Film Heritage Foundation announces two-day festival to celebrate Dev Anand's birth centenary

A film festival celebrating the 100th birth anniversary of screen icon Dev Anand will be held later this month, the Film Heritage Foundation (FHF) announced Monday.

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 two-day celebration, held jointly in association with NFDC-NFAI (National Film Development Corporation Of India - National Film Archive of India) and PVR Inox will be conducted on September 23 and 24 across 30 cities and 55 cinema halls all over India, according to a press release.

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).

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, the release stated.

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.

"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 FHF founder said in a statement.

"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.

In the continuing legacy of Dev Anand and his family banner Navketan Films, Suneil Anand said he is currently making a Hollywood-based film, dedicated to his father, called Vagator Mixer, which will be released worldwide soon.

According to the organisers, this is also the first time a government body has collaborated with a not-for-profit organisation for a film festival of such scale. The restoration of the films for 'Dev Anand@100 - Forever Young' was undertaken as part of the National Film Heritage Mission and funded by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

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.

"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. 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 said.

Tickets for the festival can be purchased at www.pvrcinemas.com.