Dev Anand was madly in love with this superstar, refused to call her sister; it's not Parveen Babi, Hema Malini, Zeenat Aman, Tina Ambani, Sharmila Tagore

Whenever there is any discussion about one of the greatest and most successful actors in Bollywood, Dev Anand's name always seems to come to mind. The superstar always grabbed attention, whether it was for his films or his personality. Dev Anand, who had a career of over 60 years in the film industry, worked in more than 100 films with some of the biggest actresses of his era, including Tina Ambani, Parveen Babi, Hema Malini, Zeenat Aman, Suraiya, Mumtaz, and Sharmila Tagore, among others. However, among them, there was one superstar who was the love of Dev Anand's life. It was none other than the Nightingale of India, Lata Mangeshkar. 

In an interview with Rediff’s Subhash K Jha, Dev Anand once revealed his deep love for the superstar singer. Dev Anand shared how Lata Mangeshkar was not just a colleague but also the love of his life. He also called Lata Mangeshkar "gorgeous". Lata Mangeshkar was affectionately called 'didi' (sister), but Dev Anand was so in love with her that he refused to ever comply. 

Dev Anand once said about Lata Mangeshkar, "Who would want to call this enchanting woman his sister! She is the gorgeous Lata, the love of my life." Dev Anand also shared how the only person for whom he would stop shooting was Lata Mangeshkar, calling her 'irreplaceable'. 

Dev Anand had said, "The others, one could do without, not Lata. Lata is Lata. She is irreplaceable. The others, we can do without. Not Lata. She is known to cancel recordings at the last minute. That’s because she is a perfectionist. She always says, 'When I record, it’s just a few people listening. But when the song goes out, it is millions listening. I cannot afford to be less than the best version of myself.' I would happily wait for her."

Lata Mangeshkar, over the years, lent her voice to some of Dev Anand's most iconic songs, including Dheere Dheere Chal, from the film Love Marriage (1959), and Abhi Na Jao Chhod Kar from Hum Dono (1961).

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