Dev Anand and Vyjantimala are being directed by Vijay Anand. jewel thief
Photo Credit: Courtesy: Bloomsbury Publishing

In the field of cinema, the mysterious bond between a director and an actor holds an enduring fascination. Over the years, collaborations between Satyajit Ray and Soumitra Chatterjee, Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune, Federico Fellini and Marcello Mastroianni have become part of film folklore. Another collaboration that almost falls in the same league but is not talked about in the same breath is the collaboration between brothers Vijay and Dev Anand.

Over the years, his films have gained a cult following among different generations of filmmakers, now it’s time we take a look at their collaborations that have resulted in gems like. we both (1961)guide (1965), And Dreams of yours and mine (1971). Dev had a good rapport with other directors and Vijay directed other actors with excellence but when they came together it was magical.

a recent book, Hum Doon: The Dev and Goldie Anand Story (Bloomsbury), describes his fascinating journey under the arch light. Tanuja Chaturvedi, who worked closely with the Anand brothers’ production house Navketan Films, shed light on the men and their methods and included anecdotes and inside stories in the book to assess their creative journey.

Like the track shot used by Vijay in his thrillers, Tanuja aligns the charismatic Dev in the foreground, while her gently probing lens tracks Goldie, as Vijay was popularly called, and the cinematic His understanding of the craft.

Book by Tanuja Chaturvedi Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

add zing to it taxi driver And funtoosh With his inputs, Vijay hinted that he would move beyond the towering shadow of Chetan, the elder Anand, who had developed a following among intellectuals. low town And stormsLike starting with thrillers and crime capers nine two eleven (1957) and black market (1960), Vijay provided a modern approach to Navketan and together with Dev brought the element of entertainment, intrigue and Western sophistication to Indian cinema in the late 1950s. His films were marked by noirish themes and chatty dialogue, where the hero could be a hustler, female characters had some agency and the songs reflected the soul of the story.

Dev Anand and Sadhna in ‘Hum Dono’ Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Known for his technical excellence in creating mise-en-scene nine two eleven, When there was no concept of sync sound in the Bombay industry, Vijay attempted a youth street film. Setting the stage for the character of a black marketeer black marketVijay shoots Mehboob Khan’s premiere show Mother India Walking the red carpet with the top stars and filmmakers of that time. later, with johnny my name And jewel thiefThey established the template for the crime thriller.

Dev was a rare Hindi film hero who has been described by lyricists like Majrooh Sultanpuri beautiful and beautiful In songs. But beneath that carefully constructed demeanor of an effortless romantic actor who could play roles with shades of gray with conviction, Dev had a philosophical side that he was keen to express once he was firmly established in the competitive industry . Vijay’s interest in spiritual texts gave a concrete shape to this urge without taking away the star’s mass appeal. This fusion of art and entertainment is best reflected in guideHis pioneering collaboration. Vijay not only took liberties with the literary source on which the film was based, but he also moved away from its English cinematic adaptation. Ultimately, he came up with a magnum opus that was true to the soul of India and remains relevant both in terms of its progressive text and context. guide The story begins with Raju, a tourist guide, meeting a woman whose bad marriage has left her emotionally ruined. He shows her the way to find her inner strength. Ironically, in the process, Raju’s own complications come to the fore and the guide loses his way to salvation by the end of a poignant climax.

Waheeda Rehman with Dev Anand guide, Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

As Tanuja, who teaches film interpretation, says, Vijay had an amazing ability to play with the subtexts of the story to build the interior of the character. “For him, cinema was like a piece of architecture – a means of showing, not telling, expressing or explaining.”

it came in again Dreams of yours and mine, Which explored the dilemma of a doctor in a rotten system. Dr. A.J. based on cronin citadel, Realism permeates through Vijay’s script and we get to see a glimpse of the glamorous Mumtaz as an actor and a powerful performer in Dev.

Dev’s neatly crafted dual role and Sadhana’s magnetic appeal should not be forgotten. we bothWhich Vijay co-directed with Navketan’s public relations person Amarjeet. A war film with a tender heart, Vijay’s treatment of the situation and Sahir Ludhianvi’s songs produces moments of epiphany make we both A film for the ages.

The brothers shared creative camaraderie. Photo Credit: Courtesy: NFDC

The depth of his efforts is also reflected in his legacy. There is hardly any similarity between Sriram Raghavan and Sanjay Leela Bhansali. But both swear by Goldie’s art. If one follows the art of creating crime scenes and credit rolls, the other pays tribute to its lyrical depiction. Like RD Burman’s music, Vijay Anand’s also lives on through the new generation of filmmakers.