It’s always a pleasure talking to Dharmendra. The senior actor is refreshingly honest and charmingly guileless. Ahead of the release of Second Hand Husband, Dharmendra talks to SpotboyE.com about his love for movies and why he doesn't believe in harping on his work. Excerpts:
You were recently admitted to the hospital. Are you feeling better now?
I had hurt my shoulder when I was stepping into the vanity van. So I went to check if I needed surgery. Since I was at the hospital, I figured I might as well run a full check-up. My haemoglobin turned out to be low. I was feeling slightly weak and breathless. I underwent treatment and now, I am completely fine.
Do you still continue with your exercise regime?
Yeah, I get up in the mornings and cycle around for half an hour. I do my pranayam too. I used to exercise a lot earlier. You remember the role I had done in Dharam Veer? I had toned thighs in the film. I used to do sit-ups, work out with dumbbells...I have done all of that.
You will be seen on the big screen with Second Hand Husband. Tell us about your character.
My character is very interesting. Being a married man, I keep flirting with women. The film shows what happens when a man is caught red-handed in such acts. I think my character will appeal to men as they will relate to it. Maybe not 100%, but 80% of men are flirts irrespective of whether they are married or not. My character will appeal to the women too because the way I woo women in the film, is rather funny.
You've done many action films in your career. Do you think you were stereotyped?
No, I did all kinds of films. I did Devar, then there was Dost. I even did Naya Zamana and Mera Gaon Mera Desh. The two films released at the same time. While in one film, I did not even raise a finger, the other film had me beating up goons. Both the films worked very well at the box-office.
Despite doing such good roles, you've never promoted yourself too much. Why so?
I'm not a method actor. I think I'm a natural actor. I have never felt the need to harp on ki main yeh hoon, main woh hoon. I find that fake. I treated acting as my lover. Nowadays, people treat it as business. My acting is my all. I cant go harping on like others do. I have never done that nor will I do it. Doing that exhausts my soul. The nature of our business is such that there is a flipside to everything. On one hand, we get fame. But there's always the possibility of anonymity. All I can say is, “Samundare shohrat ke saahil nahin hote. Maine dekhe hain ek se ek tairaag doobte huye.”
You've shared screen space with many actors like Amitabh Bachchan, Vinod Khanna and many others. Did you ever have ego clashes?
No. Pehle toh main pyaar se aadmi ko aadha maarta hoon, uske baad gusse se. My love and my anger are combined. Every person meets me with a great deal of warmth and love because love begets love. And I'm a big lover. I think I am a good human being. So why will anybody mess with a good human being?
You've always had the garam Dharam image. Do you still get as angry?
My anger is such that when I am really pushed into a corner and it has gone way beyond my tolerance level, then I cant control my anger.
Lastly, you've been in the word of movies for several decades. How long do you intend to continue acting?
I cant live without the camera. As long as I live, I want to face the camera.
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