The last time Dev Anand spoke to Pakistans former prime minister Nawaz Sharif,a couple of years back,he told him,Main tumhein milney Pakistan aaoonga,Nawaz,(I will come to Pakistan to meet you,Nawaz). But that meeting never happened. Sharif,a fan of old Hindi films,first met the actor when former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee took a delegation with him on the inaugural trip of the Delhi-Lahore bus service in 1999. As soon as the bus rolled into Wagah,Dev Saab jumped out and we hugged each other. Then he took my hand and Vajpayees,and brought us together,saying,main dono mulkon ko issi tarah ikathha karney aaya hoon (I have come to bring together both countries just this way),Sharif told The Indian Express over the phone from Lahore. In Dev Saab,I saw the energy and excitement of a youngster. When he visited Lahore with Vajpayee,he walked around the Lahore Fort and his alma mater,Government College,saying Ive come to my city. I want to make a film here. When Pervez Musharraf dislodged my government in 1999 and I went into exile in Jeddah,Dev Saab called me and enquired about my well-being. We had several meetings in London as well. I remember we went for a stroll in Hyde Park,it was a dream come true. He loved me a lot. In his death,I have lost a friend, said Sharif. Dev Anands Guide is his all-time favourite film,said Sharif,adding that only two of his favourite Hindi film actors remain Dilip Kumar and Dharmendra. The other two Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand are now no more.
