On December 29, Dev Anand was the recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. Lata Khubchandani spoke to the thespian on this proud moment:
My sentiments? I never thought about this. Awards have never been on my mind.
I received an award in Pune recently, along with Lata Mangeshkar. At the press conference, people asked me about this [Dadasaheb Phalke Award]. I said I don't know and don't even care, not in any pompous way, but I have crossed that stage.
The day they announced this award, I was in Mahableshwar, and started getting calls from 6 pm onwards. I don't know why they did it, but the panel of judges decided to give the award to me. I have thanked them for the gesture.
I have won a fair amount of awards. I don't keep them on my shelf, though the best thing is that I am still making my pictures.
I am now doing an American musical, Song Of Life, which I will launch in April. In the meantime, if you remember, I was working on this script, The Beauty Queen. I want a new girl between 16 and 17, innocent, smart, fresh, intelligent and quick on the uptake. Once I find her, I will cast. It is very important to find a fresh face.
Once she is announced, no matter what happens, she will be on the horizon because of the way she will be presented.
Everyone will envy her once she comes onscreen. People will exclaim, 'She is the beauty queen!' And that is my box-office.
My office had been ignored for about three months while I was away in America. I am now busy with office work. It is snowing in America. I don't think I'll return before January. In the meantime, I will complete some work.
