Emulating veteran actor and heavy weight champion Dara Singh has been the focus of his life. And even as you speak with ardent fan Mohan Robert Abhane, a foreman in a private firm, you can’t help being awed by the sheer fervour of his devotion towards his idol. Also the fact that the man has devoted all his life watching Singh’s flicks, collecting a plethora of his pictures and ensuring he imbibes all of Singh in his personality, only accentuates this feeling.

He was 16 when he first saw the Dara-Singh starrer, King Kong and became a huge fan of the actor. “I have seen all his films including the ones in which he made guest appearances. In fact, I have seen Aaya Toofan at least 50 times,” he says. Choc-o-bloc with trivia on Singh, he tells us: “He has appeared in 150 films, out which he starred in 120 as a protagonist. The rest, however, were special appearances. Watching these films over and over again, Abhane spent his life imitating his hero all along. “Dara Singh always looked young, so even I made sure I worked out well enough to look young,” he says.

Naturally the highpoint was when he got to meet his hero at his Juhu bungalow in 1979. After that the constant source of happiness in his life has been the assurance that Singh recognises him. “He even invited me so many times to join the film line but my parents did not permit me to do that. Actually, avarice for money and fame is against my faith,” he explains.

So instead of joining his idol, Abhane spent his life in a Salisbury apartment here. And for the past 44 years he has not only been tracking Singh’s films on CD, but also ensured the video libraries in the city keep them. Also, despite his workouts taking a backseat amidst the concerns of family life, Abhane is known as ‘Dara Singh’ in his colony.

“I wanted Sir to visit my house and he did too, as a chief guest for one of the functions at the colony high school.That was the happiest moment of my life,” he gushes.

Today, as Abhane prepares for his 60th birthday on September 13, his zest for all things Dara, remains undiminished!