The art of film making is in the blood—Sunil Anand?

Rajan Khanna

With the sad demise of legendary Dev Anand, one question which was being asked by his fans was: whether the banner Navketan Films, which the late Dev Anand had so painstakingly built, will keep on producing the movies with the same regularity which was being shown during his lifetime? No one could answer the question better than the late Dev Sahib’s son and successor Sunil Anand. Therefore, I met him in his office to know about the future plans of his production house.

Shri Sunil Anand very proudly stated that his illustrious father’s legacy will be taken forward and the job of creative film making for the national as well as the international audience will continue. He informed that at present he is busy with the production of two movies; one in Hindi and an action thriller and the other one in English and will be released internationally. The all time great classic Guide is going to be redeveloped in Dolby Digital and wide screen.

The admirers of the late Dev Sahib know that film making had always been a passion more than a profession for him; one could find the same traits in Sunil Anand also. Navketan Films was founded by the late Dev Sahib alongside with his late brother Chetan Anand in the year 1949. Later Chetan Anand parted way with the company but Dev Sahib kept on fervently nourishing the same till his last breath. The tradition is going to be carried forward by Sunil Anand and the Indian cinema aficionado can take heart in the fact that the flag of the Navketan Films will keep on fluttering for long time to come.

Obviously, the art of film making is in the blood of Sunil Anand. Therefore, socially relevant as well as entertaining movies will keep on coming from his eminent production house. His first tryst with the film production happened during his college days only when he started making short movies. After he accomplished his BBA from Washington DC, he joined his illustrious father in Bollywood and since then is busy in managing the affairs of his production house, Navketan Films.

The late Dev Anand, world over, is remembered as a wonderful actor and highly imaginative director. It would be important to know Dev Sahib from his son’s perspective. Sunil Anand reminisces his father as a fantastic actor who had very profound knowledge of the world cinema and knew the great artists from all over the world. He had very broad mindset and was making movies for the international audience. For example, the movie like Guide, which was released 47 years ago, even today is appreciated by the young generation, and, will remain relevant for the future generations also.

On being asked what particular qualities of the late Dev Sahib, he has tried to imbibe in himself, Sunil Anand told that his father was a disciplinarian of the highest order and used to do his work in a systematic way. He had remained vey punctual all throughout his life and used to be first to reach the movie sets. He used to value other people’s time and expected others to reciprocate. The kind of professionalism he used to exhibit during the process of film making is admired equally by his colleagues and the counterparts in the film industry. Sunil Anand remembers his father as a very honest person and a man of morals and wanted him to adhere to the same value system. Another thing which had been taught to him by his father is to always remain on the right side of the law.

Today, Sunil Anand is fully focused on the job of film making and on being asked that if he was contemplating any foray in the area of small screen also, his answer was in firm negative. He maintained that the cinema is the right and the perfect medium to put in shape his ideas and thoughts and would not like to venture into making of serials for the television. Sunil Anand is a teetotaler and takes his work very philosophically. When asked to give message for those youngsters who want to enter the tinsel town, he said, there is no substitute for hard work and those who want to perform their duty honestly and by the dint of hard work, can create a niche for themselves whether they are in film industry or in any other field.?