Dev Anand has, for years, lived in the present moment, looked forward to tomorrow and consigned his past laurels to the backburner. But some time back, on a trip to New York, he started penning his autobiography.
The 83-year-old living legend has finally completed his memoirs, Romancing Life, which will look back on an amazing life and career.
The eternal optimist takes a trip down memory lane with Dinesh Raheja. The interview spans a rich 60-year-long career in two interesting parts.
How did a small-town boy like you enter showbiz?
I was born in Gurdaspur in undivided Punjab. After studying in Lahore, I decided that I wanted to be an actor and be in the movie business. I came down to Mumbai in 1943. Maharashtra and Gujarat were one state in those days. Compared to a metropolis like Bombay, Lahore was very small. Bombay held our imagination as the city of high-glamour, the city where dreams materialised into reality. Bombay had around 2-3 million inhabitants people those days; and was truly elegant.
What were your first impressions of the city?
I recall getting down at Mumbai Central station and hiring a horse-drawn tonga. I kept looking at the tall buildings all around, with open-mouthed amazement.
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