His loopy, loose-limbed walk, his indefatigable energy, his songs, his affectations and, of course, his style. Dev Anand, the star and the filmmaker through seven decades, was remembered and celebrated on Tuesday, his 100th birth anniversary.

While fans went on a journey down nostalgia lane, recalling his films, right from “CID” to “Heera Panna”, industry insiders paid tribute to the man whose enthusiasm saw him continue to make films later in his life even when they were not very successful.

Born an unprepossessing Dharamdev Pishorimal Anand in 1923, it's almost poetic that his stage moniker went on to be Dev Anand, his first name meaning 'god' in Hindi.

The suave, debonair actor, who died in 2011 at the age of 88, was often compared to Hollywood star Gregory Peck and is still known as the evergreen hero.

His brothers were equally illustrious, but perhaps did not see the same enduring success. Chetan Anand was the man behind the critically acclaimed “Neecha Nagar” and Vijay Anand directed him in “Guide”, “Johny Mera Naam” and “Jewel Thief”.

Also a director and producer under his family banner Navketan Films, Dev Anand is known for his versatile choices through his career, his inimitable style and zest for life.

Waheeda Rehman, his co-star on classics such as "CID" and "Guide", recounted being introduced to Dev Anand on the sets of "CID", the 1956 film which marked her Hindi cinema debut.

"I feel very lucky that I did my first film 'CID' with Dev sahab. When we were introduced, I called him 'Dev sahab', he said 'Waheeda, you won't call me Dev sahab'. I said 'I'm not that ill-mannered, you are elder to me and such a big star. This is my first film. How can I not call you Dev sahab?' He said, 'I don't feel comfortable when someone calls me 'sahab', I feel like a school teacher. So, just call me Dev'," she said at the opening of 'Dev Anand@100 - Forever Young' film festival.

A champion of new blood, Dev Anand is also credited for discovering talents Zeenat Aman (“Hare Rama Hare Krishna”) and Tina Munim (“Des Pardes”).

Aman, a former Miss Asia Pacific International, became an overnight star after starring as the hippy, pot-smoking Janice in 1971 directorial "Hare Rama Hare Krishna".

Aman paid rich tributes to her co-star and director in an Instagram post.

"Celebrating 100 years of Dev saab. Stylish, suave and prolific, he was a dynamo beyond compare. And what generosity of talent! He sparked careers (mine included), brought together creative heads, and made films that resonated across generations.

"It gladdens my heart to see his legacy honoured an entire century since his birth. In recent days, I've been overwhelmed with requests for comments about him but there is little to add to what I've already said," she wrote alongside stills from their films "Hare Rama..." and "Heera Panna".

Jackie Shroff had an uncredited small appearance in 1982's "Swami Dada" before bagging a film as a leading man in "Hero". Dev Anand both starred in and directed "Swami Dada".

"My first meeting with him was magical... I feel blessed... Everyone calls him Dev sahab. For me, he is Dev. He is like my God. He is the man who got me into the industry. He gave me a role in his film... I loved his energy. He was a very energetic person. He would often say, 'Look forward, whatever has happened has happened'. He never looked back in life. His style was iconic, there was no one like him," Shroff told PTI.

Rati Agnihotri, who also worked with in "Swami Dada", said she can never forget the "positivity" that the late actor-director would evoke on film sets so much so that she and co-star Mithun Chakraborty would be on their toes.

"Whenever he would explain the film or my role in it, there was so much energy in the way he narrated it or explained a particular scene to us. It was a fabulous, one-time experience to work with a legend like Dev sahab. Working with him in 'Swami Dada' was an absolute honour, I think I was blessed," she told PTI.

Dev Anand made his debut as an actor in 1946 in "Hum Ek Hain". By the time "Ziddi" was released in 1947, he was a superstar and like one of his life lessons to his colleagues, he also never looked back.

Always flamboyant, be it in his black-and-white or his colour films, Dev Anand starred in numerous hits such as "Guide", "Paying Guest", "Baazi", "Jewel Thief ", "CID", "Johny Mera Naam", "Amir Garib", and "Des Pardes".

As important as his films perhaps were the many, many songs associated with him. Any list of his best songs will inevitably lead to a debate - everyone has their favourite.

And here are some of them: “Abhi na jao chhod kar” (“Hum Dono”), “Hai apna dal to awara” (“Solva Saal” ), “Tere mere sapne (“Guide”) , “Pal bhar ke liye” (“Johny Mera Naam”) and “”Phoolon ka taro ka...” (“Hare Rama Hare Krishna”).

As the years passed, his enthusiasm stayed unchecked but the films were no longer as successful. “Awwal Number”, “Censor”, “Love at Times Square”, “Mr Prime Minister” and “Chargesheet”... the list of flops was pretty long but the charisma stayed intact nonetheless.

Describing him as the "evergreen ebullient star", film historian Amrit Gangar said the multihyphenate lived his life of 88 years with his boots on.

"'Insaaniyat', 'CID', 'Paying Guest', 'Tere Ghar ke Saamne' and then that serenading 'Guide' followed by 'Jewel Thief', 'Johny Mera Naam', 'Hare Rama Hare Krishna', and the list will go on. They all manifested his versatility and variety. He hated to be repetitive and boring in whatever he did," Gangar told PTI.

"Dev Anand’s nodding head also had plenty of grey matter inside it - his knowledge of literature, cinema and general politics was worth reckoning with," Gangar added.

Dev Anand was also the rare star who made his political points. He raised his voice against the Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi and actively campaigned to overthrow the political leader during the general elections in 1977. He formed a party called the National Party of India, which he later disbanded.

The actor was also part of the Indian delegation, led by then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on the historic bus journey from Amritsar to Lahore in 1999. Born in Shakargarh, now in Pakistan, Dev Anand had completed his graduation in English literature from Lahore's Government College before Partition.

He married his “Taxi Driver” co-star Kalpana Kartik. They had two children.

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