Islamic history is replete with great muhaddithun (scholars of hadith) who received widespread acclaim for their seminal contributions in the field of hadith. Thus, scholars like Malik ibn Anas, al-Zuhri, al-Awza'i, Abdullah ibn Mubarak, Yahya ibn Ma'in and Ahmad ibn Hanbal left their indelible marks in the annals of hadith literature. Thanks to them, the preservation and dissemination of hadith and wud al-hadith (science of hadith) not only became possible, but also enabled them to become some of the most popular branches of the traditional Islamic sciences (ulum al-din).
Out of all the hadith scholars, the names of two remarkable scholars, al-Bukhari and Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj, have today become household names across the Muslim world on account of their selfless devotion, assiduous scholarship and seminal contributions to the collection and dissemination of the Prophetic traditions. Although al-Bukhari is widely considered to be the most famous scholar in the history of hadith literature, the popularity of Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj must not be underestimated. Indeed, according to some scholars of hadith, the hadith anthology of Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj is superior to that of al-Bukhari. Nevertheless, the collections of both al-Bukhari and Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj are today regarded as two of the most authentic and authoritative anthologies of Prophetic traditions ever produced.
Muslim ibn al-Ḥajjāj (born c. 817, Nīshāpūr, Iran—died 875, Naṣrābād) was a scholar who was one of the chief authorities on the Ḥadīth, accounts of the sayings and deeds of the Prophet Muḥammad.
Muslim traveled widely; his great work, the Ṣaḥīḥ (“The Genuine”), is said to have been compiled from about 300,000 traditions, which he collected in Arabia, Egypt, Syria, and Iraq. The Ṣaḥīḥ has been unanimously acclaimed as authoritative and is one of the six canonical collections of Ḥadīth. Muslim was careful to give a full account of the isnāds (links in the chain of transmission) for each tradition and to record textual variations. The collection also includes a survey on early Islāmic theology and a discussion on the Qurʾān.
Although Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj composed more than twenty books on different aspects of hadith, only six of his books have survived, including al-Jami al-Sahib (better known as Sahih Muslim). This anthology of hadith is not only his most famous work, but, along with Sahih al-Bukhari, it is today considered to be one of the most authentic books of Islamic teachings after the Qur'an itself. Revered as one of the great works of traditional Islamic learning and scholarship, the importance and relevance of this vast collection of Prophetic traditions cannot be emphasized enough. After fifteen years of meticulous research and investigation in the field of hadith (which involved sifting through hundreds of thousands of Prophetic traditions in order to separate the authentic narrations from the weak or fabricated ones), Muslim incorporated around seven thousand ahadith in his anthology.
A pioneer of Islamic scholarship, Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj helped to develop and disseminate a rigorous research methodology in the field of hadith literature. He classified hadith narrators into three broad categories. The first category consisted of narrators who possessed a highly retentive memory, because they maintained consistency in their narrations. This enabled Muslim to compare their narrations with those of other respected and reliable narrators in order to ascertain their veracity. The vast majority of hadith contained in Sahih Muslim falls into this category. By contrast, the second category consisted of those narrators who had weak memories: thus, their narrations were occasionally found to be inconsistent. Muslim accepted their narrations only if their versions of hadith agreed with, or corroborated, the narrations of the first category. On the other hand, the third category consisted of those narrators who were considered to be unreliable and untrustworthy. Muslim completed rejected the third category of narrations.
Using such a rigorous system of checks and counterchecks, Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj successfully sifted the sahih (the authentic) traditions from hasan (good) and the daeef (weak) from the mauda (fabricated). In doing so, he produced an anthology of Prophetic hadith which today enjoys the full support and confidence of the Muslim community.
Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj was born in the town of Nishapur[5] in the Abbasid province of Khorasan, in what is now northeastern Iran. Historians differ as to his date of birth, though it is usually given as 202 AH (817/818),[6][7] 204 AH (819/820),[3][8] or 206 AH (821/822).[6][7][9]
Al-Dhahabi said, "It is said that he was born in the year 204 AH," though he also said, "But I think he was born before that."[3]
Ibn Khallikan could find no report of Muslim's date of birth or age at death by any of the ḥuffāẓ "hadith masters", except their agreement that he was born after 200 AH (815/816). Ibn Khallikan cites ibn al-Salah, who cites al-Hakim al-Nishapuri's Kitab ʿUlama al-Amsar, in the claim that Muslim was 55 years old when he died on 25 Rajab, 261 AH (May 875)[9] and therefore his year of birth must have been 206 AH (821/822).
Ibn al-Bayyiʿ reports that he was buried in Nasarabad, a suburb of Nishapur.
According to scholars, he was of Arab origin.[10][11] The nisba "al-Qushayri" signifies he belonged to the Arab tribe of Banu Qushayr, members of which migrated to the newly conquered Persian territory during the expansion of the Rashidun Caliphate. According to two scholars, ibn al-Athīr and ibn al-Salāh, he was a member of that tribe. His family had migrated to Persia nearly two centuries earlier following the conquest.[3]
The author's teachers included Harmala ibn Yahya, Sa'id ibn Mansur, Abd-Allah ibn Maslamah al-Qa'nabi, al-Dhuhali, al-Bukhari, ibn Ma'in, Yahya ibn Yahya al-Nishaburi al-Tamimi, and others. Among his students were al-Tirmidhi, ibn Abi Hatim al-Razi, and Ibn Khuzayma, each of whom also wrote works on hadith. After his studies throughout the Arabian Peninsula, Egypt, Iraq and Syria, he settled in his hometown of Nishapur, where he met, and became a lifelong friend of al-Bukhari.
Several sources became prominent loci for learning about the biography of Muslim. The History of Baghdad by al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, produced in the 11th century, formed the basis of all subsequent descriptions of his life in Islamic sources. For example, the complete biography of Muslim in the History of Islam by al-Dhahabi contains 27 reports, 11 of which (41%) come from Al-Baghdadi's History. The second most important source for information about Muslim's life, now lost, was the History of Nishapur of al-Hakim al-Nishapuri. The History of Baghdad itself, which contains 14 reports about Muslim, took half of them (7) from the History of Nishapur.[12]
In the mid-9th century, Muslim composed a collection of what he considered entirely sahih hadith, now known as Sahih Muslim. Today, it is considered one of the six canonical books of hadith in Sunni Islam. In particular, it along with Sahih al-Bukhari are considered the two pre-eminent collections in this canon; together they are called the Sahihayn. Figures on the number of hadiths in this book vary from three to twelve thousand, depending on whether duplicates are included, or only the text is. Muslim's collection has a substantial overlap with Sahih al-Bukhari: according to Al-Jawzaqi, 2,326 traditions are shared between the two. The collections also roughly share 2,400 narrators; only 430 of the narrators in Sahih al-Bukhari are not found in Sahih Muslim, and only 620 narrators in Sahih Muslim are not found in Sahih al-Bukhari.[13]
The scholar of Ahlus-Sunnah, Ishaq Ibn Rahwayh was first to recommend Muslim's work.[14]
Ishaq's contemporaries did not at first accept this; Abu Zur‘a al-Razi objected that Muslim had omitted too much material which Muslim himself recognised as authentic and that he included transmitters who were weak.[15]
Ibn Abi Hatim (d. 327/938) later accepted Muslim as "trustworthy, one of the hadith masters with knowledge of hadith"; but this contrasts with much more fulsome praise of Abu Zur‘a and also his father Abu Hatim. It is similar with Ibn al-Nadim.[16]
Muslim's book gradually increased in stature such that it is considered among Ahlus-Sunnah the most authentic collections of hadith, second only to Sahih Bukhari.[17]
^The name of his father has sometimes been given as حجاج (Ḥajjāj) instead of الحجاج (al-Ḥajjāj). The name of his great-great-grandfather has variously been given as كوشاذ (Kūshādh[3] or Kawshādh), كرشان[4] (Kirshān, Kurshān, or Karshān), or كوشان (Kūshān or Kawshān).
^ Jump up to:abcdSalahuddin ʿAli Abdul Mawjood (2007). The Biography of Imam Muslim bin al-Hajjaj. Translated by Abu Bakr Ibn Nasir. Riyadh: Darussalam. ISBN978-9960988191.
^ Jump up to:abK. J. Ahmad (1987). Hundred Great Muslims. Des Plaines, Illinois: Library of Islam. ISBN0933511167.
^Syed Bashir Ali (2003). Scholars of Hadith. The Makers of Islamic Civilization Series. Malaysia: IQRAʼ International Educational Foundation. ISBN1563162040. Archived from the original on 2016-06-17. Retrieved 2016-01-07.
^R.N. Frye, ed. (1975). The Cambridge history of Iran. London: Cambridge University Press. p. 471. ISBN978-0-521-20093-6.
^al-Qushayrī, Muslim ibn al-Ḥajjāj; Shahryar, Aftab (2004-01-01). صحيح مسلم. Islamic Book Service. ISBN9788172315924. Archived from the original on 2021-09-30. Retrieved 2020-12-15.
The anthology of Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj, the Sahih Muslim, is today considered to be one of the two most important collections of hadith, along with that of al-Bukhari. That is why so many famous scholars have written commentaries on Sahih Muslim. As the Sahih Muslim is rated very highly as a source of Islamic teachings, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the world of traditional Islamic learning and scholarship would have been much poorer without this great anthology.
Suraiya Jamal Sheikh (15 June 1929 – 31 January 2004), mononymously known as Suraiya, was an Indian actress and playback singer who worked in Hindi films.[1] In a career spanning from 1936 to 1964, Suraiya acted in over 70 films and sang 338 songs. Regarded among the finest and greatest actresses in the history of Indian cinema,[2] she was known for her strong on-screen portrayals in a variety of genres.[3] Suraiya was the most celebrated actress between the mid- to late 1940s and early 1950s and was paid more than her male counterparts.[4][5][6]
Born in Lahore, Suraiya relocated to Bombay (now Mumbai) with her family when she was 1 year old. Apart from being a great actress, Suraiya was also a renowned playback singer, who mostly sang for herself.[7] She sang her first song for Nai Duniya (1942), when she was only 12 years old.[8] Suraiya made her first appearance as a child artist with the film Madame Fashion (1936), directed by Jaddanbai. She made her acting debut in 1941, with Taj Mahal in which she played the role of Mumtaz Mahal. Suraiya went onto establish herself as one of the leading actresses in Hindi cinema with films such as Ishaara (1943), Tadbir (1943), Phool (1945), Anmol Ghadi (1946), Omar Khaiyyam (1946), Parwana (1947), Dard (1947), Shair (1949), Dastan (1950), Afsar (1950), Diwana (1952), Bilwamangal (1954) and Mr. Lambu (1956).[9]
Suraiya's career marked a significant turning point in 1948–1949 with the highest grossing releases of the year—Vidya (1948), Pyar Ki Jeet (1948), Dillagi (1949) and Badi Behen (1949), that brought her public recognition. Her most notable portrayal was of a tawaif, Moti Begum in Mirza Ghalib (1954), which earned her critical acclaim and praises from two Prime Ministers of India. In her heyday, Suraiya was known as Malika-e-Husn (queen of beauty) and Malika-e-Adakari (queen of acting).[10]
Suraiya was born as Suraiya Jamal Sheikh[13] on 15 June 1929 in Lahore, British India (now Pakistan), to Aziz Jamal Sheikh and Mumtaz Sheikh in a PunjabiMuslim family. She was one year old, when her family moved to Mumbai (then called Bombay) to reside in Krishna Mahal at Marine Drive. Soon they were joined by her maternal uncle, M. Zahoor, who became a well known villain in the 1930s Bombay film industry and her maternal grandmother, Badshah Begum.[14][15]
Suraiya belonged to a deeply religious Muslim family. She attended New High School, now known as J.B. Petit High School for Girls, in the Fort district of Bombay. At home, her grandmother gave her religious teachings in Persian.[16] Suraiya's childhood friends included Raj Kapoor and Madan Mohan, with whom she used to sing in children's radio programmes at All India Radio. Suraiya did not have any professional training in music.[17]
Born in an orthodox family, Suraiya was deeply religious and practiced Islam since her childhood. Suraiya was fond of literature, especially Urdu literature and use to read a lot of them.[18][3]
Suraiya made her debut as a child actor in Jaddan Bai's Madame Fashion in 1936 as Miss Suraiya.[19] Later, she got a prominent role with the help of her uncle, M. Zahoor. During a holiday from school in 1941, she accompanied him to Bombay's Mohan Studios to see the shooting of the film Taj Mahal, which was being directed by Nanubhai Vakil. Vakil noticed the charm and innocence of young Suraiya and selected her to play the role of Mumtaz Mahal, the film released in 1942 and marked her acting debut.[20][21]
While she was singing for children's programs for All India Radio (AIR) in Bombay, as a six-year old, Raj Kapoor and Madan Mohan were her co-artists. In fact, they first introduced her to AIR.[22] Both were associated with her later as an adult, as her hero and as her music director respectively in films. At AIR, Zulfiqar Ali Bukhari was at that time the station director at the Bombay radio station. As soon as music director Naushad Ali heard Suraiya's voice, he chose her to sing (at age 13) for Mehtab in Abdul Rashid Kardar's film Sharda (1942).[23] He became Suraiya's mentor and she sang some of the best songs of her career under his baton. Later, he gave a string of hit songs when Suraiya became a full-fledged singing star in Anmol Ghadi (1946), Dard (1947), Dillagi (1949) and Dastaan (1950).[24] As a child artist, Suraiya acted and also sang in the films, Usne Kya Socha (1937), Mother India (1938), Tamanna (1942), and Station Master (1942).[23]
At the age of 14 in 1943, Suraiya appeared as a heroine in J.K. Nanda's film Ishaara, opposite Prithviraj Kapoor.[25] The film was the tenth highest grossing release of the year and marked Suraiya's first commercial success.[23][26]Devika Rani, who headed the Bombay Talkies production company, seeing Suraiya's blooming brilliance as an actress and as a singer signed her on a five-year contract at Rs. 500 per month with her role in Hamari Baat (1943). In the film, she played the second lead alongside Devika Rani and had a duet dance and her song with Arun Kumar, "Bistar Bicha Diya Hai Tere Ghar Ke Samne" became very popular. It eventually earned her more success and became the eighth highest grossing release of the year.[23][27][28]
With no film release in 1944, the year 1945 proved to be a crucial year in Suraiya's career. She had five films that year, including Yateem, Samrat Chandragupta and Main Kya Karoon. The five-year contract was revoked by Devika Rani on Suraiya's request, when K. Asif offered Suraiya Rs. 40,000 for his directorial debut Phool. She played Shama alongside Prithviraj Kapoor.[29] The film Tadbir marked her first film with K. L. Saigal, who liked her voice during a rehearsal of a song for Jayant Desai's film Samrat Chandragupt, in which she was acting. He recommended her to Desai, opposite himself in Tadbir, where she played his lover Saguna.[30]Phool and Tadbir became the fourth and fifth highest-grossing films of the year respectively.[24] Baburao Patel in his review for Filmindia, praised Suraiya as the lead in Tadbir.[31]
The films Jag Biti and 1857 were Suraiya's first two releases of the year 1946. In 1857, that was set against the backdrop of the Indian Rebellion of 1857, she played Tasnim opposite Surendra.[32] Suraiya then acted as the second lead in Mehboob Khan's Anmol Ghadi (1946) with Noor Jehan as the lead with Surendra. She played a willful village girl Basanti.[33][34] Praising her performance in Anmol Ghadi, Dinesh Raheja of Rediff.com noted: "True to her name Basanti, Suraiya wafts through the film like a rejuvenating spring breeze. She is achingly young and full of beans."[34] Despite Jehan's presence, the film proved to be a major breakthrough for Suraiya. She then reunited with K. L. Saigal in Omar Khaiyyam, playing Mehru.[35]1857, Anmol Ghadi and Omar Khaiyyam emerged among the year's highest grossing releases and consolidated Suraiya's career.[33][36]
Suraiya had five film releases in the year of India's independence. She first played the free spirited Gopi, who is suspected to have an affair with a married man in Parwana.[37] Although by then she had a few hit songs, the four solo songs which she sang in Parwana for music director Khwaja Khurshid Anwar made her a genuine singer-film star.[38] It marked her final film with Saigal, who died a month before the film's release.[39] Suraiya then appeared in Dak Bangla, Naatak, Do Dil and Do Naina. Her last film of the year was Dard, with Munawwar Sultana as the lead actress and Nusrat as the hero. She played Hamida, who falls in love with a doctor.[40] Her film Dard became a surprise hit and along with Parwana, it was one of the year's biggest success.[41]
Noor Jehan and Khursheed's departure to Pakistan, inadvertently added to Suraiya's success.[42] Between 1948 and 1950, Suraiya earned both critical and commercial success. In 1948, she first played the lead opposite Motilal Rajvansh in Aaj Ki Raat. She next played the titular role in Kajal and appeared in Gajre.[43] The year marked her first project opposite Dev Anand, who was relatively new.[44] In Vidya, she played a wealthy woman who falls in love with a poor cobbler. While shooting for Vidya, she became romantically involved with him.[45][46] When her film opposite Rehman, Pyar Ki Jeet was released, it caused large crowds outside Suraiya's house that was uncontrollable.[47] Suraiya also acted in Shakti and Rang Mahal that year. Out of these seven films, Pyar Ki Jeet became the biggest hit.[48] In her films with Anand, Suraiya was always the first biller in the credits, indicating her stardom.[43] As per the book, The Women of Punjab, as a singing actress opposite Anand, her films achieved umpteen jubilees.[49]
The year 1949 marked the peak of Suraiya's success with 11 film releases, a rare feat for an actress at that point of time.[50]Naach, Lekh, Duniya and Char Din were mediocre films. She then played a married woman Shanta, whose husband loves a dancer in Singaar. Suraiya then reunited with Dev Anand in Jeet (as Jeet) and Shair (as Rani), playing his childhood sweetheart in both these films.[51] Suraiya then played Kamla in Balam and Kanchan in Amar Kahani.[43] In Dillagi, Suraiya played Mala, who is in love with Swaroop (played by Shyam), but is forced to marry someone else. Deepa Gahlot praised the film and added it in her book 50 Films that Deserve a New Audience.[52] Her last film of the year was Badi Behen with Rehman, where she played a protective elder sister Shyama.[53] During the premiere of Badi Behen, there was a very large crowd outside the cinema hall and the police had to baton-charge when Suraiya was walking into the hall. Suraiya stopped going to the premieres of her films, after the incident.[54]Dillagi, Badi Behen and Singaar were the biggest commercial successes of the year.[55]
In 1950, Suraiya's first few releases were Shaan, Khiladi and Kamal Ke Phool. She then acted opposite Dev Anand in Nilli and Afsar. In Nilli, she plays the titular role of an ordinary girl turned into a princess, while Afsar was the first film produced under Anand's production Navketan Films, with Suraiya playing Bimla.[56] Her biggest success of the year was Dastan. Suraiya played an orphan Indira opposite Raj Kapoor. Bhaichand Patel stated that Suraiya's acting "over-shadowed" that of Kapoor.[57] From the mid-to late 1940s to the early 1950s, Suraiya was the highest-paid and most popular star of the Indian cinema.[58][59] From 1948 to 1949, she appeared in over 18 films, most of which turned out to be among the highest grossing releases of the year. From 1945 to 1954, she acted in twelve highest-grossing films.[60]
During the years 1951–53, Suraiya's career saw a fluctuation with a series of commercial failures—in the films Shokiyan, Rajput, Resham, Moti Mahal, Lal Kunwar, Khubsoorat, Goonj and Mashuqa. The last two films opposite Dev Anand Do Sitare and Sanam (as Sadhana Devi) were moderate hits. Sanam marked their last film together as post that, Suraiya and Anand never worked together.[61][62] The only major commercial success in this period was Diwana opposite Suresh. She played a nomadic woman Laali who was married to a prince, but was separated by his father. The film became a success and celebrated a Silver Jubilee at the box office, becoming Suraiya's second film after Anmol Ghadi to do so.[63][64]
Suraiya made a comeback in 1954. She played a tawaif Moti Begum in her career's most notable film, Mirza Ghalib,[65] which won two awards at the 1954 National Film Awards. Suraiya shone both as an actress and as a singer for her rendition of Ghalib's lover, Chaudvin. Jawaharlal Nehru, commented on seeing the film, "Tumne Mirza Ghalib kii ruuh ko zindaa kar diyaa," ("You have brought the soul of Mirza Ghalib back to life").[66][67] While reviewing the film, Samira Sood of The Print called Suraiya the "soul" of the film and stated: "This movie belongs to Suraiya, whose voice communicates not only love, longing, hope and heartbreak, but the centuries-old magic of Ghalib."[68] In her next release, Suraiya again played a courtesan, named Chintamani in Bilwamangal. Later, Suraiya played Shobha, whose husband dies in war in Waris and Sahebzadi Aalam, whose is in love with a poet in Shama Parwana, opposite Shammi Kapoor.[67] Among these, Waaris turned out to be a moderate success.[69]
In the mid-50s, Suraiya told Lata Mangeshkar once that she would soon be cutting down on her films. Lata told her not to do so. After 1954, Suraiya started to cut down on her work and appeared in films occasionally. Her two releases of 1955 were Kanchan (1955), which was released in 1949 as Amar Kahani and re-released as Kanchan, and Inam. In 1956, she played a protective sister Jyoti in Mr. Lambu, which was a box office hit. In 1958, Suraiya appeared in three films: Trolly Driver, with Rehman where she played Renu, Miss 1958 and Maalik.[70][71] Post a two-year absence, Suraiya appeared as Roshan Ara in Shama in 1961.[72][73]
The 1963 film Rustam Sohrab, with Prithviraj Kapoor was her last film. Suraiya played a princess Shehzadi Tahmina opposite Kapoor's Rustom Zabuli. Suraiya in an interview said that during the shooting of the film, she suffered from low blood pressure, which she cited as the reason for her retirement from acting.[74][75] Her song "Ye kaisi ajab dastan ho gayi hai", from the film is considered among her best songs.[76] Suraiya's final film association was in 1964, when she produced the film Shagoon. She produced the film under the name Suraiya Mubin.[77] For her contribution to the Indian cinema, Suraiya received the Screen Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996 and Bimal Roy Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999.[78][79][80]
Suraiya's film Jaanwar in the early 1950s with Dilip Kumar as the leading star (and K. Asif as director), was left incomplete by her, as she refused to act in the film, because of rough behaviour by Dilip Kumar during the shooting of the film, when he tore her blouse and bruised her back so badly that it took a month to heal. Later, director-producer K. Asif wanted a kissing scene. Suraiya knew that censors would not pass it. When she asked Asif how he would get it through the censors, he could not satisfy her and she withdrew from the film. There was another story also, that Dilip Kumar and K. Asif were hand in glove to exploit and humiliate Suraiya, because Suraiya had earlier ignored Dilip Kumar's plea to act with her. So they did some torrid scene and kept on repeating it for four days. Fed up with this ghastly behaviour of the two, Suraiya refused to act for them and withdrew from the film.[81] In 1953, Suraiya refused the film Anarkali as heroine, a role which went to Bina Rai.[82]
Two other of her films were left incompleted, one of which was Pagalkhana (also, in early 50s), with Bharat Bhushan as lead actor, which was abandoned by the producer director P.L. Santoshi after eight reels, because of financial constraints.[9] The other was an English version of Wajid Ali Shah, starring Suraiya and Ashok Kumar in 1953, being filmed by British film director Herbert Marshall, was shelved after being made for some time.[83] A number of her films were announced with advertisements in film magazines, but were partially made or did not take off. These were Palken with Shekhar, to be produced and directed by Devendra Goel, for Goel Cine Corporation; Gumrah by Globe Pictures, Bombay; Nigah by CB Films; Sanwri by Kundi Art Productions, produced and directed by Niranjan and Ching Chow to be produced by Nigaristan (producers of Moti Mahal).[9] Later, it was revealed that Suraiya was K. Asif's first choice to play Anarkali in Mughal-e-Azam (1960).[84][85]
Suraiya is regarded as the first actor-singer of Independent India.[86] In his book, Tilak Rishi noted: "Suraiya was people's choice as the most popular singing superstar".[87] She made her singing debut as a child-singer was "Boot Karun Main Polish Babu" in the film Nai Duniya (1942), composed by Naushad.[88] She went on to sing playback for actress Mehtab for Sharda (1942), Kanoon (1943) and Sanjog (1942–43) for Naushad and A.R. Kardar (director-producer), when her principal, Miss P.F. Puttack, took a strong view of her truancy from school, and her 'adventure' came to an abrupt halt. When Mehtab first saw baby Suraiya, she was hesitant to have her as her playback singer, but on hearing her, she wanted Suraiya to sing all her songs in her films.[89] Even in later years, in 1946, Mehtab was so attached to Suraiya's singing, that she requested Suraiya to record disc versions of her songs in her film Shama (1946), produced by Sohrab Modi, when Suraiya had become a busy heroine and had left singing playback in films for Mehtab. Suraiya then sang for Mehtab, in her own disc versions which were recorded by Shamshad Begum in the film.[90]
Suraiya debuted with Manna Dey in his first Hindi film song, and their only duet 'Jago ayee usha' in Tamanna in 1942, was directed by his uncle, the famous K. C. Dey.[91] Again in 1942, Suraiya paired with Rajkumari in Station Master ( with music director Naushad) for the song 'Sajan ghar aye'.[92] Suraiya acted in both these films.[8] In 1943, Suraiya sang a song "Ek Tu Hoo, Ek Main Hoon", music composed by Naushad, in the film Kanoon, which was the first song in Bombay music industry, which had characteristics of Latin American music.[93] The song "Bistar Bicha Liya Hai Tere Dar Ke Samne Ghar Hum Ne Le Liya hai Tere Ghar ke Samne", which Suraiya sang in duet with Arun Kumar for the film Hamari Baat (1943) was a major success.[94]
A few years later, the singer-actor, K. L. Saigal was so impressed by the singing of the 16-year-old Suraiya, that he agreed to have her opposite him in the film Tadbir as a heroine and a singer in 1945. The music was directed by Lal Mohammad in the film. "Rani khol de dawar milne ka din aa gaya" is a memorable song from the film, she sang it with Saigal. Saigal again opted for Suraiya as his heroine and a singer in the films Omar Khayyam (1946) (with music director Lal Mohammad) and Parwana (1947) (with music director Khurshid Anwar). Parwana was Saigal's last film and was released after his death.[95][96] Later, Suraiya continued to work with music director Naushad in a few films, and in 1946, she appeared with actress Noor Jehan in Anmol Ghadi as a co-star, with Naushad as the music director. She sang three songs in the film which became popular, of which 'Man leta hai angdai' went viral throughout the country. The musical film Dillagi (1949), under Kardar's direction, with Naushad's music, became a silver jubilee hit, with Suraiya becoming a national rage with her songs and acting. She sang about 51 songs for Naushad.[97]
Suraiya's hits included songs like "Woh paas rahen ya door rahen", "Tere nainon ne chori kiya", "Tu mera chand, main teri chandni", "Man mor hua matwala", and "Nain diwane ik nahin mane".[57]Khurshid Anwar was the music director in three films of Suraiya, viz. Ishara (1943), Parwana (1947) and Singaar (1949). Suraiya sang 13 songs in these films.[98][99] With the music director duo, Husnlal Bhagatram, Suraiya sang in 10 films and recorded the most songs (58, excluding 6 repeat songs for the film Kanchan) for any music director from 1948 to 1958.[100] The films were Pyar Ji Jeet (1948), Aaj Ki Raat (1948), Naach (1949), Balam (1949), Bari Behen(1949), Amar Kahani(1949), Sanam (1951), Shama Parwana(1954), Kanchan (1955) and Trolley Driver (1955).[101] Her song "O, door janewale, wada na bhul jana" in Pyar Ki Jeet in 1948 became a hit all over India.[102] Suraiya did only three films with music composer Sachin Dev BurmanVidya (1948), Afsar (1949) and Lal Kunwar (1952), as she was associated with other composers, and S.D. Burman came late into the scene in Bombay. Yet, most of their songs are memorable. "Man mor hua matwala" (in Afsar), "Nain Deewane", "Layi khushi ki dunia" (with Mukesh in 'Vidya') and "Preet sataye teri yaad na" in Lal Kunwar being some of them.[103][104]
Ghulam Mohammad gave music for the National Award-winning film Mirza Ghalib (1954), in which she sang memorable songs of Mirza Ghalib. Kajal, Shair and Shama were other films for which he composed music for Suraiya.[105] Other directors who composed music for her in her film songs, include C. Ramchandra in the film Dewana, Roshan in the film Masuka, K. Dutta (in the films, Rang Mahal and Yateem), Krishen Dayal (in the film, Lekh for songs, such as, "Dil ka qarar lut gaya" and "Badra ki chaon tale"), S. Mohinder (in Nilli), Sardul Kwatra (in Goonj), Madan Mahan (in Khubsoorat), Roshan (in Mashuqa for songs, such as, "Mera bachpan wapas aya"), S.N.Tripahi (in Inaam), O.P. Nayyar (in Mr. Lamboo) and N. Dutta (in Miss 58).[106] The music for her film, Main kya karoon (1945) was composed by Nino Mujamdar, for the film Shakti by Ram Prashad. Hansraj Behl composed music for the films Khilari (songs, such as, "Chahat ka bhulana mushkil hai" and Dil nashad na ro"), Shaan (songs, such as, "Tarap ae dil"), "Rajput", "Moti Mehal" and "Resham". Her music director in the film Shokian (songs, such as, "Ratoon ki neend chheen li") was Jamal Sen and Bilo C. Rani directed music in the film Bilwamangal (songs, such as, "Parwano se preet sekh le"), Shyam Sunder gave music for her films, Char Din and Kamal ke Phool. Sajjad Husain was her music director in two films, viz. 1857 and Rustom Sohrab.[107][108][109]
Suraiya was in a relationship with actor Dev Anand for four years from 1948 to 1951.[110][111] Anand nicknamed Suraiya "Nosey", while to Suraiya, Dev Anand was "Steve", a name chosen from a book Dev Anand had given her.[112] Suraiya also called Anand "Devina" and he called her "Suraiyana", while faking an Italian accent.[113]Kamini Kaushal, who worked with Suraiya and Anand in Shair (1949), said in an interview to Filmfare in 2014, that Suraiya would pass on her letters to her to be delivered to Anand, when her grandmother started keeping an eye on their love-affair.[114]
During the shooting of Jeet (1949), both Anand and Suraiya, had made plans for marriage and elopement, but at the last minute, an assistant director, jealous of their marriage, informed Suraiya's grandmother, who dragged her home from the scene.[115][116] In the 'Star and Style' interview, Suraiya said that she gave in only when both her grandmother and her maternal uncle threatened to get Dev Anand killed.[117] While shooting Afsar (1950), Dev Anand again proposed to her and gave her an engagement diamond ring worth rupees 3000. Suraiya's maternal grandmother, was fiercely opposed to Suraiya marrying Anand.[118] She was supported by Suraiya's maternal uncle Zahoor and some film persons, viz. composer Naushad, director-producer A.R. Kardar, lyricist Naqshab and director M. Sadiq. Her grandmother had opposed the relationship, mainly because they were Muslims and Anand was a Hindu.[119] The covert reason was that Suraiya was the only earning member of the family.[82][118][120]
Suraiya and Anand were stopped from acting together after their last film in 1951 by her grandmother. Thereafter, Suraiya remained unmarried by her own choice for the rest of her life.[119][121] In an interview with Stardust, in June 1972, Suraiya revealed that she lacked the courage to resist her family and that Anand truly loved her. Anand wanted her to be bold and marry him in a civil court, but she refused.[122][123][82] Dev Anand went on to marry Kalpana Kartik two years later in 1954 in a hurried simple marriage. Suraiya remained unmarried all her life.[124][125]
While working as a child artist at All India Radio, Suraiya became friends with Raj Kapoor and Madan Mohan, who later became an actor and music director respectively.[126] Suraiya shared a cordial relationship with many people from the industry and was friends with Paidi Jairaj, Nimmi, Nirupa Roy, Tabassum and lyricist Hasan Kamal. Suraiya established a close bond with composer Naushad, whom she considered her mentor. Naushad stated that post her departure from the industry, Suraiya limited her friends circle and met only few people occasionally.[127]
In 1963, Suraiya retired from acting career, supposedly due to two reasons. Her father Aziz Jamal Sheikh died that year, and because of her health problems.[128][129] Suraiya lived with her mother Mumtaz Begum after her father's death. Her friends in the industry were Paidi Jairaj, Nimmi, Nirupa Roy and Tabassum, whom she met occasionally.[130] In 1979, Suraiya gave an interview to Raju Bhartan for The Illustrated Weekly of India, gaining limelight.[82] After her mother's death in 1987, Suraiya became lonely.[131] She lived in Krishna Mahal, Marine Drive, since the early 1940s. Suraiya possessed several apartments in Worli, Mumbai and property in Lonavala, near Pune.[132][133]
Suraiya was concerned about the increase of sexualized imagery and violence in films. Speaking at a 1994 Cine Society event, she decried the producers' evident idea that this was good entertainment, and the Censor Board's overly lax "see no evil, speak no evil" approach to the matter. She said this was "leading the new generation in a wrong direction".[134]
In December 1998, Suraiya then over 68 years old, while in New Delhi to receive the Sahitya Academy Award during Mirza Ghalib's bi-centenary celebrations, talked in a low voice and declined to sing, saying she had left “mosiqui (music) years ago”.[9]Tabassum, who worked with Suraiya said, "It's sad that she had shut her doors to the world in her last days. But she'd talk comfortably with me on the phone. I remember our last conversation. I asked her: "Aapa kaisi hain?" (Elder sister, how are you?") She replied in verse: "Kaisi guzar rahi hai sabhi poochte hai mujhse, kaise guzaarti hoon koi nahin poochta."( "Everybody asks me 'how are you', but nobody asks me how I spend my days and nights.") (As told to Farhana Farook in 2012).[135]
Suraiya died at Mumbai's Harkishandas Hospital on 31 January 2004 aged 75, after being admitted there for a week previously suffering from various ailments, including hypoglycemia, ischaemia and insulinoma.[12] Among her visitors were Sunil Dutt, Naushad and Pratap A. Rana.[136] Actor Dharmendra, who was her ardent fan, attended her funeral.[137] She was buried at Badakabarastan in Marine Lines, Mumbai. During the last six months of her life, Suraiya lived with her lawyer, Dhimant Thakkar and his family.[138] After her death, Suraiya's property at Worli and her house at Marine Drive went into legal dispute, as she did not leave behind an explicit will.[139][140][141] In 2006, Mumbai High Court granted her Pakistani cousin, Mehfooz Ahmed (maternal uncle M. Zahoor's son) the right to administer the estate. In 2008, Ahmed, who never met her for over 40 years before her death, got the right to the rented house at Krishna Mahal, valued at 7.5 crores rupees, as a tenant by the High Court judgement (according to Mumbai's old rent control laws) over her family lawyer. The cousin had no objection to the house being sold.[142][143]
Suraiya is regarded as one of the greatest and most accomplished actresses of Indian cinema.[144][145] She is noted for her simple roles, sweet voice and beauty. One of the highest paid actress of the 1940s and 1950s, Suraiya appeared in Box Office India's "Top Actresses" list seven times, from 1944 to 1950, and topped the list for three years (1948–1950).[2]Box Office India also named her as the "Best Actress" of the 1940–1949 period.[146] In 2022, she topped Outlook India's "75 Best Bollywood Actresses" list.[147] In 2013, Suraiya's film looks were voted as the "Best on-screen beauty", on the completion of 100 years of the Indian cinema.[148] Suraiya set fashion trends, that are still relevant and her sarees are a major style statement of the 1940s and 1950s.[149][150]
After Suraiya established her career as a leading lady, she subsequently use to charge ₹1 lakh to ₹2 lakh per film and had a collection of limousines, including a Buick and a Lincoln.[151][152] Suraiya was the highest paid actress of her time and was the first Indian actress who was paid more than her male co-actors.[4] In his book The Immortal Queen Suraiya, Ranjan Sain wrote about her work ethics, he said, "Suraiya's day began with recitations from the Holy Quran, some exercise and breakfast. Next were shoots at the studios where she was known to be very friendly and treated everyone with respect. She had no airs or demands and would make no fuss about anything, from her hair and makeup to costumes, camera angles, footage or dialogues. She faced the camera with confidence and accepted the outcome with grace."[153] Commenting on Suraiya's stardom, Ismat Chughtai stated: "After her early work as a singer, Suraiya took a big leap and became a film star — one who sparkled so brightly that for a while, even Nargis paled before her.[154]
In 1946, Suraiya's film Anmol Ghadi celebrated Silver Jubilee (25 weeks continuous run in one or more cinema halls) in Bombay and other cities of India.[82] In 1951, the inaugural issue of the film news-weekly Screen featured Suraiya on its cover.[155] In the early fifties, her singing made a significant mark in people's lives [in India and Pakistan], so much so that fruit sellers sold watermelons in her name, "Le lo babuji bade meethein hai, Suraiya ke khet ke hai." (These watermelons are as sweet as Suraiya's voice).[156] Actor Dharmendra admitted to being a big fan of the actress. He remembers walking miles to see Suraiya's Dillagi 40 times.[157] Singer Lata Mangeshkar confessed to look up to her and said, "Suraiyaji sang mostly her songs on screen, and not for others. In my opinion, she was a very refined actress, truly gifted. Her acting was subtle and sensitive."[158] Actors Iftekhar, Rehman and director M. Sadiq admired Suraiya and had expressed their desire to marry the actress.[159][154] Due to her perceived appeal, Suraiya became one of the brand ambassadors of beauty products by Lux.[160]
On her films and roles, Suraiya stated: "Most of my roles were simple, but the audiences loved them. I was lucky to have got simple, melodious and easy to pick up songs to sing, and work with the best composers of the day like Naushad, Husnlal-Bhagatram and Anil Biswas."[161] Post the release of her film Bari Behen (1949), Suraiya stopped attending film premieres. Suraiya said, "When I went for the premiere of the movie, there was such a big crowd outside! As I walked into the theatre, they pulled at my clothes. There was a lathi charge and people were injured. I stopped going for premieres thereafter."[162] Suraiya was known to be the most popular actress in the early years of Independence and was known for her female characters that "stood shoulder-to-shoulder" with their male counterparts.[163][164]T. J. S. George stated in The Life and Times of Nargis that, Suraiya ruled "unchallenged" post partition.[165] In his book Bollywood's Top 20 Superstars of Indian Cinema, Niranjan Iyengar wrote about her and noted: "Suraiya had become a national rage post her success in 1948-1949. Her glamour was hailed by film scribes as comparable to actresses Rita Hayworth, Lana Turner and Ava Gardner".[57]
Suraiya was known as the first superstar singer-actress of Indian films. She was widely successful as an actress and singer and was called "Singing Star".[166] Music director Naushad found Suraiya's voice as the voice of the girl next door. He said, "It was an unsophisticated and charming voice and very effortless."[167] Journalist Rauf Ahmed added Suriya on his "Biggest stars in Hindi filmdom" list and noted, "A singing sensation of her time, Suraiya was the first female star. No one has been able to emulate her."[168] A writer from Saregama noted, "A singer by nature, an actress by coincidence, and a legend by her own making; Suraiya was the last actor and singer in Hindi cinema back in the 1940s before the era of playback singers kicked in."[169] Pran Nevile of The Hindu termed her an "unforgettable singing legend" and noted, "In her heyday, she turned a legend and the highest paid artiste of her time. During the mid-forties, she dominated the film world with her music."[170] In The Immortal Queen Suraiya, Ranjan Sain stated: "Suraiya became a huge star, yet was very disciplined and handled her busy work schedule efficiently. With 11 releases in 1949 [something no other actress had achieved], she unleashed hysteria all over the country."[153]
Suraiya is known among the finest actresses of Indian cinema.[171] Alongside Noor Jehan, she was the biggest star in the country before Independence.[172] She earned praises with her roles in the films: Anmol Ghadi, Vidya, Pyar Ki Jeet, Bari Behen, Dillagi, Dastaan and Mirza Ghalib. From 1948 to 1949, a trio of hits—Pyar Ki Jeet, Badi Behan and Dillagi—made Suraiya a star.[173] In the post-independence era, the cinema initially was mainly female-oriented, with Suraiya being the front-runner.[172] Her path-breaking roles include portrayal of a willful girl in Anmol Ghadi, a strong and protective sister in Bari Behen and Mr. Lambu, a wealthy women in love with a poor cobbler in Vidya, an orphan in Dastaan, a nomadic woman in Diwana, a courtesan in Mirza Ghalib and Bilwamangal, and a princess in Rustam Sohrab.[174][175] She named her roles in the films - Parwana, Kajal and Mirza Ghalib as her favourites.[176]
The author of Celebrities: A Comprehensive Biographical Thesaurus of Important Men and Women in India, credited Suraiya for saving several films, with her "fine portrayals and dulcet songs".[177] Arushi Jain of The Indian Express said that she was the highest-paid actor, earning more than her male counterparts. She noted, "Indian audiences of a certain vintage will remember Suraiya as a mesmerising face, a soulful voice and a graceful performer during 1940-1950s."[4] Asjad Nazir of Eastern Eye termed her "screen queen" and said, "The biggest music and film star in India created the kind of mania with fans not seen before, with unprecedented crowds gathering to catch a glimpse of her."[178] Journalist Adi Katrak called her, the first artist of the film industry to enjoy "star value" and noted her 1940s stardom to be bigger than that of Nargis and Dilip Kumar. He also noted how Suraiya was a "freelance", not bounded by contracts of big productions.[179]
Suraiya generally preferred "spunky roles" in contrast to her submissive, swooning peers. Her strong female characters were a significant feature of pre-independence Indian films.[180] According to Kanana Jhingana, Suraiya acted as a link to connect "tradition and modernity" with her films, her work represented the inclusion of Muslim voices and bodies in the aural/visual composite of Hindi cinema.[181] Dinesh Raheja of Rediff.com noted, "Save for her arresting, almond-shaped eyes, Suraiya was not a classic beauty; nor did she trained in classical music. But, what gave her an edge over contemporaries Kamini Kaushal and Nargis was her ability to sing her own songs. Suraiya's dastaan, ajeeb but fascinating, continues to thrive on lore, speculation and memories."[173] A journalist of Outlook India called her a "singing superstar" and stated, "The only Hindi film actress to be felicitated by two Prime Ministers for the same role – with which she performed a salutary service to Indian literature. Suraiya, both on and off the screen, sent audiences swooning with her films."[5]
Suraiya was equally known for her singing and was the only actor-singer in Hindi cinema before the start of playback singing era.[182] Commenting on her singing style, Ashok Ranade opined: "Suraiya's voice is neither thin nor broad and its strength is clearly felt in pronunciation of individual words, projection of line-endings and the facility with which she moves in the given tonal framework. Suraiya's voice is adequate for a kind of singing which maintains a relationship of continuity with speech tone --- a fact often lost sight of".[183] Manish Telikicherla Chary said that Suraiya dominated the 1940s and 1950s with her singing.[184] Vijay Poolakkal in his book stated that Suraiya was Husnlal Bhagatram's first choice as female singer in the 40s.[185] Param Arunachalam of DNA India wrote, "Suraiya was among the last of the actor-singers who transitioned gracefully from the live singing to playback singing era."[186] A News18 India writer noted, "In a professional manner, Suraiya's performances were distinguished by elegance and grace, and she sang from the depths of passion and tenderness in her heart and soul."[187]
In November 1956, Suraiya was sent to the Soviet Union by the Government of India as part of a delegate consisting of Raj Kapoor, Nargis and Kamini Kaushal, where her films were screened.[188] When Suraiya's film Mirza Ghalib was awarded the President's gold medal for the Best Feature Film of 1954 during the 2nd National Film Awards, the then Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, praised her acting and songs and said that, Suraiya brought Mirza Ghalib's soul to life (Tumne Mirza Ghalib ki rooh ko zindaa kar diyaa).[66][189] Suraiya later stated that she thought his praise was "more worthy than an Oscar".[190] In 1998, Suraiya was honoured for perpetuating Mirza Ghalib's memory by her acting and songs by the then prime minister of India, Atal Behari Vajpayee during the Mirza Ghalib bi-centenary celebrations in New Delhi.[191] In 2003, Suraiya was honoured and awarded a memento by the Dadasaheb Phalke Academy and Screen World Publication at a special function organised on the 134th birth anniversary of Dadasaheb Phalke.[192]
On her death, Dev Anand said "I felt sad on her death. I did not go to her funeral because I would have been reminded of the past. I cried from a distance."[195] Anand later wrote about his days with Suraiya in his autobiography, "Romancing With Life" in 2007.[196]Dilip Kumar added, "Suraiya was a caring girl, very affectionate, particularly with junior artistes... Suraiya will be sorely missed, even though she had been a recluse for decades."[197][198][199]
Suraiya on a 2013 stamp of India
In May 2013, a postage stamp, bearing her image in various roles, was released by the India Post of the Government of India to honour her on the occasion of the 100 years of Indian Cinema.[200] Suraiya's songs, as a tribute to her, are played every year on her birth anniversary (15 June) and her death anniversary (31 January), by Radio Ceylon.[201] In 2016, Bhaichand Patel wrote about Suraiya in his book "Bollywood's Top 20: Superstars of Indian Cinema".[57]ShemarooMe gave tribute to Suraiya through the shows Naam Toh Suna Hoga and Screen Legends, in 2021 and 2022 respectively.[202][203] In 2023, an exhibition at Kiran Nadar Museum of Art in Noida, named "Sitaare Zameen Par", had portraits of Suraiya that were captured by JH Thakkar.[204] The same year, her souvenirs were auctioned online, along with that of other actresses.[205] In 2024, Ranjan Sain published Suraiya's biography, "The Immortal Queen Suraiya".[153]
"Suraiya Bano to me, was a bundle of unforgettable qualities. A sublime voice, the ring in the voice, the perfect diction, the effortless rendering. But she always insisted that she was no singer... There were congratulations all around (on her success in his film), but Suraiya insisted she was no great shakes as an actress. When she gave a sterling performance in Bari Behen, the success made Suraiya smile. She was right at the top and I was very happy for her."[206]
—Director O. P. Dutta on Suraiya (after her death)
Giving tribute to Suraiya, The Tribune wrote, "The screen goddess and singing star, Suraiya Jamal Sheikh, had the world at her feet. Her career spanned a little over two decades but she left behind a vast repertoire of songs and films for audiences to delight in."[167]Outlook wrote after her death, "She evoked the kind of hysteria [in the late 1940s] that can be compared only with Rajesh Khanna in his heyday from 1969 to 1972. Ask any old-timer and they would confirm that people bunked offices, schools and colleges, even shops closed on the opening day of her films, to see her films first day, first show."[207]The Hindu wrote about Suraiya: "What can you say about a lady, who was courted by Dev Anand, respected by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, but feared by Lata Mangeshkar! That she was beautiful, talented, adored by millions, but died a lonely single woman? Or, that she was the best ever superstar singer-actress of Indian films, yet walked away to a self-imposed exile at the height of her glory? Yes, Suraiya was all this, plus 'a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma' who resolutely shunned screen and media once she departed from the arc lights."[8][208]
In 2022, actress Paoli Dam dressed herself as Suraiya and recreated her look from Anmol Ghadi (1946), on the occasion of 75 years of Independence.[212]
In 2024, Ranjan Sain wrote the first ever biography on Suraiya named, The Immortal Queen Suraiya.[153]
Suraiya has been an important character in biographies written on Dev Anand, namely: His autobiography Romancing with Life,[213] and the biographies, The Dev Anand Story,[214] and Dev Saab: A Journey with the legend Dev Anand.[215]
^"Suraiya – An unsung journey". Deccan Herald. Archived from the original on 4 January 2012. Retrieved 24 October 2020. Mirza Ghalib was made memorable by some melodious numbers. Her work moved Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru so much that he complimented the singing star by saying, "Tumne to Mirza Ghalib ki rooh ko zinda kar diya"
^Suraiya (25 September 2020) [Speech from March 1994]. KHUSHBOO KA SAFAR – खुशबू का सफ़र Ep.03 (Television production) (in Hindi and English). Mumbai, India: Doordarshan Sahyadri. Archived from the original on 6 September 2024. (Segments from Suraiya's speech at the 21–26 March 1994 retrospective of her films in connection with Cine Society's Silver Jubilee at 07:32–08:43, 11:26–13:08, 15:35–17:36.)
Suraiya Jamal Sheikh (June 15, 1929 – January 31, 2004), popularly known by the mononym Suraiya, was a popular actress and playback singer in India's Hindi language films. She was active from 1936 to 1963.
In a career spanning from 1936 to 1963, Suraiya acted in 67 films and sang 338 songs. She was one of the greatest actresses of Hindi Cinema and a leading lady in Hindi language films in the 1940s and 1950s. She was also a renowned playback singer, who mostly sang for herself, starting from a song in Nai Duniya (1942) when she was only 12 years old.
Suraiya was known for her North Indian Muslim feudal style acting or adakari in many of her films. Suraiya made her first appearance as a child artist with the film Madame Fashion (1936), directed by Jaddan Bai. She made her acting debut with the film Taj Mahalin which she played the role of Mumtaz Mahal. In her heyday, she was known as Malika-e-Husn (queen of beauty), Malika-e-Tarannum (queen of melody) and Malika-e-Adakari (queen of acting). Suraiya was the highest-paid actress in the 1940s and 1950s and won several awards for her performances in Indian films.
Dev Anand (born Dharamdev Pishorimal Anand; 26 September 1923 – 3 December 2011) was an Indian actor, writer, director and producer known for his work in Hindi cinema. Anand is considered as one of the greatest and most successful actors in the history of Indian cinema.[1] Through a career that spanned over six decades, he worked in more than 100 films. Anand is a recipient of four Filmfare Awards, including two for Best Actor. The Government of India honoured him with Padma Bhushan, Indian third highest civilian honour in 2001 and with Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2002.[2]
Anand's fast dialogue delivery and unique nodding style became the trademarks of his acting in movies. His style was often copied by other actors. Many of Dev Anand's films explored his cultural viewpoint of the world and often highlighted many socially relevant topics. Anand won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor for the films Kala Pani and Guide. Anand was married to actress Kalpana Kartik, with whom he had two children, including Suneil Anand.
His father Pishori Lal Anand was a prominent lawyer in Gurdaspur District Court. Pishori Lal Anand was also a freedom fighter and scholar affiliated with the Arya Samaj organization, who would study world religions in different languages (the Bhagavad-Gita in Sanskrit, the Bible in Hebrew, the Qur'an in Arabic while he also knew Persian).[14]
Dev was the third of four sons born to Pishori Lal Anand. One of Dev's younger sisters Sheel Kanta Kapur, is the mother of film director Shekhar Kapur. His older brothers included Manmohan Anand (Advocate, Gurdaspur Dist. Court) and Chetan Anand, while Vijay Anand was his younger brother.[11]
After completing his BA degree in English literature from the Government College, Lahore (then in British India). Anand left his hometown for Bombay in the early 1940s. He began his career in the military censor's office at Churchgate, for a monthly salary of Rs. 65. Later, he worked as a clerk in an accounting firm for a salary of Rs. 85.[20] He joined his older brother, Chetan, as a member of the Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA). Anand aspired to become a performer after seeing Ashok Kumar's performance in films such as Achhut Kanya and Kismet.[21] Anand quoted in an interview that "I remember when I gate-crashed into the office of the man who gave me the first break, he kept looking at me – Babu Rao Pai of Prabhat Film Studios. At that time he made up his mind that this boy deserves a break and later mentioned to his people that 'this boy struck me because of his smile and beautiful eyes and his tremendous confidence.'"[22] Then he was soon offered the lead role in Prabhat Films' Hum Ek Hain (1946), a film about Hindu-Muslim unity, where Dev Anand played a Hindu boy and was paired opposite Kamala Kotnis.[23] While shooting the film in Pune, Anand befriended the actor Guru Dutt. Between them, they agreed that if one of them were to become successful in the film industry, he would help the other also to be successful. They formed a mutual understanding that when Anand produced a film, Dutt would direct it and when Dutt directed a film, Anand would act in it.[24]
In the late 1940s, Anand was offered a few roles starring as the male lead opposite singer-actress Suraiya in woman-oriented films.[25] While shooting these films, they became romantically involved. The two of them were paired in many films: Vidya (1948), Jeet (1949), Shair (1949), Afsar (1950), Nili (1950), Sanam and Do Sitare (1951).[26][27] In these films, Suraiya was always the first biller in the credits, indicating that she was a bigger star than Anand. She fell in love with him during the shooting of the song Kinare Kinare Chale Jayen Ge from the film Vidya— while shooting the scene, the boat they were in capsized, and Anand saved Suraiya from drowning. Initially, Suraiya's family used to welcome Anand at home, but when her maternal grandmother found out that the two were in love, and even planned an actual marriage on the set of Jeet, she started monitoring them. The two shared love letters and messages through their co-actors, like Durga Khote and Kamini Kaushal, who went out of their way to engineer secret rendezvous. During the shooting of the film Afsar (1950), Anand finally proposed to Suraiya and gave her a diamond ring worth Rs 3,000. Her maternal grandmother opposed the relationship as they were Muslim and Anand was Hindu, so, Suraiya remained unmarried.[28][29] They stopped acting together after her grandmother opposed their partnership, and Do Sitare was the last film in which they appeared together.[30][31] Although the films he starred in with Suraiya had been successful, the producers and directors of those films attributed their success to the acting prowess and screen presence of Suraiya. Anand began looking for an opportunity to play the main male lead in a film where his acting skills could be demonstrated, so as to dispel scepticism about his acting abilities.[32]
Dev Anand often spoke about Suraiya and his love affair with her, in various interviews, he gave to film magazines, such as Stardust (June 1972 issue), Star & Style (Feb 1987 issue) and TV to Karan Thapar for BBC (2002), while both were alive and after Suraiya's death in interviews given on TV to Simi Garewal (Rendezvous with Simi Garewal) and others on TV and for news magazines.[33]
Anand was offered his first big break by Ashok Kumar. He spotted Anand hanging around in the studios and picked him as the hero for the Bombay Talkies production Ziddi (1948), co-starring Kamini Kaushal, which became an instant success. After Ziddi's success, Anand decided that he would start producing films. It was in the film Ziddi, that the first ever Kishore-Lata duet, "Yeh Kaun Aaya Karke Yeh Sola Singhar", was recorded.[34] This duet was an instant hit, and from here on both playback singers' associations with Dev Anand began. This continued for the next four decades. His association with Kishore Kumar started when the former sang the first solo of his playback singing career – "Marne Ki Duayen" – picturised on Dev Anand in the movie Ziddi. Dev had forged a very strong bond of friendship with Kishore Kumar during the making of the film. In 1949, he launched his own company Navketan Films (named after his elder brother Chetan's son Ketan and which means "New Banner"), which, as of 2011, has produced 35 films. Nirala (1950), a commercial success, saw him being paired opposite Madhubala for the first time, with whom he would later form a popular pair.
Dev chose Guru Dutt as director for the crime thriller, Baazi (1951). The film, starring Dev Anand, Geeta Bali, and Kalpana Kartik was a trendsetter, regarded as the forerunner of the spate of urban crime films that followed in Bollywood in the 1950s. The film Baazi saw the debut of Kalpana Kartik (aka Mona Singha) as the lead female actress and Guru Dutt as a director. The collaboration was a success at the box office and the duo of Dev Anand and Kalpana Kartik were offered many films to star in together. They signed all the film offers and subsequently the movies Aandhiyan (1952), Taxi Driver (1954), House No. 44 (1955) and Nau Do Gyarah (1957) went on to become big hits too. During the making of the film Taxi Driver, the couple fell in love and Dev proposed marriage to his heroine Kalpana. In 1954, Taxi Driver was declared a hit and the two decided to marry in a quiet ceremony. The couple had a son, Suneil Anand in 1956 and later a daughter, Devina, was born. After her marriage, Kalpana decided not to pursue her acting career further. Nau Do Gyarah was the couple's last movie together.
A rapid-fire style of dialogue delivery and a penchant for nodding while speaking became Dev's style in films such as Baazi (1951), Jaal (1952), House No. 44 (1955), Pocket Maar (1956), Munimji (1955), Funtoosh (1956), C.I.D. (1956) and Paying Guest (1957).[35] In the 1950s his films were of the mystery genre or light comedy love stories or were films with social relevance such as Ek Ke Baad Ek (1959) and Funtoosh (1956). His style was lapped up by the audience and was widely imitated. He starred in a string of box office successes for the remainder of the 1950s opposite newcomer Waheeda Rehman in C.I.D. (1956), Solva Saal (1958), Kala Bazar (1960) and Baat Ek Raat Ki (1962). Waheeda first became a star when C.I.D became a hit.[36] In 1955, he co-starred with Dilip Kumar in the blockbuster actioner Insaniyat.[37] With his acting in the box office success Kala Pani (1958) opposite Madhubala and Nalini Jaywant, as the son who is willing to go to any lengths to clear his framed father's name, he won his first Filmfare award for Best Actor for the film.[38] He attempted films of tragic genre occasionally, such as Pocket Maar (1956), Kala Pani (1958), Bombai Ka Baboo (1960) and Sharabi (1964) and tasted success with them. Dev also played a few characters with a negative shade, as in Jaal (1952) where he played a smuggler, then as an absconding gang member in Dushman (1957), and as a black marketer in Kala Bazar.[39] Apart from his pairing with Suraiya and Kalpana Kartik, his pairing with Nutan, Waheeda Rehman and Geeta Bali was popular among the audiences in the late 50s and 60s. His films Rahi (1952) and Aandhiyan (1952), were screened along with Raj Kapoor's Awaara. From the early fifties till the mid-sixties, the trio of actors Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, and Anand ruled the roost.
In the sixties, Dev Anand acquired a romantic image with films such as Manzil and Tere Ghar Ke Samne with Nutan, Kinare Kinare with Meena Kumari, Maya with Mala Sinha, Asli-Naqli with Sadhana Shivdasani, Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai, Mahal with Asha Parekh and Teen Deviyaan opposite three heroines Kalpana, Simi Garewal and Nanda. In the film Teen Deviyaan, Dev Anand played a playboy. One of his notable films of the early sixties was Hum Dono (1961) which he produced and acted in, as Anand, a young lover who joins the army in frustration over being shunned by the father of his love Meeta (played by Sadhana Shivdasani). Anand played a double role in the film, also acting as Major Varma, his look-alike who he runs into in the army and forms a deep friendship. Notable for its music by Jaidev, the film was a box office hit.
His first colour film, Guide with Waheeda Rehman was based on the novel of the same name by R. K. Narayan. Dev Anand himself was the impetus for making the film version of the book. He met and persuaded Narayan to give his assent to the project.[40] Dev Anand tapped his friends in Hollywood to launch an Indo-US co-production that was shot in Hindi and English simultaneously and was released in 1965. Guide, directed by younger brother Vijay Anand, was an acclaimed movie. Dev played Raju, a voluble guide, who supports Rosy (Waheeda) in her bid for freedom. He is not above thoughtlessly exploiting her for personal gains. Combining style with substance, he gave an affecting performance as a man grappling with his emotions in his passage through love, shame, and salvation.
He reunited with Vijay Anand for the movie Jewel Thief (1967), based on the thriller genre which featured Vyjayanthimala, Tanuja, Anju Mahendru, Faryal and Helen and was very successful. Their next collaboration, Johny Mera Naam (1970), again a thriller, in which Dev was paired opposite Hema Malini was a huge blockbuster.[36] It was Johnny Mera Naam which made Hema Malini a big star.[41]
Dev Anand's directorial debut, the espionage drama Prem Pujari, was a flop but has developed a cult following over the years. The film introduced Zaheeda and had Waheeda Rehman as the female lead. He tasted success with his 1971 directorial effort Hare Rama Hare Krishna, shot primarily in Nepal around Swyambhunath, and Bhaktapur,[43] in which talks about the prevalent hippie culture. His find Zeenat Aman, who played the mini-skirt-sporting, pot-smoking Janice, became an overnight sensation. Anand also became known as a filmmaker of trenchantly topical themes. The same year, he starred with Mumtaz in Tere Mere Sapne, an adaptation of A. J. Cronin's novel The Citadel. The film was directed by Dev's brother, Vijay, and was also successful. In 1971 he paired again with Zaheeda in Gambler which went on to become a success.
In the 1970s, Raj Kapoor started playing roles of father in films such as Kal Aaj Aur Kal in 1971 and Dharam Karam in 1974 and had put on a lot of weight and films with Dilip Kumar as a lead hero like Dastaan and Bairaag were failures at the box office. Some of the hurriedly made films with Dev Anand as the leading man—two each opposite Hema Malini – Shareef Badmaash, Joshila and two with Zeenat Aman – Ishk Ishk Ishk, Prem Shastra and Saheb Bahadur with Priya Rajvansh — became flops and posed a threat to his career as a leading man. He bounced back with the double-role film Banarasi Babu in 1973. He delivered commercial hits again with young heroines like with Sharmila Tagore in Yeh Gulistan Hamara (1972), with Yogeeta Bali and Raakhee in Banarasi Babu (1973), with Hema Malini in Chhupa Rustam (1973) and Amir Garib (1974),[44] with Zeenat Aman in Heera Panna (1973), Warrant (1975),[45]Kalabaaz (1977) and Darling Darling (1977) and with Parveen Babi in Bullet (1976). The presence of his discoveries in the 1970s—Zeenat, and later Tina Munim, in films and his good on-screen chemistry with beautiful young stars such as Raakhee, Parveen Babi, Hema Malini and Zeenat Aman in various films boosted Anand's image as the evergreen star even though he was well into his fifties. He attempted different genres of films to acquire versatile hero images. He was already 55 when he was paired with Tina Munim in 1978 in Des Pardes, which became among the top five-grossing films of the year.
Political activism during the Emergency in the late 1970s
Dev Anand has also been politically active. He led a group of film personalities who stood up against the Internal Emergency imposed by the then Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi.[46] He actively campaigned against her with his supporters in the Indian parliamentary elections in 1977. He also formed a party called the National Party of India, which he later disbanded.[47]
The 1978 hit Des Pardes, directed by Dev Anand was the debut movie of actress Tina Munim and this film's success gave him the tag of the Evergreen Star. Dev Anand was offered the lead role in Man Pasand by director Basu Chatterjee. Dev Anand's successful run at the box office continued in the 1980s with Man Pasand, Lootmaar (both opposite Tina Munim), and Swami Dada (1982), all being critically acclaimed and box office hits.
Though Dev Anand's demand as the lead hero had not decreased even in the 1980s, he decided that it was the right time to introduce his son Suneil Anand in films as the hero. He launched his son in the Kramer vs. Kramer-inspired Anand Aur Anand (1984), which was produced and directed by Dev Anand himself and had music by R.D. Burman. He expected the film to do well, but the film was a box office disaster, and Suneil Anand decided not to act in films any more.
But films with Dev Anand as the lead hero in Hum Naujawan (1985) and Lashkar (1989) continued to be box office successes and were appreciated by critics.[48] He was already 60 years old in 1983 when he acted opposite Christine O'Neil and alongside Rati Agnihotri and Padmini Kolhapure in Swami Dada. In 1989, his directorial venture Sachche ka Bolbala was released. Though critically acclaimed, it was a commercial failure. His performance as Professor Anand in the 1989 film Lashkar was widely appreciated and was a major success at the box office.[49]Lashkar was his last hit film in the lead role in 1989, with him neither producer nor director of the film.
He directed Pyar Ka Tarana in 1993, without casting himself in any role. His directorial movie Gangster (1995) had a controversial nude rape scene and the movie was released uncut. He received offers to star in the lead roles outside of his home banners in films like Return of Jewel Thief and Aman Ke Farishtey but the former was not successful at the box office and the latter wasn't released in 1993 though the film was fully ready to be released.
Since 1992, seven of his directorial ventures were box office failures. His last film Chargesheet (2011) was panned by critics across the board and was a box office flop.[50]
He also starred in English films such as The Evil Within (1970), where he was paired opposite Vietnamese actress Kieu Chinh and Zeenat Aman[20] and Guide (English Version). The English language film The Evil Within was a 20th-Century Fox production that couldn't get the nod from the concerned authorities due to its parallel track dealing with opium selling and thus the Indian viewers were deprived of this American venture.[51] Of the 114 Hindi films, he appeared in, over 6 decades, Kahin Aur Chal (1968) had a delayed release in the early 1970s and the multi-starrer film Ek Do Teen Chaar (1980) remained unreleased and Shrimanji (1968) had him in a guest appearance. By 2011, he had the second most solo lead roles in Hindi films— 92, with Rajesh Khanna having the record for the most films as the solo lead hero in Hindi films – 106.[52]
Anand is credited with giving actors such as Zarina Wahab in Ishk Ishk Ishk (1974), Jackie Shroff in Swami Dada (1982), Tabu in Hum Naujawan (1985) and Richa Sharma (Sanjay Dutt's first wife) a break in the film industry, discovering Zeenat Amaan, Tina Munim and encouraging music composer Rajesh Roshan.[20] Amit Khanna started his career with Navketan as executive producer in 1971 and had been secretary to Dev Anand in the 1970s. He adds, "The uniqueness of Navketan today is that it's the only film company in the world still run by the one who started it."[55] Shatrughan Sinha disclosed in an interview that it was Dev Anand who gave him a break in films by giving him a role in Prem Pujari and since Dev had given Sinha a very small role in that film, he compensated for it by giving Sinha another role in his next film Gambler. Sinha quoted: "Later on we worked together in Sharif Badmash and it was really a privilege to work with him".[56] It was under Dev Anand's Navketan Banner where Guru Dutt, Raj Khosla, Waheeda Rehman, S.D. Burman, Jaidev, Sahir Ludhianvi, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Yash Johar, Shekhar Kapur and Kabir Bedi were given breaks into Hindi films and Dev launched actors Zaheera, Zaheeda Hussain, Zarina Wahab, Natasha Sinha, Ekta Sohini and Sabrina.[20]
Anand was in a relationship with actress Suraiya for four years from 1948 to 1951.[57][58] Anand nicknamed Suraiya "Nosey", while to Suraiya, Dev Anand was "Steve", a name chosen from a book Dev Anand had given her. Suraiya also called Anand "Devina" and he called her "Suraiyana", while faking an Italian accent.[28] During the shooting of Jeet (1949), both Anand and Suraiya, had made plans for marriage and elopement, but were unsuccessful due to the opposition from Suraiya's maternal grandmother and maternal uncle.[59] In the 'Star and Style' interview, Suraiya said that she gave in only when both her grandmother and her maternal uncle threatened to get Dev Anand killed.[60] Suraiya and Anand were stopped from acting together after their last film in 1951 by her grandmother. In an interview with Stardust, in June 1972, Suraiya revealed that she lacked the courage to resist her family and that Anand truly loved her. Anand wanted her to be bold and marry him in a civil court, but she refused.[61][62][63] Suraiya remained unmarried throughout her life till she died on 31 January 2004.[64] In his auto-biography, Anand said Suraiya was his "first true love". When Suraiya died in 2004, Anand hid from the media in his terrace, because he wanted to be away from the media.[65][66]
Dev Anand was broken after the relationship ended. In 1954, Anand married Kalpana Kartik,[67] an actress from Shimla, in a private marriage during the shooting of the film Taxi Driver.[68] They have two children, son Suneil Anand, born 1956 and daughter Devina Anand.[69][70]
Anand at his autobiography Romancing with Life launch, 2007
Anand is regarded as one of the greatest actors of Indian cinema.[71][72] Anand is noted for his diverse roles and charm. One of the highest paid actor from the 1950s to early 1970s, Anand appeared in Box Office India's "Top Actors" list sixteen times, (1948, 1951–1963, 1970–1971).[4] In 2022, he was placed in Outlook India's "75 Best Bollywood Actors" list.[73] Anand was placed seventh among the "Greatest Bollywood Stars" in a UK poll celebrating 100 years of Indian cinema, in 2013.[74][75] He was also a part of the "Trinity – The Golden Trio" (along with Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar).[76] In 2013, he was named as one of "the men who changed the face of the Indian Cinema" by CNN-News18.[77]
Anand was widely known as the "first fashion icon" of Bollywood.[78] He made fashion statement with his scarves, mufflers and jackets and his signature puff. Many film actors and fashion designers have taken inspiration from Anand. Filmfare place him third in its "Bollywood's most stylish men" list.[79] Commenting on his style, Rachel Dwyer said, "Dev Anand’s offscreen persona was that of the modern Indian citizen created by the new state of India. Onscreen, he often appeared as himself from film to film, with his distinctive hair puff and stylish western clothes – the look was often similar, well-suited to an urban and urbane hero, he played a wide variety of roles convincingly."[80] After the film Kaala Paani, there was a period when Anand did not wear black in public.[81][82] In September 2007, Dev Anand's autobiography Romancing with Life was released at a birthday party with the Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh.[83]
Anand is considered to be among the finest and greatest actor in Indian cinema.[84] Anand played the leading man from 1940s till the 1980s and was known for his strong roles. He is noted for playing roles in diverse genres — from romantic dramas to actions to thrillers to musical dramas.[84][85]Anupama Chopra termed Anand the "most dashing hero", Indian cinema has ever seen and added, "The nodding head, flopping arms, casual charm inspired a legion of actors. Yet, in 77 years, Dev Saab hasn’t had a true successor."[86] Although Anand was mainly a romantic actor, but he also played complicated, compromised characters. Anand's film Baazi is regarded as the forerunner of the spate of "Bombay Noir". He later appeared in many thrillers like C.I.D, Kala Pani, Jaal, Jewel Thief and Hare Rama Hare Krishna.[87] On this, filmmaker Sriram Raghavan said, "Much before Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan, much more than Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor, it was Dev Anand’s bold film choices that shaped what is called the Bombay noir."[88]
Devesh Sharma of Filmfare termed him a "debonair hero" and noted, "His true matinee idol good looks, suave demeanour and charismatic screen presence made his fans swoon every time he came on screen."[89]Subhash K. Jha of Firstpost called him the "most easygoing superstar cinema has ever known" and said, "Dev Anand symbolized the most dazzling bastion of Hindi cinema. He was flamboyant, debonair, mischievous and romantic."[90] Shekhar Gupta of The Print said, "Nobody could match Dev Anand for style." He added, "Many of his films were ahead of his time. But you always walked out of the sultry small-town hall copying Dev Anand’s leaning-tower gait, his mannerism, and always hummed his songs."[91] Journalist Rauf Ahmed added Anand on his "Biggest stars in Hindi filmdom" list and noted, "For almost five decades Anand has continued to fascinate his fans with his never-say-die spirit and flamboyance. He is one actor for whom time has had the courtesy to stand still."[92]Saibal Chatterjee of The Tribune noted, "There is nobody quite like Dev Anand. A timeless Bollywood icon, an eternal dreamer and a man of action, his creative life has never known anything akin to a full stop."[93] Siddharth Bhatia said, "Anand's various roles – whether in the black-and-white 1950s, when he usually played a down-at-heel cabbie or con artist, or in the 1960s when he matured, and even later – were all marked with a can-do spirit; maudlin self-pity was not his style."[94]
Anand was often compared to the famous Hollywood actor Gregory Peck.[95] Anand said that he didn't feel ecstatic hearing the tagline bestowed on him in his heyday. "When you are at an impressionable age you make idols, but when you grow out of the phase, you develop your own persona. I don't want to be known as India's Gregory Peck, I am Dev Anand".[96] Acquainted with the Bollywood actor, Peck's personal interactions with him spanned four to five long meetings in Europe and Mumbai.[96][97]
Dev Anand and Suraiya met Peck for the first time at Bombay's Willingdon Club, after the Filmfare Awards in 1954. He knew of the "Indian Star" as an actor, more so probably because his romance with Suraiya was grabbing the headlines. The second time they met was in Rome when Dev Anand was on his way back from the Venice Film Festival, and they exchanged pleasantries. The third meeting was in London on the set of Moby Dick. However, Suraiya asked for an exclusive meeting with her idol at her house. Though Anand says jealousy was natural for anyone in love, he didn't mind that he was not invited. "I didn't quite feel anything. It wasn't as if they were going to fall in love or make love. Even if they would have, it wouldn't have mattered. I was mature enough. Moreover, he wasn't my rival. I too was a big star by then," says Anand.[98]
Dev Anand died in his room at The Washington Mayfair Hotel in London at age of 88 on 3 December 2011 of a cardiac arrest.[99][100][101] His death came just two months after the release of his last film Chargesheet, which he directed and produced.[102] Anand was reportedly in London for a medical checkup at the time of his death.[103] On 10 December, his funeral service was held at a small chapel in London after which his coffin was taken to the Putney Vale Crematorium in southwest London. His ashes were returned to India for immersion burial in the Godavari River.[104][105]
2004 – Living Legend Award by the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in recognition of his contribution to the Indian entertainment industry.[113]
In 2000, he was awarded the Indo-American Association "Star of the Millennium" Award in Silicon Valley, California.[124]
In 2005, he was honoured with a "Special National Film Award" by the Government of Nepal at Nepal's first National Indian film festival in Stockholm.[125]
On the occasion of 100 years of Indian cinema, a postage stamp bearing his image and likeness was released by India Post to honour him on 3 May 2013.[126] In Anand's honour, a brass statue was unveiled at Walk of the Stars at Bandra Bandstand, along with his autograph, in February 2013.[127] In 2016, Bhaichand Patel wrote about Dev Anand in his book Bollywood's Top 20: Superstars of Indian Cinema.[128]
Several actors have been inspired by Anand's work and fondly remembers him. Actor Rajesh Khanna called him his "inspiration" and said, "I was an ardent admirer of Dev Anand from my teens. I was highly inspired by his acting style. Dev Anand was my inspiration, my idol."[129] Actress Mala Sinha said, "Devsaab was the romantic idol of Indian youth. He paired successfully opposite every leading lady of his period."[130] Talking about his stardom, actress Asha Parekh said, "The only stardom I’ve seen seem that is comparable with Rajesh Khanna is Dev Anand. Deewane the fans Dev Saab ke." ("Fans were crazy about Dev Anand")[131]
Various film festivals have given tribute to Dev Anand. In 2011, Bengaluru International Film Festival and in 2023, Kolkata International Film Festival organised event and screened Anand's films.[132][133] A three-day weekend retrospective of five of Anand's biggest 1960s hits, was organised by the Directorate of Film Festivals in 2005.[93] A garden named "Sadabhaar Dev Anand Udyan", after the actor was inaugurated by his son in Mahavir Jain Vidyalaya, Mumbai.[134] In 2023, to mark Anand's 100th birthday on 26 September, Film Heritage Foundation and National Film Archive of India, in collaboration with PVR INOX, presented "Dev Anand@100 – Forever Young" – a weekend festival of four Dev Anand milestone films in cinemas in 30 cities and 58 cinemas across India on 23 and 24 September.[135] In 2023, an exhibition at Kiran Nadar Museum of Art in Noida, named "Sitaare Zameen Par", had portraits of Anand that were captured by JH Thakkar.[136]
The first biography was written in 2004, titled Dev Anand - Dashing, Debonair, by Alpana Chowdhury.[142]
In 2011, Anand wrote his auto-biography titled Romancing with Life.[143]
In 2017, two biographies were written - firstly, The Dev Anand Story, written by Dr. Govind Sharma IAS Retd.[144] and then, Dev Eternal Anand, written by Trinetra Bajpai and Anshula Bajpai.[87]
Another biography, Dev Saab: A Journey with the legend Dev Anand, was written by Vijay Kumar in 2018.[145]
