At the Bangalore club, one of the most exclusive and stiff-necked clubs in the City, the staff were uncharacteristically animated on Wednesday afternoon. Guests who passed by the private dining parlour stopped short to nudge each other and whisper excitedly. The bearers and reception desk wore extra big, beaming smiles.

The reason for their excitement was seated within at the head of a table, in a black denim jacket and jaunty, white scarf. Dev Anand made many a heart beat quicker in his day but it is nearly 60 years since and fans still mob him where ever he goes.

In Bangalore to release his autobiography, Romancing with Life, the suave legend acknowledged all the ‘fanfare’ with a smile and an easy wave of the hand. The epitome of ‘urban gentleman’, he shook hands with guests, held doors for the ladies and made a few jokes. Fans and friends alike glowed in the warmth of his reflected glory.

Excerpts from an interview—
Tell us about ‘Romancing with Life’, what made you write it?
A lot of people approached me to do a biography but you know— biographers and editors... Finally I said I would write it on my own. It took me about 8-10 months; I could have written six books in that period! But I took the time to concentrate totally and wrote the book down chapter by chapter. Lots of things got left out but the things that have remained in my mind, have been written about in this book.

How tough was it to put down your innermost self on paper for everyone to see?
It’s a matter of making a decision. I committed to myself that I would write this book. And my life has been an open book (looking quizzical), so it was just a matter of commitment in the end.   

You’ve seen it all, the British rule, freedom struggle, Independence, Partition, Emergency, the comings and goings of various governments. What do you think has changed for better and worse in India today?
I cannot say ‘for the worse’ because I am a big optimist. A lot for the better I think; The Indian psyche which is based on spirituality is great and the new Indian is on the march now. The only thing that happened for the worse, I think, was the Partition. It should not have happened. We were young at that time but once we matured we realised the tragedy, people lost their homes, their loved ones...

What kind of literature do you read?
Anything that reflects what is going on in the world. Contemporary literature. I gather my ideas from what is happening around me. If the world is full of something, I’ll grab it— that’s me... I’m in the process of doing a film called ‘Charge Sheet’ which is on the subject of corruption. People may not connect it to the Jessica Lal case, but, real life is where my inspiration comes from.

If your autobiography were to be made into a film, who would you like to star as you?
Do you think its a good story? Well let’s see... if the time comes I’ll think about it... This book was like making an epic. It is the story of an independent boy, a self-confident boy, a well-educated boy who wanted to study but had no money. He wanted to soar high, high, high. I think that’s what life should be all about. If you fly high, you live longer. Creativity is very important in life. 

Your films have always broken new ground. This autobiography is the first one of its kind from Bollywood... Comment?
Its good to be original, it’s my strength. (Animatedly) I love being ahead of everyone. I want to be a leader not a follower. I don’t believe in doing things that are already done.

What is your opinion on remakes?
I don’t do remakes. The basic thing when people do remakes is to play safe. I like to work on new ideas... take risks.

How would you describe your style of writing?
Fast-paced. I am a filmmaker and I do a lot of ‘editing’ myself. So I have tried to keep the book interesting for readers.

You’ve acted, directed, introduced new talent to the industry and now written a book— What’s left to do?
There’s so much to do in life... My life has been full of learning, travelling, reacting— gathering experiences. But making motion pictures is my forte. So I’ll get back to it after November (when the worldwide promotion of the book will end). I think I’ve been very lucky because people gave me a lot of support all over the world, where ever I went.