Actress Hema Malini paid tribute to Dev Anand on his 101st birth anniversary on Thursday, sharing throwback pictures with the late actor from the shoot of their 1970 film Johny Mera Naam.

“I have such lovely memories of Dev Saab who was in fact the hero of my 2nd big release with a top actor,” wrote Hema in a note on social media.

“I was raw, and in awe but he quickly put me at ease and behaved as if he was a good friend. This attitude continued till the end, always exuding energy that would stimulate everyone. I would never feel low or sad when he was around,” recounted the 75-year-old actress, who had starred alongside Dev Anand in films like Tere Mere Sapne (1971), Chhupa Rustam (1973), Shareef Budmaash (1973) and Joshila (1973).

Hema went on to add that she deeply misses Dev Anand’s presence. “His calling me ‘Hema’ still reverberates in my ears. I truly loved him for the extraordinary person that he was and miss his warm presence even today. Happy birthday Dev Saab,” concluded the actress, who was last seen in Ramesh Sippy’s 2020 romantic drama Shimla Mirchi, alongside Rajkummar Rao and Rakul Preet Singh.

Dev Anand made his acting debut in 1946 with P. L. Santoshi’s Hum Ek Hain. Over the course of an illustrious career spanning more than six decades, he starred in numerous blockbusters, both in black-and-white and colour. Some of his most popular releases include Ziddi (1947), Guide (1965), Paying Guest (1957), Baazi (1951), Jewel Thief (1967), CID (1956), Amir Garib (1974), Des Pardes (1978), and Taxi Driver (1954).

Dev Anand’s last film, Chargesheet, was released in 2011. He directed, produced and starred in the crime thriller. The actor passed away in December 2011 at the age of 88.