``I was about 10 then. And had gone to watch Udan Khatola. I cannot pinpoint what it was, but the moment I saw the first close-up shot of Dilip Kumar, I was hooked. And from that moment onwards, I had to see every film of his - first day first show, even if it meant going all the way to Mumbai,'' says Nagarwala, now an industrialist.

Naya Daur, Ram Aur Shyam, Sangharsh, Kohinoor, Kranti, Vidhata, Aadmi, Mashaal and a host of films followed, each a favourite with Nagarwala. ``I cannot pick out any one film. So long as Dilip saab is acting, I have to love it. And though I couldn't afford it initially, money could never deter me!

``At the time, the films would be released first in Mumbai before they came to town. So I'd finish off all my odd jobs by Saturday afternoon. At night, I'd catch a passenger to Mumbai, almost always travelling without a ticket, hoping I would not get caught! After all, I had this paltry sum with me, and the film ticket was my first priority. Watching the Sunday matinee, I'd return to Pune before the day was through and gear up for the next week,'' he says.

Whilst talking about those star-struck teenage days, he remembers how thrilled he was to get some personal information about the star - that Dilip Kumar's real name is Yusuf Khan! ``This I learned in 1955, after having watched Naya Daur (which I have watched about 300 times!) with a friend who provided this information.'' Photographs, cuttings from magazines, even the film tickets - all the memorabilia has been carefully filed and stored. On those Mumbai trips, which continued till the 1970s, he'd stand outside the actor's house in Bandra, waiting for a glimpse of his hero.

``But I never did. Meanwhile, I was able to start a small venture selling paints. Since then, each enterprise I undertake has been named after some Dilip Kumar film.'' So Kohinoor Paints came up in 1971, Kranti Paints a decade later and Vidhata and Leader Paints a couple of years down the line.

The high point was, of course, when he met the subject of his adulation in person last year. Many attempts to meet him before had not yielded fruit. But, in 1998, a friend escorted him to the star's house. ``That was the moment I'd waited for. I even told him that I wanted to paint some part of his house. The boundary wall was given to me, and Dilip Kumar initially tried to test my patience, insisting on colour changes. But, eventually, he agreed, and since that day, we have forged a personal bond. On June 25 that year, he also consented to visit my home in Pune. He has even promised to inaugurate my new factory,'' he gushes and continues, ``Initially, it was the actor in him that I adored. Now it's the man I admire''.