I’m not a good dancer:Dev Anand

doweshowbellyad=0; STILL GOING STRONG: Dev Anand. (TOI Photo)More picsEighty-four and rocking. Life is still exciting and his best is yet to come, an utterly charming Dev Anand tells Piali Dasgupta
I’m a romantic... If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t be living. You have no business to be in movies unless you’re a romantic. The very thought of a 16-year-old girl chasing me in Mein Solah Baras Ki excited me.I’ve always been passionate about everything I’ve done. When you cease to be excited, you’re not young anymore.
What makes me Dev Anand... I can’t speak for those who’ve retired at 70. I want to keep making movies. My work keeps me going. That, and travelling, meeting people, fans, drawing from them. I love the fact that I can go anywhere I wish to.
I’m still learning... Every time I make a film, my effort is to beat the previous standards. I’m improving all the time. I know I could do much better. I can excite the world with my films. My best work is yet to come.
I’m not a good dancer... I managed all these years because I have a sense of rhythm. Had I been a great dancer and a composer, I’d have conquered the world. But it’s too late to learn dancing now. If I’m challenged, I might still rehearse for hours and learn though.
Fashion... I wear what I like. You shouldn’t bother with what the world thinks about your sense of style; just wear clothes that suit your personality. Short sleeves don’t suit me since I’m not a muscular guy. I can’t flaunt biceps. I have 100-odd scarves in my cupboard. All my caps are also interesting.
My favourites... I fell in love with Zeenat Aman’s character in the film Hare Ram Hare Krishna. I’m still in touch with her. She’s intelligent and a great human being. There’s no bitterness between us since we haven’t hurt each other. We just chose different paths after a point in life.
Coming up... Chargesheet is my next film. Then there’s When Heartbeats Are The Same with which I want to test my talent in English. The subject of the film is such that it has to be made in English. It’s a love story that also depicts a father-son relationship. I play the father, but haven’t yet decided who’s going to play my son. Song of Life is the other film I’m planning, but that involves a huge budget. It’ll be shot in the US with an American star cast. When I read reports about Norah Jones being Ravi Shankar’s daughter, that inspired me to think of a movie. But my work is totally fictional.
A Guide remake... I didn’t give Rituparno Ghose the permission to remake Guide. I advised him not to do it, since people will always remember a classic. Similarly, I wouldn’t have remade Sholay.
No cameos... That’s why I didn’t accept Farah Khan’s offer of appearing in Om Shanti Om. What do I have to prove by doing a guest appearance?
Box office success... We don’t necessarily lose big money when my films don’t do well. But when it does, the profits are immense. Besides, the production costs for my films aren’t exorbitant since I have my own production company and infrastructure. And now I’ve understood the importance of marketing a film well.