entertainment

Updated: Jan 25, 2008 15:35 IST

Legendary Bollywood actor Dev Anand, who dabbled into politics and unsuccessfully floated a national-level party post-emergency, today said that "politics is not a cup of tea for soft-hearted artists" but it needs educated, talented and forward looking young people.

"I tried my best to run a political party christened National Party of India after Indira Gandhi's emergency, but I am glad I gave it up because we could not find right candidates to contest the polls then," evergreen film star Dev Anand, who was influenced by Janta Party founder late Jaiprakash Narayan's ideology, said.

The actor was in Jaipur to participate in an interactive session organised at Jaipur Literature Week.

Talking of growing Indian economy, Anand said its an outcome of tremendous contribution of brilliant minds working in every sector for the nation's development.

He, however, said that the language barriers affects the unity in diversity. Go to any direction of the country the regional language dominates over the commonality, he said.

The actor-producer-director who has many popular Hindi films like

Guide, Jewel Theif

,

Hare Rama Hare Krishna

etc., to his credit said that he is a very simple and honest man and not mysterious and isolated as he is thought of to be.

Asserting that Indian films are far better than the Hollywood movies, the actor said that motion picture is the greatest medium of mass entertainment, and also the greatest invention in the last century.

Whether it was writing or making a movie, Anand said, creative work is to be done in isolation. "I am still shy and like to be isolated at times. It is a good quality," he said.

"But I do not believe in dull movie or book. I thus wrote my biography (

Romancing with Life

) as I was writing a screen play - going back and forth," the actor added.

He further said, "If the Prime Minister conceptualises new plans in isolation than in the cabinet meetings, country's dreams would be better fulfilled."

When asked what did he enjoyed most between film making and writing his biography, Anand said comparatively it was difficult writing the book (autobiography).

"I am not a professional writer. I had 60 years of my life before the camera and behind the camera. I could have written six such books, had I realised the importance of writing earlier," Anand confessed.

However, directing a movie is an ultimate expression of the very medium than being an actor in the movie, he said.

On what is considered beautiful, the actor who romanced many beautiful actresses on-screen said, "

Jo dil ko bha jaye, vohi khubsurat hai...Chahe vo kitab ho, shakl ho, dosti ho, ladki ya ladka ho

(what ever touches your heart is beautiful. Whether that is a book, face, friendship, a girl or a boy)."

When asked what is romance, he said "it is not going to bed with someone but an emotional touch with someone or something. Every moment in life is romantic."

"Romance is sheerly involvement with your own profession, what ever it may be...You have to have passion... passion is madness," added Anand, who is making a new film titled

Chargesheet

on police corruption.