Inarguably, legendary actor-filmmaker Raj Kapoor’s approval was erst reckoned the absolute affirmation in Indian cinema. His words could make careers and mould legacies. For actor filmmaker Vijay Anand known as Goldie Anand, such praise never came in an indirect way. Bewildering Raj Kapoor never acknowledged Vijay Anand in person. Instead, he praised Anand profusely behind his back.
Vijay Anand, younger brother of Dev Anand, had already carved a niche for himself as a writer-director when his fifth film was released. By then, he was commanding respect within the industry for his craft. Having not been acknowledged openly made the filmmaker think that Raj Kapoor was hiding his insecurity.
The incident unfolded around the release of Dev Anand’s Navketan Films bannerb’Guide’, adapted from RK Narayan’s 1958 novel The Guide. Although the English version proved a debacle commercially, the Hindi film emerged as a cinematic landmark.
Years later, Dev Anand’s close associate Mohan Churiwala revisited this episode in a conversation with filmmaker-journalist Vickey Lalwani.
Sharing Vijay Anand’s words, Churiwala recalled, “Goldie sahab shared this story with me. He said that for a commoner, someone far removed from the industry, Raj Kapoor is like God. But when it came to interacting with fellow filmmakers, he would emerge as a little insecure. That belief stemmed from unusual incident that occurred soon following the release of Guide .
As per Churiwala, Raj Kapoor reportedly called Dev Anand at 2 am after the film’s release, insisting on watching it immediately. Regardless Dev offering to send the print later, Kapoor persisted.
Dev Anand, given his insistence, sent the print to RK Studios. Intoxicated and emotional, he watched the film overnight and called again at 6 am, intensely moved by what he had seen
After finishing the film, Raj Kapoor allegedly told Dev Anand, “You are so lucky to have such a talented brother.” He was crying while praising both the film and Vijay Anand. For Dev, the moment felt like validation. In Churiwala’s words, “Dev Anand, who was initially annoyed for being woken up again and again by Kapoor on the same night, felt better as Raj Kapoor praising a film meant achieving something big as a filmmaker and producer.”
Days later, at a social gathering, Dev Anand sent Vijay to greet Raj Kapoor personally. To Vijay’s shock, Kapoor acted as if he didn’t recognise him. When Vijay introduced himself, Kapoor casually asked, “What have you been doing? How far has your education come?” pretending to ignore Guide entirely. He said, “he will watch it and let him know.”
The awkwardness intensified when Raj Kapoor again lauded Vijay Anand, this time in front of Dev’s sister Boney Anand in the midst of a puja. Encouraged, she urged Vijay to visit Kapoor’s home for dinner. Hoping for acknowledgment, Vijay agreed. Instead, Raj Kapoor repeated the same questions, as if they had never met before.
The repeated snub left Vijay Anand intensely embarrassed and unconvinced. Dev Anand tried to dismiss it, suggesting Raj Kapoor might have been in a different mood. But for Goldie, the pattern felt deliberate. The subject was never discussed again and the incident quietly faded away in their memories.
Time, however, firmly sided with Guide. At the 14th Filmfare Awards, the film won four major honours including Best Film, Director, Actor and Actress, after nine nominations. In 2007, nearly 42 years after its original release, the film was screened at the Cannes Film Festival, cementing its legacy as one of Indian cinema’s finest achievements.
News Edit KV Raman
