Evergreen ‘lover-boy' romantic of the Hindi silver screen – Dev Anand is no more. When the end came in London hotel earlier this Sunday following a massive cardiac arrest, he was 88 years young.

Dev Saab as he was affectionately known in the film industry was born Dharam Dev Anand on 26 Sept 1923 in Shakargarh Tehsil – District Gurdaspur [now Narowal district of Pakistan] as the second of four offspring of a rich lawyer of British India Kishorimal Anand.

Most of Dev Saab's family was talented.

While elder brother Chetan made his mark in films producing some of the biggest hits, younger brother ‘Goldie' Vijay Anand was a creator par excellence in his own right.

Dev's sister Sheela Kanta Kapur is the mother of Shekhar Kapur – now a famous international movie director.

Dev Saab nevertheless was the biggest success in the family – who kept India entertained for over 50 years with a strange brand of an effervescent ebullient image of never-say-die tinged with romance and a fleeting sadness that kept his male and female admirers on tenterhooks.

Having graduated in English literature from the Government College, Lahore [now in Pakistan], Dev Saab landed in Mumbai with a mere Rs.50 in his pocket and a lot of dreams in the early forties.

Beginning life as a censor board official with a salary of Rs.200 [equal to Rs.250, 000 these days] Dev Saab helped the establishment of Indian People's Theatre Association [IPTA] that later became the foundation stone of several careers including Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah to mention just two.

As a struggler in Bombay, Dev got close to another talented dreamer – the directorial genius – Guru Dutt.

The duo promised each other that when either of made a film – one of them would be the hero and the other a director.

A few years later, it was Dev who did the honours first through a movie called Baazi.

Dev Saab entered filmdom in 1946 as a hero in Hum Ek Hain [We are one].

His first sweetheart was actress and singer Suraiya. He played second fiddle to her in 4 of the 7 movies starring her but had by then become a heartthrob of every woman.

Despite gifting a diamond ring worth over Rs.3000 [an emperor's ransom in the early fifties] and romancing the actress, he could not marry her due to differences in religion – she being a Muslim and neither willing to convert.

Suraiya remained single throughout her life.

Paired with Kalpana Kartik in Baazi produced under the banner of Navketan in 1951, Dev had truly arrived as an actor with a distinct style in dialogue delivery and a sexy swagger that sent audiences squealing with delight.

A few years later Dev married Kalpana and they have a son Suneil, who also had tried his hand at acting briefly. They have survived him.

In his career spanning almost 60 years, Dev had ‘discovered' actresses famous to this day like Waheeda Rehman, Zeenat Aman, Tina Munim [now Mrs Anil Ambani] actor Jackie Shroff and steadied the career of ‘dream-girl' Hema Malini.

He had been bestowed national honours in forms of the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke Award and the Padma Bhushan.

In all, he had produced 31 films, and directed 19.

Dev also had been awarded the Filmfare trophy 7 times – the last in 1991 for a lifetime achievement.

The international awards were numerous including ones by the IIFA, an honour by the USA government and several others in countless nations.

As he awaited the release of his Chargesheet, this writer visited him in his office in Santa Cruz, Mumbai with an offer to remake one of his best films – Prem Pujari – a spy thriller in the modern context along with a 10-minute re-edited clip from the movie.

Dev Saab's eyes had shone brightly.

"After finishing this, let me see whether we can work in it son, " Dev Saab had said in a voice that exuded warmth and enthusiasm – rarely seen in a man who had seen 87 summers.

Recovering from my 4th heart attack then, I had stumbled.

The 87-years' young Dev Saab had steadied me and carefully added, "After taking good care of heart flaunt it more prominently as the window dressing of your brain. But ensure you do your business deals with the brain to the satisfaction of your heart. Success awaits you, " were his last words to me.

Earlier in life, Dev Saab lip-synched Mohammad Rafi's voice thus revealing a cheerfully carefree attitude: Main Zindagi Ka Saath Nibhaataa Chalaa Gayaa; Har Fiqr Ko Dhuyen Mein Udaata Chalaa Gayaa (I was always in step with life and blew away worries as smoke).

Dev Saab's mortal remains may go up in smoke.

His cheerfulness and his contribution to Indian cinema will always remain evergreen – as evergreen he was.