Chetan Anand Age, Death, Wife, Children, Family, Biography & More

Some Lesser Known Facts About Chetan Anand

• Chetan Anand was a prominent Indian director, producer, actor, and screenplay writer who worked in Hindi Cinema. He was awarded the Palme d’Or award (then known as ‘Grand Prix’) at the Cannes Film Festival in 1946 for his directorial debut film, ‘Neecha Nagar’ (1946). This was the first Indian film that gained recognition at the international level. Chetan Anand was popularly known as the elder brother of Dev Anand and Vijay Anand. He died in 1997 in Mumbai.

• He belonged to an upper-middle-class Punjabi Hindu family in Gurdaspur, Punjab. ^[2]Tabassum Talkies – YouTube
  

  Chetan Anand in his youth

• Chetan joined Indian National Congress (INC) in 1930.

• He worked for BBC in 1930.

• In the early 40s, Chetan started teaching History at Doon School in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. While teaching there, he wrote a film script based on the life of emperor Ashoka and showed it to Phani Majumdar, an Indian film director, in Bombay (now Mumbai).

• In 1944, Phani Majumdar cast Chetan as a protagonist in the film ‘Rajkumar,’ but the movie did not release due to some problems.

• According to some sources, Chetan Anand wanted to serve in the Indian Civil Service for which he appeared in the Indian Civil Service (ICS) examination in London.

• He was associated with the Indian People’s Theatre Association (ITPA), Bombay (now Mumbai).

• In 1949, Chetan Anand founded ‘Navketan Films,’ a production house, along with his younger brother Dev Anand. In 1954, he directed ‘Taxi Driver,’ which was the first film to be directed under the banner. The film starred Dev Anand and Kalpana Kartik and was based on a script written by Vijay Anand and Uma Anand. The film ‘Taxi Driver’ became Chetan Anand’s first box-office success and Navketan’s biggest-grosser film to date.
  

  A poster of the film ‘Taxi Driver’ (1954)

• Chetan Anand established his own production company, ‘Himalaya Films,’ in 1960 following which he collaborated with renowned professionals named cinematographer Jal Mistry, music director Madan Mohan, lyricist Kaifi Azmi, and actor Priya Rajvansh. Under the banner of Himalaya Films, Anand produced his first film ‘Saheb Bahadur’ in 1977.

• Chetan was the one who introduced Rajesh Khanna to Hindi cinema. He first saw Rajesh Khanna at an acting competition after which he cast him in the film ‘Aakhri Khat’ (1966) as Govind; however, the first ‘released’ film starring Rajesh Khanna was G. P. Sippy’s ‘Raaz’ (1967).

• Chetan Anand, who had separated from his wife Uma Anand, fell in love with actress Priya Rajvansh, who made her debut in Hindi Cinema as the lead actor in Chetan Anand’s film ‘Haqeeqat’ (1964). Uma Anand is said to have introduced Priya to Chetan after seeing her perform at a function in Chandigarh; however, Priya did not meet Chetan and moved to London to pursue an acting course at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). After completing the course, Priya sent her portfolio to Chetan Anand, who was looking for someone to play the role of ‘Heer’ in his film ‘Heer Raanjha’ (1970). Chetan was impressed and sent a telegram asking Priya to meet him in Bombay (now Mumbai). Priya travelled to Bombay and met Chetan, who was 16 years her senior. They began working on the film ‘Haqeeqat’ which caused a delay in the production of ‘Heer Raanjha.’ It was during the making of ‘Haqeeqat’ in 1960 that Chetan and Priya fell in love with each other.
  

  Chetan Anand with Priya Rajvansh

• Reportedly, in his last will, Chetan Anand bequeathed a significant portion of his wealth, including his luxurious beachfront bungalow in Juhu, Mumbai, to Priya Rajvansh; however, the will did not grant Priya the power to sell the bungalow, which would instead go to Chetan’s sons after her death. Chetan Anand made this decision with the intention of allowing Priya to live out her life in the house where they had made cherished memories together, while also ensuring that his sons would inherit their father’s property. According to some sources, the relationship between Priya and Chetan’s sons turned sour after Chetan fell ill. On 27 March 2000, Priya Rajvansh was found murdered at Chetan Anand’s Ruia Park bungalow in Juhu, Mumbai. The police charged Chetan Anand’s sons, Ketan Anand and Vivek Anand, along with two housemaids, with her murder.

• A book titled ‘Chetan Anand: The Poetics of Film’ was written by Chetan Anand’s wife, Uma Anand, and son Ketan Anand in 2007. The book consisted of the journey of Chetan Anand’s journey in the Hindi cinema. In 2008, Ketan Anand made a documentary on the same.

• Chetan Anand’s films were showcased at the Stuttgart Film Festival and the India International Centre in New Delhi in 2007.

• In 2013, a commemorative postage stamp featuring Chetan Anand was released by India Post.