Long run: Dev Anand in Hare Rama Hare Krishna (1971); (below) Guide (1965)

What’s age got to do with it, Dev Anand may well sing, giving a new twist to the old Tina Turner song. Two years short of 90, the Hindi film industry’s evergreen hero is all ready to release a new film — and marvels at his long run in the movies.

“I entered filmdom in the 1940s and am still going strong in 2011. I believe in what I do today because yesterday is the past and the future is not seen. I do things, understand the contemporary world and make films for present day audiences. It’s not a joke to exist for so many decades,” says Anand.

So after a spectrum of films and a great many memorable performances in iconic movies such as Guide, Gambler, Hare Rama Hare Krishna, Jewel Thief and C.I.D., Devsaab is ready with Chargesheet.

Written, directed and produced by him, Anand talks excitedly about his new baby as if it were his first. “Being involved in the thought process enables me to write scripts and then reveal the story on the silver screen. I strongly believe that Chargesheet will be liked by audiences,” he says.

It is a suspense drama and will see him in the role of a CBI officer. “I have big stars like Naseeruddin Shah, Yashpal and Divya Dutta acting in the film. When I select my cast, I evaluate their good as well as bad points and they need to suit the character. I am proud that I have given breaks to newcomers who have been successful,” he says.

The veteran actor narrates how he met and introduced actor Jackie Shroff to the film world. “I still remember. My car passed by a shabbily dressed but handsome boy who stood on the road selling Charminar cigarettes. He was dressed in tattered blue denims and a dirty shirt, but his electrifying eyes spoke to me. I thought to myself, this boy needs to be in my film. To my surprise, when I reached my office I saw him at the doorstep. I immediately finalised him. He may be known as Jackie Shroff, but I know him since the time when he was just Jacky. He plays a pivotal role in my upcoming movie,” says Anand.

He has high regard for Naseeruddin Shah as well. “I called him up just once. I am happy that even before listening to the narration he accepted to be a part of the film. The film industry exists because of such good human beings. We all work under one roof irrespective of any differences,” he says.

Apart from these Bollywood biggies, the film features former Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh. “I offered Amar Singh a real character and he accepted it immediately. The character suits him. He also allowed us to shoot in his bungalow. He has acted very well.”

The Dadasaheb Phalke Award winner, who usually doesn’t promote his cinema, says he would never “beg” people to see his films. “I feel this kind of publicity is cheap and immature. But I have tried to improve on my flaws. Maybe a huge publicity campaign could have prevented my earlier films from failing.”

It’s a fact that most of his new films — from Censor (2001) and Love At Times Square (2003) to Mr Prime Minister (2005) — have flopped. But Anand has not lost heart. “In the recent past, my films might not have done well at the box office but this does not deter me. I still have the stamina to go on and on. As a filmmaker, the passion of filmmaking exists deep down to my roots.”

So what keeps Devsaab fit at this age? “Don’t call me Devsaab. Just call me Dev. I keep myself fit through walking and simple exercises for my hands and legs. I don’t smoke or drink. I eat very simple food and at the right times. I’m not too young today to do weightlifting. People will say that I am mad.”

But hasn’t his sanity been questioned many times? “I don’t know which instance you are talking about, but yes, when I wanted to act in Guide, people did say that I was mad. People from the film industry felt that the audience would not accept me in the role of a sadhu when I had such a romantic image at that time. People actually wrote a letter to the Information and Broadcasting ministry and I had to reshoot the film.”

Before the film’s release, posters came up in Mumbai which had him looking at the heavens. It hadn’t rained in Mumbai for days before that. “But you know something, when the film released it rained like cats and dogs,” he smiles in his unique style and paces about the room with his trademark gait.

It’s a style — with an awkward bending of knees, his head tilted to a side — that has regaled his fans for decades. “I don’t know what style it is. But since I was the first star in Hindi cinema, people started assuming that it was my style.”

People did say that he was trying to imitate Jimmy Stewart, the American actor. Dev Anand takes that well. “If people are saying then it should be him. Come to think of it, I think it is actually so. I do feel that our mannerisms were similar,” says the actor. And what’s the history of the cravats round his neck? “Actually I started wearing a scarf soon after I came to Mumbai. In fact, I felt that my neck was too thin. I wanted to cover that up and hence the scarf came into use. Once I wore it, people liked it and it became a style statement and a part of my personality. So that scarf has never left my neck since.”

Anand has been keeping up with the times, exploring subjects such as terrorism and corruption. But though he re-released his black and white film Hum Dono in colour earlier this year, he does not like the trend of re-makes. Filmmakers, he stresses, must come up with original story ideas. It also infuriates him when people re-mix his songs and do not pay him royalty. “I feel cheated. I am going to do something about the law because someone else is living off my creation,” thunders Anand, referring to the Dum Maaro Dum song in a recent film of the same name. The song — with Zeenat Aman swaying to the heady effects of dope — had first featured in Anand’s film Hare Rama Hare Krishna in 1971. The song was remixed and used in the re-make without his consent. “I will take legal action soon. I will make sure that the monies do not go to the people who don’t deserve it,” says Anand.

Anand says he is planning to make Hare Rama Hare Krishna again. “But not as a remake or a sequel. I do not like remakes. It will have a contemporary subject which the younger generation will be able to identify with,” he reveals. “The whole world has billions of thoughts and billions of variations in their love stories. Just think about it and the ideas will come.”

Dev Anand, for one, is still bubbling with ideas. “I will be here for a few more years. But until my last breath, I will be involved in filmmaking,” he says.