Abhi na jao chhod kar...

I recall I was 7 or 8 when I saw this one picture in my dad's album. My dad and his best friend who were probably teenagers dressed in this very sexy hat and it was a black and white photo clicked in the studio. I laughed seeing my uncle dressed like that and posing. My dad told me that they both were movie buffs and my uncle was a huge DevAnand fan and he would do anything to watch the movie 1st day 1st show. And then I saw my first DevAnand movie that day on a VCR - "Guide"... hardly grasping the story, but I recall I was for some reason very angry on Waheeda Rehman for a very long time saying that because of her DevAnand dies in the movie..... I cried when he died in the movie....

Such was the magic....

And then as I grew, I watched more and more of his works... Hum Dono, Tere Ghar ke Saamne, Kala Pani, Kala Bazaar, Paying Guest, Asli Naqli, Hare Rama Hare Krishna, Jewel Thief, Johnny Mera Naam.... The way he looked on screen... the passion, the intensity, the dialog delivery and the voice... the style.... It would just put a smile on anyone's face....

And the songs in his movies were so brilliant that they define romance years and years later ... and I guess they always will... I won't have anyone else enact his performances... cos no one can... the charisma was immense and the impact was like a good ol' scotch.... intoxicating!

Here are a few of the gems...

"Hum bekhudi mein tum ko pukare chale gaye....."

"Na tum humein jaano... na hum tumhe jaane..."

"Sun le tu dil ki sada.... "

"Deewana mastana hua dil..... jane kaha ho ke bahaar aayee.."

"Khoya khoya chaand.... "

"Din Dhal jaye.... raat na jaaye..."

He gave us this beautiful song which has been very special to me forever and shall always be.....

"Phoolon ka taaron ka sabka kehna hai.... " I swear this song made me miss an older brother forever ....

and then this one which jus makes me skip a beat when I hear it... it just does something for me everytime..... every single time.... I mean it just reinstates my faith in love and tells me if anyone should love, it should be like how it is described here..... "Tere mere sapne ab ek rang hain....... "

Somethings are priceless... somethings are irreplaceable ... somethings are immortal...

These celluloid moments will be ours...

Let's just take a moment and cherish the journey of this superstar.... who sizzled the silver screen and in his heydays he put the screen on fire like no one else has and no one else will....

And this last one from him is what will linger on the mind for a long time...

Abhi na jao chhod kar, ke dil abhi bhara nahi.....

#RIP Mr. DevAnand.....