The successful actor-director jodi of Sanjay Dutt and Mahesh Manjrekar is set to return after over a decade with the remake of the hit Marathi film De Dhakka, to be produced by Omung Kumar and Sandeep Singh. Sanju, who turns a year older today, is excited about doing this film and teaming up with his buddy again. Excerpts from a quick Q & A with the actor:

Mahesh and you have done many films together including Vaastav: The Reality. How does it feel to team up again after more than 10 years?
I'm looking forward to it. Mahesh has already done the film in Marathi. I'm excited to work with him because we have always shared a special relationship. As a director, he manages to extract good performances from his actors. Also, De Dhakka is an amazing film. It's a laugh riot about a disjointed family that gets together for a reason. Though the comedy is important, there are a lot of other emotions that really appealed to me.

Talking about comedy, aren't you constantly quizzed about the next instalment of Munnabhai?
Yes, that's true. Raju (Hirani) will start Munnabhai 3 after the biopic. I'm also doing this beautiful film Marco Bhau with Vinodji (Vidhu Vinod Chopra), which is about the relationship between a man and his kid. It will start in November and should be my first release.

You seem to have been focusing a lot on your fitness regimen...
I have been working out religiously and have also been into martial arts, particularly a new Indonesian form.

What are your plans for the day?
As a kid, my birthdays were always special. Later, I celebrated my 50th birthday in South Africa. This time I just want to spend the day with family and close friends.

You were away from them during the last couple of birthdays...
Yes, my last few birthdays were in jail. My wife and sisters would come to meet me but I missed my kids, because I didn't want them to come there. So this time, I want to be with them and have a lot of fun.

Did your prison inmates do anything in particular on your birthdays?
In their own little way, they made my birthday special. They made a cookie for me, it was really touching.

Memories of your tough days must be etched on your mind?
Yes, they are. But I really want people to know everything about our nation, the laws and the constitution. It's very important.