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ISBN: 0670081248
Publisher: Penguin Global
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Romancing with Life
Posted by Ulhas Shirke on 01 Dec 2007Dev’s way of ‘Romancing with life’
By : Ulhas Shirke
What is the secret of his fitness at 84+ ? And the answer is simple. He is still romancing with life. Yes, ‘Romancing with Life’ is incidentally the title of his autobiography released recently. Suitably titled, to match his versatile personality, Mr. Dev Anand has been sincere enough to open every chapter of his life which has been full of struggle to achieve what he aspired. His way of narrating every memorable moment , clearly depicts his mastery over English language. And, that really makes an interesting reading.
The best thing about his autobiography which costs Rs. 695/- is that it offers a VCD in which the evergreen actor talks about himself and his long career in films, followed by all memorable songs in colour and Black and white, of his choice. Bollywood’s most charismatic personality before starting his full fledged memoir has thanked his fans as he feels that it is because of them he could reach the place, where he is today.
Dev Anand begins his tale from his youth days in Gurdaspur and Lahore dating back to 1930’s, his struggle period during 1940’s in Bombay and his friendship with late Guru Dutt. Not forgetting to mention about his romance in detail with Suraiya and the reasons for the break; he does not forget his first meeting with Kalpana Kartik, whom he married later. Dev has been very particular about his association with legends like S.D. Burman, R.D. Burman, Ashok Kumar , Kishore kumar , his own brothers-Chetan and Goldie . He has very cleverly knitted the sequences one after the other through his wonderful expression of words.
In the dedication, Dev uses the words,” I dedicate this book to life as it is lived by people the world over and to that special ray of sunshine that makes life worth living” . And, this clearly speaks everything about the living legend – his way of looking at life, his attitude and his philosophical mind. His autobiography will surely inspire all those who are struggling in life to achieve something. Dev certainly succeeds in doing so by being frank enough to admit his own personality traits . In his introduction through the VCD itself he makes it very clear that he has not tried to hide anything . And, that openness brings him more closer to his fans and admirers.
Self confidence and believing in his own self were his two strong points during the days of his struggle and that really helped him to climb the ladder of success. His first interaction with Mr. Pai from Prabaht Films, where he got his first break and with the director Mr. P.L. Santoshi, who directed him in his first film, ‘Hum Ek hain’ ; Dev has been very particular in describing every small moment that he could recollect, to make it interesting for the readers. The moment of his quiet and secret marriage to Kapana kartik and how the incident came to the knowledge of the clever cameraman, has been explained in the best narrative form. His emotions appear through his thoughtful words while recollecting the last encounter with Suraiya’s grandmother, who came in the way of his love relationship with the glamorous actress . There are many more incidences like the making of ‘Guide’ the most memorable film, his association with Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and other legends; all those whom he has brought lively like watching a film.
A little over 400+ pages, ‘Romancing with Life’ by Dev Anand and published by Penguin, is certainly worth reading and a good collection for your home library.
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