Jorhat, Dec. 4: The legend has passed away but his shadow lives on.

Jiten Bardoloi, a look-alike and diehard fan of actor Dev Anand, is facing the saddest day of his life — having to cope with the death of the man who was his inspiration, his idol and godfather.

Bardoloi has been dressing like the evergreen star since Class VIII, adopting every style and trait.

His only regret is that he could never meet his idol.

Today, dressed in Dev Anand’s signature bright colours and hat, handkerchief, scarf, numerous watches, polished black leather and tobacco pipe shoes, Bardoloi mourned the death of his “master” at his Number 1 Sonari Gaon residence here.

“I am feeling very bad, as Dev Anandji was a great actor and his death is a big loss to the country. He was my source of inspiration to be young at heart always,” Bardoloi, who is a bachelor and lives alone, told The Telegraph.

He said from the moment his elder sister Amiya Majumdar broke the news over phone from Guwahati at 8am, he was heartbroken.

Bardoloi said he was unable to eat, but was forced to do so, as he lives alone in the house. He rued the fact that his wish to meet the legend was never fulfilled. “I always dreamt of meeting the icon and wanted to go to Mumbai, but because of my pre-occupation with my work (earlier employed with the Statfed — a state government-owned PSU closed down five years ago) and my hobby (as an astrologer) did not permit me,” he added.

Refusing to disclose his age, he said he would always dress like the great personality till his last breath and still nurtures the hope of marrying a “young good-looking” girl, who will understand him properly and appreciate his lifestyle.

He said with his obsession of remaining like a 25-year-old Dev Anand, he had so far never given a serious thought to marriage.

“But I am hopeful that one day I shall get my match with whom I will have a very romance-filled marital life,” he said.

After watching Teen Deviyaan, in which Dev Anand played the role of a hero with three heroines of that time, he, a student of Class VIII at Shillong Government High School, started imitating the star.“I also started memorising Dev Anand’s dialogues,” he said.

He said his family, six siblings, and his parents and his friends had encouraged him to dress like the legendary actor and since then he had never looked back.

He never went out in public without the Dev Anand attire.

Bardoloi’s favourite film of the legend is Jab Pyaar Kisi se Hota Hai, starring Asha Parekh and Pran.

Of the 101 movies of Dev Anand, Bardoloi has watched all, except the few that had not come to the halls or whose CDs are not available.

He had watched Anand’s last movie, Love at Times Square, but he had preferred the earlier movies of the icon.

The fan also hopes to make a national record for having imitated the actor for the longest possible time.