• Even when you were in jail, he was visiting you.

Yes.

• And what did he say to you? You were obviously distraught.

He said truth will prevail one day. And, ‘I am there.’

• Did he ever have doubts?

No

• Never? He never got irritated? ‘Why are you in this mess?’

No, he said, ‘I know you’re not.’

• But there were times when he was helpless. He pleaded with everybody on your behalf.

I haven’t seen that part, because I was not there. But yes, I heard he did all that.

• He went to Balasaheb (Thackeray).

Yes.

• You felt for him? Someone as proud as him had to do this . . .

Of course, I felt for him. I did.

• And now he’d have been happy?

Yes, he would have been very happy.

• A jail sentence is one thing, but a jail sentence for terrorism is something else.

Yes, it’s absolutely right. Like I say, God is great. And things are good.

• Things have been good for you this year. You’ve got Munnabhai second and this.

Yes.

• But you know there’s this very interesting contradictory thing — one side of your personality is this case, which has now gone on for one-and-half decades, and you hit the headlines for something like Munnabhai. Life is bittersweet.

... contd.