Baazi 1951

‘Baazi’ sees Dev Anand play Madan who comes from a poor family and unable to find employment takes up gambling. It is a crime thriller and had very popular music composed by SD Burman ‘Baazi’ is a tribute to the Forties` Film Noir Hollywood with the morally ambiguous hero, which Dev Anand portrays with aplomb.

Kala Pani 1958

The film has Dev Anand sharing a crackling chemistry with the beauty of the yore Madhubala. More than the storyline, ‘Kala Pani’ earned recognition because of soulful renditions. The movie has popular songs like "Acha ji main hari chalo", "Najar lagi raja tore bangale par", "Hum bekhudi me tumko pukare". The film`s music was by Sachin Dev Burman, and the lyrics were by Majrooh Sultanpuri.

Kala Bazar 1960

The film stars Dev Anand and his brother Vijay Anand. And the story has the heroine Waheeda Rehman being pursued by the Dev and Vijay. All the songs in ‘Kala Bazaar’ are classics - from ‘Khoya khoya chand’ and ‘Saanjh dhali dil ki lagi’, ‘Sooraj ke jaisi goolai chanda si thandak hai pai’, ‘Uparwala jaan kar anjaan hai’, ‘Na main dhan chahon’ and ‘Rim jhim ke tarane leke aai barsaat’.

Hum Dono 1961

The song ‘Main zindagi ka saath nibhata chala gaya’ from ‘Hum Dono’ rightly embodies the life and times of Dev Anand. This film finds mention here in this list because of Sahir Ludhianvi`s beautiful poetry and Jaidev`s music. Dev Anand usually preferred composer S D Burman but, in ‘Hum Dono’, he tried out Burman`s assistant. Abhi na jao chod kar…’ is another beautiful track from which remains an all time treat for young lovers.

Tere Ghar Ke Samne 1963

Tere Ghar Ke Samne deals with the animosity between two rich businessmen. One is Dev Anand`s father (Om Prakash), the other is Nutan`s father (Harindranath Chattopadhyaya). Both buy plots next to each other and want their respective homes to look better. How the young lovers get past their fathers` differences and unite is what the film is about. The songs ‘Dil ka bhawar kare pukar’, the title track and ‘Tu kahan is nashili raat mein’ are worth listening to.

Guide 1965

Indian cinema’s masterpiece ‘Guide’ is about the liberation of a woman played by Waheeda Rehman from the clutches of marriage, portrayed beautifully in the song, ‘Aaj phir jeene ki tamana hai’. Based on R K Narayan`s novel of the same name, this Vijay Anand movie has a love story that few Indian filmmakers can match.

Teen Deviyan 1965

A common worry that plagues a young man is which woman he should fall in love with. And if he has three women in his life, things get a lot tougher. Dev Anand has to choose between Simi Grewal, a socialite, Kalpana Karthik, an actress, and Nanda, a simple office girl. The film is a must watch!
The music is good, especially the song, ‘Khwab ho tum ya koi haqiqat’.

Jewel Thief 1965

Arguably Dev Anand`s best suspense film, which leaves you wondering who the real villain is. It was beautifully shot in Sikkim and the track ‘Raat akeli hai’, filmed on Tanuja. Other hit songs from it included ‘Hoton pe aisi baat main dabake chali aai’, ‘Dil pukare aa re’, ‘Yeh dil na hota bechara’, ‘Aasman ke neeche’.

Prem Pujari 1970

‘Phoolon ke rang se, dil ki kalam se’ is one of the most beautiful, romantic Hindi songs ever written and had it not for this song, Dev Anand starrer ‘Prem Pujari’ wouldn’t have found mention here in this list. Lata Mangeshkar`s ‘Rangeela re’ is another big draw of this patriotic film about a spy, played by Dev.

Johny Mera Naam 1970

Dev Anand`s bellbottom pants set new trends in the 1970s, keeping viewers as hooked as the twists in the plot of ‘Johny Mera Naam’. The film was an out-and-out commercial movie, with tragedy, comedy and great music. Songs like Pal bhar ke liye koi hume pyaar kar le, O mere raja vada toh nibhana and Baabul pyaare were beautifully composed.

Hare Raama Hare Krishna 1971

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.

Warrant 1975

‘Warrant’ was directed by master filmmakers Pramod Chakravorty. The film starred Dev Anand along with the rage of the time Zeenat Aman. Songs of the film are popular even today and they were penned by Anand Bakshi.

Des Pardes 1978

This family drama stars Dev Anand and Tina Munim. The message is about the trend with some people, at the time, to earn money from foreign land and innocent ones being trapped and tormented by the illicit operators. The film received Filmfare award for its sets and also received nomination for best music director.

By Bikas Bhagat