Anand was offered his first big break by Ashok Kumar. He spotted Anand hanging around in the studios and picked him as the hero for the Bombay Talkies production "Ziddi" (1948), co-starring Kamini Kaushal, which became an instant success. After "Ziddi"s success, Anand decided that he would start producing films. It was in the film "Ziddi", where the first ever Kishore-Lata duet, "Yeh Kaun Aaya Karke Yeh Sola Singhar", was recorded. This duet was an instant hit, and from here on both playback singers' associations with Dev Anand began. This continued for the next four decades. His association with Kishore Kumar started when the former sang the first solo of his playback singing career – "Marne Ki Duayen" – picturised on Dev Anand in the movie "Ziddi". Dev had forged a very strong bond of friendship with Kishore Kumar during the making of the film. In 1949, he launched his own company "Navketan Films" (named after his elder brother Chetan's son Ketan and which means "New Banner"), which, as of 2011, has produced 35 films. "Nirala" (1950), a commercial success, saw him being paired opposite Madhubala for the first time, with whom he would later form a popular pair.