- Dev Anand joined Atal Bihari Vajpayee's 1999 Lahore bus trip at Nawaz Sharif's request
- Dev Anand returned to Lahore after decades, visiting Government College and Lahore Fort
- Nawaz Sharif and Dev Anand met multiple times in London and shared personal moments
Netflix's Operation Safed Sagar is set against the 1999 Kargil War. But one of the more unexpected threads surrounding the series has little to do with fighter jets or battle plans.
It involves Pakistan's then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, a worn-out CID CD and his fascination with the way Dev Anand turned during a song.
The series revisits the months before the Kargil conflict, when Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee travelled to Lahore on a historic peace mission. Dev Anand was among those aboard the inaugural Delhi to Lahore bus, reportedly at Sharif's personal request.
Nawaz Sharif's One Request
According to a 2024 Outlook article by journalist Punya Prasun Bajpai, Vajpayee asked Sharif ahead of the visit whether he wanted anything brought from India.
"If possible, bring Dev Anand along with you," Sharif reportedly replied.
Dev Anand allegedly learnt about the journey only a day before departure. Bajpai's account says he received a call from the Prime Minister's Office, followed by instructions from Vajpayee.
"Be ready tomorrow. Some officials will visit your place. Please come to Delhi. Yes, do remember to keep your passport. You have to come to Lahore with me. You have many admirers in the neighbouring country as well," Vajpayee reportedly told him.
The journey carried a personal meaning for Dev Anand. He had studied at Government College in Lahore before moving to Bombay before Partition. The 1999 bus journey marked his return to the city after decades.
A Hug At Wagah And A Message Of Peace
Sharif later recalled his first meeting with Dev Anand in comments published by The Indian Express after the actor's death.
"As soon as the bus rolled into Wagah, Dev saab jumped out and we hugged each other," Sharif said.
The actor then took Vajpayee's hand in one hand and Sharif's in the other.
"Main dono mulkon ko issi tarah ikathha karne aaya hoon," Dev Anand reportedly said.
"I have come to bring the two countries together just like this."
Sharif remembered Dev Anand walking through Lahore Fort and returning to Government College with the enthusiasm of a much younger man.
"I've come to my city. I want to make a film here," the actor reportedly said.
The optimism of the Lahore bus diplomacy did not last. Within months, India and Pakistan were fighting the Kargil War, the conflict at the centre of Operation Safed Sagar.
Walks Through Hyde Park
The Lahore visit was followed by an unusual association between the actor and the Pakistan prime minister.
According to Bajpai's account, Dev Anand and Sharif later met in London, where they took walks and talked in Hyde Park. Sharif also told The Indian Express that he met Dev Anand several times in London after he was removed from power in 1999 and went into exile.
Mohan Churiwala, a close associate of Dev Anand, told Bajpai that Sharif regularly invited the actor to dinner and followed his routine with the interest of a devoted fan.
Churiwala also recalled that if Dev Anand spoke about having hot chocolate at Harrods, Sharif would insist that they visit the famous London store together on a later trip.
The Dev Anand Turn Sharif Kept Replaying
One dinner at the Sharif residence, as recounted by Churiwala, revealed the full extent of the former Pakistan prime minister's admiration.
Churiwala said Sharif's wife offered to tell Dev Anand about one of her husband's habits. Sharif reportedly tried to stop her, but she went ahead.
According to Churiwala's recollection, the family's CID CD had been worn out because Sharif repeatedly replayed one moment from Leke Pehla Pehla Pyaar in slow motion.
He was fascinated by the way Dev Anand turned during the song.
Away from statecraft, diplomatic tensions and political power, Sharif was simply a fan studying his favourite screen star frame by frame.
Their Last Conversation
Their association continued after Sharif's exile to Jeddah. Sharif told The Indian Express that Dev Anand kept in touch with him and that the two later met several times in London.
"It was a dream come true. He loved me a lot," Sharif said.
In one of their final conversations, Dev Anand reportedly told him, "Main tumhe milne Pakistan aaunga Nawaz."
"I will come to Pakistan to meet you, Nawaz."
Dev Anand died in London in 2011 at the age of 88.