A rare clip of veteran Bollywood actor Dev Anand driving his Premier Padmini in Mumbai is going viral on the internet.
Dev Anand driving his Premier Padmini
Today, let’s hit rewind. If you’re ever wandering around Mumbai and find yourself thinking about the good old days of Bollywood, you might just picture one of its most enduring icons – the one and only Dev Anand. And if you’ve got the right playlist on, you might even hear his trademark voice echoing with tunes like Chaudhvin ka Chand or Kahin Pe Nigahen floating by on the wind. The legandary Bollywood star, who was at his prime in the ‘50s and ‘60s, is one of the most handsome actors in the history of Indian cinema.
Once upon a time, he was also one of the first Bollywood actors to own a car. Among his collection was the very famous Premier Padmini.
We recently came across a video in which Dev Anand is seen driving his old Premier Padmini on the roads of Mumbai. The video begins with Dev Anand driving the car out of his home, cruising the streets of Mumbai. He drives the car in his iconic “one shoulder down” style. The video concludes with the veteran star parking the car back at the same place from where he started.
In the video, Dev Anand’s Premier Padmini appears to be in pristine condition, with its paint and the shine still intact. Dev Anand was one of the first cinema actors in India to own a Premier Padmini. Later, many actors bought it including Rajesh Khanna, Rajnikanth, Mammootty, and Aamir Khan.
If you know anything about Bombay (as it was called back then), you’ll know that the Padmini was a symbol of class and elegance, and when it belonged to Dev Anand, well, it became an absolute work of art on wheels.
The Premier Padmini was a compact, sturdy car made for the streets of India. Its small, boxy frame didn’t just reflect an era; it carried it. The car was named after a 14th-century princess from Rajasthan. The Premier Padmini is originally a rebadged Fiat 1100 D. It was first introduced in India in 1964.
For the younger generation, watching this clip might feel like a window into a time they never knew – a time when stars didn’t live in the limelight 24/7, but instead, they were part of the everyday hustle. And for those of us from the olden days, we sit back and watch this nostalgic moment unfold and we can’t help but feel a twinge of longing for those times – when the world seemed a little less chaotic, and the simple joys of life were enough to leave a lasting imprint on our hearts.
