At 82, Dev Anand is ready to rap

MUMBAI: Singing a rap song at the Gateway of India���that's what actor Dev Anand is going to be doing on his 82nd birthday on Monday.
But then, after six decades in Bollywood, it's hardly a surprise that the evergreen hero would rather continue shooting for his new film Mr Prime Minister than celebrate with a dinner party.
"I've been working in this industry for 60 years.I came to Bombay to become a hero at 19 and till date have remained a hero. I wish to make a thousand films and nobody can stop me from doing it," says the thespian who has made a concession to his birthday by planning a tea party at Cafe Royale.
Any concessions to age, however, are non-existent. "I feel as young as ever," he says. "Otherwise one has no business to be in the movies. I am one actor who has seen the British period and is still active in India."
His new film may be his perspective on our democracy, but he emphasises that politics is not his cup of tea. "I have made a political statement in my film for the first time," he says.
The film is about a man who comes from a ravaged Bhachau in Gujarat and wins a ticket to parliament. He thought of the film after the hung parliament in 2001.
"Our political system is good but I don't understand why people have come to believe only coalitions will work now," he says adding, "Let me make one thing clear. I am not interested in politics and don't want to enter politics."
In a rare mood, he confesses that he misses his friends. "I had only one friend and that was Guru Dutt. We used to be inseparable. Life shows you different colours���friends, spouses go away, but life goes on. You'll find all these experiences in the book I am writing; it is almost complete.'