Bollywood’s evergreen star Dev Anand has been honoured with a lifetime achievement award for his contributions to the Indian cinema.

Justice V S Malimath, former chief justice of Karnataka and Kerala High Courts, conferred the film icon with ‘Anmol Ratan, Lifetime Achievement Award’ at a function organised by the Vintage Film-Music Lovers’ Association on Saturday.

The actor-auteur, known for his trademark singsong voice and penchant for nodding, also spoke about his future projects.

‘Dev Saab’ said he was in the process of finalising the cast for his Hindi moving

‘Chargesheet’, the filming of which will probabably commence in March.

“I am also planning an English film based on NRIs in London, which will be shot in Europe,” he said.

To a question on making a film on strengthening Indo-Pak ties, Dev Anand, who was born in Gurdaspur in undivided Punjab and studied in Lahore, said “the country is going through a political turmoil after Benazir Bhutto’s assassination. Let it settle. I have’nt thought about it as of now”.

On his message to the youth in Bangalore, he quipped, “they are very smart and intelligent and know how to go about in life. They do not need any message.”

vegetarian and a teetotaller, Anand, who turns 84 this month, says he never feels old because he retains all the elements of youth.

“I’m excited all the time about the things I do. So I feel young. Young people feel excited all the time,” he said. “And what compensates me for my youth is my wisdom, my experience, whatever I have gained from life so far.”

Anand’s autobiography is due out this month. He says the book mentions details even his family does not know.

“I’m getting old and there’s so much to say,” he said about his autobiography titled Romancing with Life.

Anand will tour India with his 465-page book which he will also take to Frankfurt, London, Stockholm, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta and Canada.