Dharmendra - A Film is no more a family outing

He has nearly 250 films to his credit, has dabbled in politics and, at the age of 75, is donning a new role. Dharmendra, who will judge a new reality show on TV, says filmmaking in Bollywood has become faster and crisper but could do without being too explicit.

"Things have changed a lot in the industry. In our time, we would take our leisure time during the making of a film, but now everything has become very short and crisp. The filmmaking process has become fast. Even the size of the reel has been compressed," Dharmendra told IANS.

"The films are real to life subjects, the stories are unpredictable, but it is painful to see the treatment that is being given to certain subjects, specifically the language," he added.

He is known to have worked in all genres - from the intense "Bandini" and "Satyakaam" to outright potboilers like "Pratigya", and, of course, comedies like "Chupke Chupke".
Last seen in the fun film "Yamla Pagla Deewana" with his sons Sunny and Bobby Deol, he feels that content needs to be revised.

"In our time, we used to make a conscious effort to see that a film doesn't have any obscene content because we used to make clean films for everyone. A film used to mean a family outing. We always tried to bring the whole family together, so that all could enjoy - from kids to the old," said Dharmendra, a former Lok Sabha MP of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

"But now things have changed. At times it becomes difficult to sit with your mother and sister and watch the same content. I don't say it is wrong, but all this is spoiling the kids.

"It is healthy to know things with your age, but if it comes before age, it deviates their focus. Why unnecessarily make everything so open?" said the actor, who is all set to take the hot seat on Colors' channel reality show "India's Got Talent 3" as a judge.

Asked what his selection criteria would be, he said: "Every man is blessed with an instinct, god has blessed every man to be a judge. Judging is not that difficult a task, but the difficult task is actually when you have to say no to a contestant."

"Also, the experience that I have gained in these 50 years, it has been and will be of great help to me on the show."

Dharmendra says he was never averse to the idea of appearing on the small screen.
"I refused a show earlier because it needed someone who could judge dancers and I have never been one. As a judge, I know what a contestant goes through. I can read their minds and hearts because I was also a contestant in Filmfare's talent hunt. So I can empathize with their fears and apprehensions," Dharmendra told.

The seasoned actor, who will be seen next in wife Hema Malini's directorial venture "Tell Me Oh Khuda", also enjoys writing.

"At times I write my scenes myself. I take the jist of the scene and then modify it and write it myself," he said.