“Dev saab introduced a style, which nobody could and can match up to,” says veteran actress Mumtaz, who worked with him in two renowned films Tere Mere Sapne (1971) and Hare Rama Hare Krishna (1971).

Last month, on the birth centenary of the evergreen actor (September 26), reminiscing fond memories of him, she shared, “Jis tarah se woh bhaagte the, apna sar hilate the… I don’t even think people of this generation can carry off his style and gestures along with their acting. He had his individuality and people accepted that and showered him with love.”

The actress’ first film featured them as husband and wife, but when Dev Anand approached her for his second venture, she had some reservations. She recounts, “He had come home to meet me for Hare Rama Hare Krishna and narrated the story. He wanted me to play his sister in that film. I thought after playing a married couple, if we play brother-sister in our second film, won’t it look odd? So, I refused to play his sister and offered to play his heroine instead. He insisted that the sister had a bigger role, and that I can’t miss it. I was hell bent because Tere Mere Sapne mein logon ne hamari jodi ko, hamare scenes aur songs ko kaafi pasand kiya tha. He got my point and was very grateful to let me choose the part that I wanted to play in the film.”

About her personal equation with the legendary actor, Mumtaz shares, “Dev saab was very fond of me. I was very close to Dev saab and he would call me Mumzee. On set, he used to always call me to select his scarf. He would say, ‘Mumzee, come here.’ I would go to his make-up room where there would be six-seven scarves laid out and he would ask me to pick one for the scene. I would feel a sense of pride seeing Dev saab give importance to my choice.”

Mumtaz has stayed away from the limelight for decades now, but she looks beautiful and fit and, and gives Dev Anand credit for inspiring her. “He would always say, age is just a number and that one should look after themselves… apna khayal rakho aur achche lago, yeh mujhe Dev saab ne sikhaya hai,” she says.

When Dev Anand passed away in London on December 3, 2011, Mumtaz (who lives there) refused to see him one last time. “Afsos ki baat yeh hai ki main jahan rehti hoon – Mayfair, London mein – wahi kuch doori pe unka hotel tha jahan unki death hui thi. I remember people coming home and asking me to see him one last time, but I refused. I loved him too much to see him that way. I wanted him in my heart and mind as the evergreen Dev saab. Unhe waisa dekhna mujhse nahi bardasht hota.”