“It’s my passion,” veteran actor Dharmendra begins, when asked how he managed to sustain himself for so many years. “I am in love with acting. It’s not my profession, it’s my beloved. Main rooth jaata hoon toh yeh mana leti hai, yeh rooth jaati hai toh main mana leta hoon. We have spent such a long time together, we never left each other. It will go on as long as possible, and we will maintain this relationship throughout,” he says.

Sholay (1975), Dharamveer (1977), Jugnu (1973) and Pratigya (1975) remain some of his best-known films. In his era, he recalls, a movie running in theatres for weeks on end was the true measure of success — not the money it made.

Today, with the focus on the Rs. 100-crore and Rs. 200-crore clubs, what does he make of the change? “I don’t like that. I am still a man of small money. I understand only thousands and lakhs,” he says, adding, “I don’t get excited about it. Ho gaya yaar, bas. Sab kuchh paake bhi haasil-e-zindagi kuchh bhi nahi… humne dekhe hain ek se ek Sikander khaali haath jaate huye.”

He turns emotional when asked what drives him at 82. “I am still hungry for films. I still think I am a newcomer. Why? Because I want to live in the hearts of people. When I go, people should feel hamara koi jaa raha hai,” he ends.