Let’s take a break from the success and shenanigans of the Deols and check out the newsier saga of brothers Chetan, Dev and Vijay Anand.

When Vijay (Goldie) Anand’s 84-year-old wife Sushma passed on after a cardiac arrest last Sunday, it was like the finale of a grand soap opera.

Goldie, the youngest, whose curly blonde locks earned him his nickname, had one of the most controversial marriages of the ’70s. Earlier, he had tried to resist by marrying Loveleen, a young girl he wanted to introduce in his film Jaan Hazir Hai (1975), a marriage doomed from the word go. Soon, Goldie could no longer suppress his love for older sister Savitri’s daughter, Sushma.

An avunculate marriage that would be considered incestuous in most parts of India except states like Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, it was certainly one of the few times Dev Anand was furious. Termed murai maaman in Tamil Nadu, which gives the maternal uncle the first right to marry his niece, Goldie’s marriage to Sushma could only be solemnised by a south Indian priest, a bond that had its legality confirmed in the Hindu Code Bill of 1984.

Over time, the brothers cast aside their differences. The truth was, after a loveless marriage with Loveleen and wandering into Osho’s arms wearing saffron robes, Vijay Anand had found true happiness with Sushma and their son Vaibhav. We’d meet often at Ketnav, the popular preview and dubbing theatre Goldie set up at the foot of Pali Hill. In fact, the last time I met him was at a Barjatya wedding, where Goldie-Sushma-Vaibhav looked a contented threesome and Goldie was full of plans to launch his son’s career.

Unfortunate that he died soon after, at age 70 in 2004. Equally wistful that son Vaibhav allowed a piece of prime property like Ketnav to wilt away. Perhaps the last preview there was in 2012 when Alia Bhatt’s debut film Student Of The Year had a few screenings at Ketnav.

Sushma’s brother Yash Kohli had also flirted with headlines in the 70s for his bouts of passion with Rekha, the actress.

Sushma’s younger sister Aruna, who succumbed to a heart attack a few years ago, was married to Balraj Sahni’s son Parikshit. Inspired by Dev Anand’s wife Mona (screen name Kalpana Kartik), she had become a Born-again Christian and Parikshit had to hand over her body for burial according to the community’s practice. Meanwhile, Parikshit had his own adventures. After two daughters with Aruna, he fathered a son with a lady in Jaipur.

The multi-generational family saga includes swashbucklers like Shekhar Kapur and Navin Nischol, with Dev Anand topping it. When his Romancing With Life was published, his one-time girlfriend Zaheeda had remarked, “Imagine, not a word on me.” Dev had sung Choodi nahi yeh mera dil hai with her but she wasn’t as big a hit as the other love of his life, Zeenat Aman.

Dramatically, the Anand files were not restricted to manifold romances and consanguineous relationships. Suicide (by one of Navin’s wives), jail terms and a murky murder case too played their parts.

Unlike the affable Dev and Vijay, older brother Chetan was a bit stand-offish and arty: his debut film Neecha Nagar had received the Palme d’Or Best Film Award at Cannes in 1946. But no less flamboyant than his brothers, after ending his marriage to Uma, Chetan had embarked on a lifelong relationship with his protege Priya Rajvansh. However, one isn’t sure why he didn’t divide his assets neatly between Priya and his sons, Ketan and Vivek, in his lifetime. Instead, he left behind his lucrative bungalow for all three to share. Priya hung on, regularly going to Chetan’s bungalow for her daily meals even though she was clearly unwelcome there.

Priya was found murdered in 2000. Two domestic helps were held guilty and Chetan’s sons were convicted for plotting it. But they had the means and celebrity uncle Dev was alive and well till 2011.

With nobody from Priya’s side willing to pursue the case, Chetan’s sons are still out on bail, their appeal against the conviction still pending. Like nobody drove Salman Khan’s car, perhaps nobody killed Priya Rajvansh too.

Bharathi S. Pradhan is a senior journalist and author