Bollywood actor Dev Anand was born on 23 September 1923 and died on 3 December 2011. His real name was Dharamdev Pishorimal Anand. He is known for his contribution to Hindi cinema through his work in acting, writing, directing, and production. He had a career that is spread over six decades. He was one of the highly successful actors in the Indian film industry and carried the image of an evergreen hero in Hindi cinema.
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Dev Anand hailed from the Shakargarh tehsil of the Gurdaspur district in Punjab which was in British India. His father worked as a well-known lawyer in Gurdaspur District Court. Dev was the third of four sons born to his father. You would be surprised to know that the well-known filmmaker Shekar Kapur’s mother is Dev Anand’s sister. One of his elder brothers worked as an advocate in Gurdaspur District Court.
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Dev Anand had a B.A. degree in English Literature which he attained from the Government College in Lahore in British India. Along with his elder brother Chetan Anand, Dev Anandji co-founded Navketan Films in 1949. In the early 1940s, Dev left his hometown in order to make a career in Mumbai, then Bombay. He started his profession in an office in Churchgate with a monthly salary of Rs. 65/- Then he got a job to work in an accounting firm as a clerk for a salary of Rs. 85/-
Dev Anand took inspiration from Ashok Kumar’s work in films such as Kismet and Acchut Kanya. He had shared with a media company how when he gate-crashed into the office of a man of Prabhat Film Studios, he got his first break. He soon started getting work in films for his innocent eyes, stunning smile, and confidence in acting skills. Dev married Kalpana Kartik in 1954 and they have two children, one son, and one daughter.
