Sanjay was taken aback when action films hit a lull

"There was a time when Ajay, Akshay, Jackie, Sunny and me all were called action heroes and we lived in that era for a long time. And suddenly for us there was a period of no action ..Only comedy films were working. I was taken aback. It was surprising at that time," said Sanjay, who explored action with 'Vijeta' 'Taaqatwar', 'Kabzaa', and 'Hathyar', among others.

Also, there was a period (late 80s-early 90s) when actors like Akshay Kumar, Sunny Deol, Ajay Devgn, Jackie Shroff took the audience by surprise.

Akshay was termed the 'Khiladi of Bollywood' with films like 'Mohra', 'Sangharsh', 'Aankhen' and the 'Khiladi' series. While Sunny give powerful performances in movies such as 'Arjun', 'Betaab', 'Ghayal', 'Ziddi' and 'Damini' among others.

But then, there was a lull and comedy ruled the marquee. However, the 52-year-old actor is now happy that action is making a comeback in Hindi films.

"That time I used to talk to Jackie, Sunny or Ajay and we all used to wonder where action has gone. I am happy that it has come back and that is what we are. The best part is that South cinema never forgot that (action). That is the reason South films are larger than life...People have fans," Dutt said. (MORE) PTI KKP DK