Dev Anand talks about why love stories need colour, why he will never allow Guide to be remade and how he got over his obsession with the Dum Maro Dum actress.
How was it watching Hum Dono in colour amidst Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Uddhav Thackeray and Ranbir Kapoor beside you?
I felt that they all belonged to me. I felt that I had done something very unusual and I felt proud.
Who amongst your invitees did not turn up?
Rishi (Kapoor) said that he would come but then Ranbir represented him. I had called Saira Banu but she told me that Dilip (Kumar) is not well, so I gave it up. Amitabh informed that he was out of town. Ditto for Deepika Padukone. Shah Rukh was in Berlin.
Sadhna had a problem in her legs. Nanda is a very shy person. I had even invited Tina (Ambani) but she was out of town.
Did you invite Karan Johar?
Yes. Karan said that he would come but he did not. But I have no regrets. I am not that kind of person who thinks yeh aaya, voh nahin aaya. I have always been different from most other stars. I don't have chamchas running behind me carrying my cigarettes and mobile. I don't have any pretensions.
Hum Dono in black and white or Hum Dono in colour?
There are people who have asked me why I coloured it.
People who believe that old classics should remain black and white?
That's right. But these are people who are not intelligent. Hum Dono is not a murder mystery, which needs dark areas. Hum Dono has love, romance, violence, war, mutilation. It's God's verdict that it is now enveloped in color.
So your answer is Hum Dono in color (smiles). And tell me, would you like to see any beautiful girl in black and white? (winks)
Remakes are becoming common but you have always refused to part with your 1969 classic, Guide.
Yes, I refused Pritish Nandy and Ajay Devgn. I am against the idea of remakes. No matter how a remake is, you always remember just the original.
You shocked us in your autobiography Romancing With Life in which you revealed that you were in love with Zeenat Aman.
Why not? If I have written a book about myself, shouldn't I be true to myself?
Did your wife react?
No drama happened at my house.
In your autobiography, a part talks about you being upset about the way Raj Kapoor met Zeenat at a party.
Yes (pauses), I was sad but temporarily. I don't let defeats overcome me. I overcome them.
Did you ever tell Zeenat about your feelings for her?
I didn't reach that stage. Baat khulkar saamne aa gayi. Listen, these things happen. She was the heroine of my film. I had planned a few things for her. That possessiveness does get in.
And did Zeenat ever read into your feelings for her?
After the Raj Kapoor incident, she must have sensed that my warmth for her was diminishing. And she is an intelligent woman to have understood the reason.
Recently, you refused to meet some senior, ailing citizens. You told the hospital that you are only 16-years old.
I must have told them, but that was a joke. I know my age. But I didn't want to go because I don't like to see old, ailing people. It brings me down.
What next?
Charge Sheet. The film is ready and I am very kicked about it.
