What excites you more, playing a lead after a long time, or your son Mimoh making his debut in Jimmy?
I’m excited about my film Don… as I am playing a South Indian character after 28 years, but I’m tense about Mimoh as he is making his debut.

Did you not want to launch him?
No! Stardom is a pain and if you get it suddenly it can be dangerous. I wanted Mimoh to find his place under the sun himself, the way I had to fight for everything I achieved.

You are playing a title-role after a long time.
Yes, this is like a second coming and a very interesting phase of my life where filmmakers are once again writing roles keeping me in mind. In Don Muthuswami I play a hardcore don who on the advice of his dying father decides to change his lifestyle and image. Hilarious situations arise as he tries to transform himself from a don to Sir Muthuswami.

Your South Indian character sounds similar to the bungling don you played in Agneepath.
You can say it is an extension of my part in Agneepath! Ashim Samanta the director loved my character in that film and wanted to base it on him, so except for working on certain mannerisms like his gait and incorporating some Tamil mannerisms I observed in my staff in Ooty, I had to recall my role as Krishnan Iyer MA.

Hrishitaa Bhatt said that she found it hard to match up to your energy while shooting for an energetic dance number in the film.
The dance scene was for just one wedding sequence, otherwise it is not a dancing role but more of a comic character. As for my energy level I am an actor and conscious about my fitness. Anyway, as a dancer now you must watch Mimoh. He has his own unique style and is way ahead of me when it comes to dancing.

How is he as an actor?
It will take him a couple of years to even come close to me in that department!

So when will we see father and son together on screen?
Several producers have been wanting to cast us together, but I don’t think it is the right time as yet. Let him do a couple of films to hone his acting skills as I am sure he would not like to be overshadowed by me, though I will never be able to match up to his vigour!

What role do you dream about doing at this juncture?
I never dream of doing any roles. Instead I turn the roles I am doing into dream roles. At the peak of my career when I was known as a disco dancer I played Ramakrishna Paramhans in the film Swami Vivekananda and even got a national award for it!

You are hosting a television show Dance Bangla Dance Junior in Kolkata. Can we expect to see you as a judge on a Hindi show?
There is nothing in the offing….. but you never know!

The Bengal Football Academy was your brainchild, and now you have bought the Kolkata Tigers of the ICL team. Anything more on the sports front?
Kolkata is a city of sports, and I have always been a sports lover. Of course the idea to buy the team was not only because sports is a passion but from the business angle as well. My dream is to have my own club and I can see it materialising even if it is coming in a roundabout way!

How do you manage to look after your Monarch chain of hotels?
I have three hotels, one in Ooty and one in Mysore and Madhumalai each, then there is also a school in Coimbatore. I was attending to my hotel business when I took some years off from acting. Now I take off five to six days every month to attend to that business and then I am back in Mumbai for my shootings.

Will we see your wife Yogeeta Bali on the screen again?
You will have to ask her, though I find her quite content in looking after the family. My second son is keen on being a director but my youngest son is still undecided as to what he wants to do and my daughter is too young.

Your career seems to have taken off in a big way now.
I don’t know whether it has taken off in a big way but I have landed some interesting projects. I am playing a lawyer in Subhash Ghai’s Yuvraaj though it’s a cameo. In Chandni Chowk To China I have an action-oriented role, then there is Zindagi Tere Naam, Phir Kabhi , Ghosla, Ekta Kapoor’s C-Kompany, the action thriller Luck, and I also may be part of Salman Khan’s Veer. I must mention that in Phir Kabhi I play a 60-year- old opposite Dimple Kapadia.

How do you juggle all your activities?
I am an early riser and my day kicks off by playing with my dogs and other four-legged friends…yes, my house is like a mini-zoo. I do a bit of gardening to rejuvenate myself and then I am off for the day.