliest of jokes and clichés. And yes the film is thankfully no sequel or prequel or anywhere attached to the memory of Shrek (which I’m sorry but has totally lost all appeal to me after so many sequels of its own). The Puss did took a share of my attention away from Shrek and the Donkey when it was introduced in the second Shrek series, but here, on its own, the Puss in Boots stands tall for itself.

Puss In Boots 3D (2011)

Director: Chris Miller;

Voices Of: Antonio Banderas (Puss in Boots), Salma Hayek (Kitty Softpaws), Zach Galifianakis (Humpty Dumpty), Billy Bob Thornton (Jack) and Amy Sedaris (Jill).

Writer: Tom Wheeler,

Based on a story by Brian Lynch, Will Davies and Mr. Wheeler;

Editor: Eric Dapkewicz;

Producer: Joe M. Aguilar and Latifa Ouaou;

Released by DreamWorks Animation.

Running time: 1 hour 30 minutes.