Dev Anand, Gregory Peck and Suraiya

Shared by P. Chanda, unknown

About 3 months ago, I had posted a story about the unrequited love between movie stars Dev Anand and Suraiya. 

As a footnote to that , it might interest some of you to know that Suraiya was a great fan of Gregory Peck (who isn't ?) and harboured a secret girlish desire to met him someday .

It was 1954 , and one evening , the doorbell to Suraiya's house on Marine Drive rang . A tall handsome foreigner was at the door with a bunch of flowers and enquired about Suraiya from her mother who had answered the bell. 

He spent the next two hours there , and Suraiya  was beside herself with joy at her secret desire coming to fruition . Among other things , she showed Greg. her scrapbook full of cuttings from his films. No, Dev Anand wasn't even informed. 

And Dev Anand has himself admitted , in his Autobiography, that when he came to know of Suraiya's fascination for Greg., of how he would try to ape his mannerisms just to impress her . 

They say , he looked like the Hollywood Superstar . We wonder :

( this was taken at the Willingdon Club in South Bombay when the Indian Film Industry gave a reception in honour of the visiting Gregory Peck ).

Well , there is a faint resemblance , just faint. And that may be one reason why Madame was attracted to the debonair Dev in the first place . 

Yes, we understand . A poor man's , sorry woman's Gregory Peck.

Partha