The 83-year-old living legend has finally completed his memoirs, Romancing Life, which will look back on an amazing life and career.

The eternal optimist takes a trip down memory lane with Dinesh Raheja. The interview spans a rich 60-year-long career in two interesting parts.

How did a small-town boy like you enter showbiz?

I was born in Gurdaspur in undivided Punjab. After studying in Lahore, I decided that I wanted to be an actor and be in the movie business. I came down to Mumbai in 1943. Maharashtra and Gujarat were one state in those days. Compared to a metropolis like Bombay, Lahore was very small. Bombay held our imagination as the city of high-glamour, the city where dreams materialised into reality. Bombay had around 2-3 million inhabitants people those days; and was truly elegant.

What were your first impressions of the city?

I recall getting down at Mumbai Central station and hiring a horse-drawn tonga. I kept looking at the tall buildings all around, with open-mouthed amazement.