The Real Agent Vinod

His glorious days in Bollywood may be over but his swagger is intact. When we meet him at his Yari Road flat in Mumbai,he sportingly agreed to click photographs,which would be reminiscent of his Agent Vinod days. He admits to not have given an interview in years. Yet,Sandhu is at ease talking about his days in the industry.

Punjab-born Sandhu moved to Mumbai with a degree in acting from Film and Television Institute of India,Pune. Since he came from a wealthy family,he did not have to lead a struggler’s life. “I rented a place in Mumbai and bought a car,” he states. He was against doing negative or supporting roles in films or approaching producers for work. “So I did not enjoy much box-office success despite an impressive debut in Khoon Khoon,a remake of Dirty Harry,” admits the 67-year-old actor,who has acted in around 20 films.

His career picked up when the late Tarachand Barjatya spotted him in Shibu Mitra’s Khoon Ki Keemat,in which he played a double role. “He offered me a film called Alibaba. I refused it. After six months,he offered me Zorro,which I again refused.” After Raaj Kumar had turned down the role of Agent Vinod,Barjatya again got in touch with Sandhu. “This time,I immediately signed the film,” recalls Sandhu. The producers promised him that if the movie clicked,they would create a franchise,just like the James Bond one. The film was a massive hit and Sandhu became an overnight star.

“My most memorable part of the film were the punchlines and the gadgets — the gun that fired backwards,the jacket with secret compartments and the escape with the help of the helium balloon,” says Raghavan. Sandhu believes that the

movie was very expensive. That was probably one of the reasons why the Barjatyas did not repeat the feat.

But the actor’s successful run did not last long. “I should have capitalised on my success by getting into a Bollywood camp. But I did not know the ways of the industry,” he says. Sandhu did try his hand at producing films,but in vain. “In retrospect,I think I should have made a sequel to Agent Vinod. That would have worked,” he says. However,he did not pursue the film business for long and called it quits in 1992. “I wasn’t an A-list actor. It wasn’t like the industry missed me much,” he says. Going by his success in real estate,it seems Sandhu’s decision has certainly paid off.