The Film Heritage Foundation on Monday announced that a film festival celebrating the 100th birth anniversary of screen icon Dev Anand will be held later this month. The two-day celebration will be conducted on September 3 and 24 across 30 cities and 55 cinema halls all over the country.
Dev Anand, star of films such as "Hum Dono", "Tere Ghar Ke Samne", "CID", and "Guide", will be honoured ahead of his birthday on September 26 with a gala titled 'Dev Anand@100 - Forever Young'.
The FHF, founded by filmmaker and archivist Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, has curated a collection of four of the actor's movies for the showcase: "CID" (1956), "Guide" (1965), "Jewel Thief" (1967) and "Johny Mera Naam" (1970), according to PTI reports.
The release stated that audiences in cities including Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Trivandrum, Chennai, Bengaluru, Lucknow, Kolkata, Guwahati, Indore, Jaipur, Nagpur, New Delhi, Gwalior, Rourkela, Kochi, and Mohali, will get an opportunity to watch these landmark films of Dev Anand restored by NFCDC-NFAI in 4K resolution for the big screen.
After a successful run with 'Bachchan Back To The Beginning' and 'Dilip Kumar – Hero Of Heroes', Dungarpur said they had to celebrate the birth centenary of Dev Anand, PTI reported.
In an official statement, the FHF founder said, “We wanted to honour his legacy by screening four of his milestone films. The films are among my personal favourites as I consider Goldie Anand (Vijay Anand) one of the most stylish directors of Indian cinema.”
“The festival also marks an important collaboration between the Film Heritage Foundation and NFDC-NFAI who have restored the four films and partnered with us to enable us to showcase these films,” the founder said.
"The Gregory Peck of India, as Dev Anand was often called, continues to be a beloved star, and we are thrilled that contemporary audiences will have the opportunity to watch some of the films that made him an enduring legend of Indian cinema," he added.
Filmmaker Suneil Anand, son of Dev Anand, said he is pleased to hear that the FHF is planning a film festival to commemorate his father's 100th birthday.
"I personally like my dad's work, as the leading man, in 'Johny Mera Naam'. I think this is because the character he played closely resembled his true personality. It was an ideal vehicle for him to showcase his histrionics, mannerisms, and his suave dressing sense.
"'Jewel Thief' was another such film – it had the trappings and the look of slick Western and European cinema... I am sure the festival will be a big success and that contemporary audiences will rediscover the youthful magic of my father – who will stay forever young on the silver screen," he said.
Prithul Kumar, Joint Secretary (Films) and Managing Director, NFDC, said it is important for the public to witness Dev Anand on the big screen once again and in a manner how he was viewed during his heyday decades ago, as per PTI reports.
“Showcasing the restoration of Dev Anand's films on the occasion of his centenary, as a joint endeavour between both film archives, NFDC-National Film Archive of India and Film Heritage Foundation, along with our esteemed partners, INOX and PVR, is a testament to our shared commitment to preserving India's cinematic heritage,” Kumar said.
"We aspire to sustain these collaborative efforts, to provide broader public access to the gems of Indian cinema, in the quality they are meant to be seen," Kumar added.
Tickets for the festival can be purchased on www.pvrcinemas.com.
(With PTI inputs)
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