The 1940s saw the rise of Dev Anand, a Bollywood actor who starred in many successful films. His popularity was so immense that he was even advised to avoid wearing black in public. Dev Anand was a prominent star who not only acted but also directed numerous films. Despite his fame, some of his directorial ventures didn’t fare well.
Born Dharamdev Pishorimal Anand on September 26, 1923, in Shakargarh, Punjab (now in Pakistan), he is known to the world as Dev Anand. He debuted in Bollywood with ‘Hum Ek Hain’ (1946). After that, he delivered memorable films such as ‘Guide,’ ‘Jewel Thief,’ ‘Johnny Mera Naam,’ ‘Hare Rama Hare Krishna,’ ‘Kala Bazar,’ and ‘Hum Dono.’ He also directed some films that failed at the box office. Here are five of them.
**’Prem Pujari’**: Released in 1970, ‘Prem Pujari’ was directed and produced by Dev Anand, who also starred as the lead actor along with Waheeda Rehman. The film included actors like Zahida Hussain, Prem Chopra, Shatrughan Sinha, and Amrish Puri. While the songs were popular, the film was a flop.
**’Ishq Ishq Ishq’**: In 1974, ‘Ishq Ishq Ishq’ was released, with Dev Anand as the director, producer, and lead actor. The film also featured Zeenat Aman, Shabana Azmi, Zarina Wahab, Prem Nath, and Jeevan. Although a couple of the songs were well-received, the film flopped.
**’Return of Jewel Thief’**: Dev Anand’s 1967 film, ‘Jewel Thief’, was a major success. In contrast, the 1996 film ‘Return of Jewel Thief’, made with TP Aggarwal, was a flop. The film starred Dev Anand, Jackie Shroff, Dharmendra, Ashok Kumar, Madhu, and Shilpa Shirodkar.
**’Love at Times Square’**: Released in 2003, ‘Love at Times Square’ was directed and produced by Dev Anand. It featured a cast of musicians including Lucky Ali, Adesh Shrivastava, Adnan Sami, Rajesh Roshan, and Bappi Lahiri; however, the film didn’t perform well. The cast included Dev Anand, Hiny Kausar, Chaitanya Chaudhary, Moon Moon Sen, Ashish Vidyarthi, and a cameo by Salman Khan.
**’Censor’**: Released in 2001, the film ‘Censor’ was directed and produced by Dev Anand. It featured Dev Anand, Hema Malini, Rekha, Govinda, Shammi Kapoor, and Archana Puran Singh, but the film is considered among Dev Anand’s major flops.