The Hindi film industry in the 1940s witnessed the arrival of Dev Anand, an actor who would go on to deliver exceptional movies. His fame was such that he was cautioned against wearing black attire in public. Dev Anand, a prominent star of his era, not only acted but also directed several films. Despite his immense popularity, a number of his directorial ventures failed to resonate with audiences.
Born Dharamdev Pishorimal Anand on September 26, 1923, in Shakargarh, Punjab (now in Pakistan), he is known as Dev Anand. His Bollywood journey started with ‘Hum Ek Hain’ (1946). He subsequently starred in notable films such as ‘Guide,’ ‘Jewel Thief,’ ‘Johnny Mera Naam,’ ‘Hare Rama Hare Krishna,’ ‘Kala Bazar,’ and ‘Hum Dono.’ He also directed films that did not fare well. Here are five such instances.
**’Prem Pujari’**: Dev Anand directed and produced ‘Prem Pujari,’ released in 1970, and also starred as the lead actor alongside Waheeda Rehman. It featured a cast including Zahida Hussain, Prem Chopra, Shatrughan Sinha, and Amrish Puri. While the film’s songs gained popularity, the film itself was a box-office failure.
**’Ishq Ishq Ishq’**: Released in 1974, ‘Ishq Ishq Ishq’ was directed, produced, and starred in by Dev Anand, featuring Zeenat Aman, Shabana Azmi, Zarina Wahab, Prem Nath, and Jeevan. Despite featuring a few well-received songs, the film did not succeed at the box office.
**’Return of Jewel Thief’**: In 1967, Dev Anand’s ‘Jewel Thief’ was a massive hit. However, his 1996 collaboration with TP Aggarwal for ‘Return of Jewel Thief’ was a flop. The film included Dev Anand, Jackie Shroff, Dharmendra, Ashok Kumar, Madhu, and Shilpa Shirodkar.
**’Love at Times Square’**: Dev Anand directed and produced ‘Love at Times Square,’ which was released in 2003. He cast musicians such as Lucky Ali, Adesh Shrivastava, Adnan Sami, Rajesh Roshan, and Bappi Lahiri, yet the film was unsuccessful. It included Dev Anand, Hiny Kausar, Chaitanya Chaudhary, Moon Moon Sen, Ashish Vidyarthi, and a cameo by Salman Khan.
**’Censor’**: The film ‘Censor,’ released in 2001, was directed and produced by Dev Anand. It featured a cast including Dev Anand, Hema Malini, Rekha, Govinda, Shammi Kapoor, and Archana Puran Singh, but it is counted among Dev Anand’s major box-office failures.