Mithun feels technically, the film industry has come a long way.

"Yes, things have improved technically. The atmosphere is far more cutthroat. The media is far more active today. That makes the stars far more conscious of doing the right things."

He refuses to play the stereotypical father or brother.

"If I did any of those, my fans in Bengal would be very unhappy. Over there they still see me as a star or superstar. My recent Bengali films, like 'Hungama', are super hits. Bengali producers would throw a fit if I did fatherly roles in Hindi."

Mithun, who does three-four Bengali films every year, confesses he moved to Ooty in the 1980s for the sake of his family.

"Because I didn't want to die with an actor's shoes on. I've no ambitions to die as an actor. I want to secure my children's future. They shouldn't suffer when I'm not here. My daughter is only nine."

His next Hindi release is Hansal Mehta's "Raakh".

"It's a mafia story and I play an elder brother's role."

At the peak of his career Mithun decided to do a whole lot of substandard films.

"I don't know why you should call them sub-standard," he says, jumping to his movies' defence.

"Those were also very big hits, for example 'Jallad'. How do you classify them as A-grade or B-grade? Sure, you can classify them as small-budgeted films. Any actor, who doesn't know the economics of filmmaking, is bound to flop.

"You need to know your market value. And if you consider yourself a big star in your head, then you'll fall flat on your face. Just because I'm a big star in Bengal I can't ask for Rs.5 million in Mumbai.