Dev Anand at the Hinduja party. Telegraph picture

Cannes, May 17: Dev Anand arrived today in Cannes where Guide will be screened in the classic section of the film festival 43 years after one of the most enduring movies of the Hindi screen was written and directed by the lead actor’s younger brother, Vijay Anand.

Surprising though it may seem, this will be 84-year-old Dev Anand’s first visit to the Cannes Film Festival, now in its 61st year.

Also on the lawns of Srichand Hinduja’s Cannes villa, where the tycoon gave a lunch in the actor’s honour, was Vijay Anand’s son, Vibhu Vaibhav Anand, now 27, which means he was not even born when Guide was made in 1965 starring his uncle and Waheeda Rehman in the lead roles.

Dev Anand said he was a man who was not over-keen on attending film festivals, which explained why he had not been to Cannes before.

Perhaps another reason is that Cannes has not been on the Indian cinematic radar in the way it most definitely is now, with Indian distributors, producers and Bollywood folk, plus a selection of socialites, thronging the lush gardens of the Hinduja villa.

Srichand, who was hosting the lunch with his Geneva-based younger brother, Prakash, said he had a special reason for giving the lunch: “We distributed all of Devsaab’s movies, including Guide, overseas.”

“When I heard that Guide had been included in the classics section, I jumped for joy,” admitted Dev Anand, whose impromptu speech on his passion for cinema, which had kept him going all these decades, impressed the guests.

Vibhu told The Telegraph: “My father passed away in 2004 but I am here to represent his spirit. I heard a lot about Guide from my father. He thought it was one of his three best films — the others were Tere Mere Sapna and Hum Dono.”

One young Indian woman approached Dev Anand and said: “My mother will have a blast when she hears I have met you.”

“Give her my love,” the actor said politely, for he has dealt with such situations on a million previous occasions. The woman elaborated on her comment: “My mother’s been in love with you.” Dev Anand had been through this before, too. “There are many different sorts of love, a mother’s love, a friend’s love, a husband’s love, a ‘I want to sleep with you,’ kind of love.”

He may not have made a hit movie in years but among Indians anywhere in the world, he still retains a devoted following.

“To hell with the body,” he said, for he knew people were wondering how he had retained his zest for life and his determination to keep on making movies.

The next movie, he promised, would be made in English with Cannes in mind. “It’s the mind which keeps you alive,” he said. “Today the corporates have moved in but big money does not necessarily mean a good movie.”