Family members and a handful of close friends attend actor's funeral service in London
Danish Khan, Mumbai Mirror
Times of India
At around 11:30 am on Saturday when actor Dev Anand's body arrived at the Putney Vale crematorium, the cold winter was much warmer with the collective grief and sadness of his admirers and fans. The moment for which some of them were waiting for the last couple of hours had arrived.
While they were ready and prepared to face the harsh winter, it was the cold behaviour of the Bollywood stars that hurt them the most.
The hall where the service took place could accommodate only 80-90 people, and two TV screens were put for fans to witness the funeral service. In the end, a total of about 200 arrived, a far cry from how many would have possibly attended had the last rites been performed in India.
Though the service was held a week after his death, on December 3, fans were upset that not a single bigticket actor from Bollywood made the trip. The only known faces were those of his family members, the head of the Sahara group Subrata Roy, the acting Indian High Commissioner in Britain, Rajesh Prasad, and Lord Meghnad Desai.
"Dev Anand launched the career of many who went on to become big stars. How come not a single of them turned up for the funeral," said Dalvir Bansal, a fan who had reached the crematorium at 9 am.
"I had thought there would be lots of people and stars and therefore access might be difficult. Hence I came early to pay my respect to the superstar. But I am shocked to see that no one from Bollywood is here," said Bansal.
Bansal was at the crematorium with his son and wife. "They should be ashamed of themselves," he said.
Dr Harvinder Trehan, a medical practitioner from Southall, had come with a poster of Dev Anand. "If a current superstar had died, then I am sure there would have been people from Bollywood. It just shows the attitude of these actors. As Dev saab was not in his prime no one bothered," said Trehan, who is originally from Jammu. "Surely there was enough time for people to come down to London," said Trehan.
The actor's son Suneil thanked everyone for "sympathising with us" and said they were overwhelmed with the support of the people who had gathered at the cemetery.
Nephew Tony Sareen, who described Dev Anand as "generous" and "an inspiration to me and my family", said:
"When asked by someone why he spoke fast, he said life is too short I don't want to waste time by speaking slowly. He was an eternal optimist and full of life. The world has lost a true legend."
Three of his songs were also hummed along as a befitting tribute to the actor: Din dhal jaaye raat na jaaye, Phoolo ka taaro ko sabka kahna hain, and Abhi na jaao chorkar.
"I remember Dev Anand waving to me once from the visitor's gallery when I was making a speech in the House. After it was over, I met him and he hugged me. I will always remember his enthusiasm and smile," said Lord Karan Billimoria.
Danish Khan, Mumbai Mirror
Times of India
At around 11:30 am on Saturday when actor Dev Anand's body arrived at the Putney Vale crematorium, the cold winter was much warmer with the collective grief and sadness of his admirers and fans. The moment for which some of them were waiting for the last couple of hours had arrived.
While they were ready and prepared to face the harsh winter, it was the cold behaviour of the Bollywood stars that hurt them the most.
The hall where the service took place could accommodate only 80-90 people, and two TV screens were put for fans to witness the funeral service. In the end, a total of about 200 arrived, a far cry from how many would have possibly attended had the last rites been performed in India.
Though the service was held a week after his death, on December 3, fans were upset that not a single bigticket actor from Bollywood made the trip. The only known faces were those of his family members, the head of the Sahara group Subrata Roy, the acting Indian High Commissioner in Britain, Rajesh Prasad, and Lord Meghnad Desai.
"Dev Anand launched the career of many who went on to become big stars. How come not a single of them turned up for the funeral," said Dalvir Bansal, a fan who had reached the crematorium at 9 am.
"I had thought there would be lots of people and stars and therefore access might be difficult. Hence I came early to pay my respect to the superstar. But I am shocked to see that no one from Bollywood is here," said Bansal.
Bansal was at the crematorium with his son and wife. "They should be ashamed of themselves," he said.
Dr Harvinder Trehan, a medical practitioner from Southall, had come with a poster of Dev Anand. "If a current superstar had died, then I am sure there would have been people from Bollywood. It just shows the attitude of these actors. As Dev saab was not in his prime no one bothered," said Trehan, who is originally from Jammu. "Surely there was enough time for people to come down to London," said Trehan.
The actor's son Suneil thanked everyone for "sympathising with us" and said they were overwhelmed with the support of the people who had gathered at the cemetery.
Nephew Tony Sareen, who described Dev Anand as "generous" and "an inspiration to me and my family", said:
"When asked by someone why he spoke fast, he said life is too short I don't want to waste time by speaking slowly. He was an eternal optimist and full of life. The world has lost a true legend."
Three of his songs were also hummed along as a befitting tribute to the actor: Din dhal jaaye raat na jaaye, Phoolo ka taaro ko sabka kahna hain, and Abhi na jaao chorkar.
"I remember Dev Anand waving to me once from the visitor's gallery when I was making a speech in the House. After it was over, I met him and he hugged me. I will always remember his enthusiasm and smile," said Lord Karan Billimoria.
