YOUNG Aryaman and Dharam were all smiles recently. Reason: they were watching daddy Bobby Deol in Nanhe Jailsalmer. Much to their delight, the children’s film had their father playing himself.

Samir Karnik’s Nanhe—releasing on September 14—is the story of an illiterate child guide (Dwij Yadav) in Jailsalmer, who imagines Deol to be his best friend. As I chat with the actor at Juhu’s Millennium Club, he offers a lowdown on Nanhe, his role as a father and son as well as (after much persuasion) his forthcoming films.

“Generally, I don’t let my sons see my films because they end up crying when they see me beaten up or injured,” says the younger son of the Deol family. “But I made sure that they watched Nanhe, and they loved it.” Though Deol has grown up on his father’s films and the Jungle Book series, he tries to keep his children away from television as much as possible.

Dharmendra’s pampered son may have grown up to be a responsible father, but much like his sons, Bobby is still in awe of his father. “My dad too played himself in Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Guddi. It makes me happy that I’m doing the same thing that he did as an actor,” he says. Mention the success of the Deols’ last release Apne, and he is ready to indulge in a monologue on parents’ blessings and confidence in their children.

Films like Nanhe are all the more welcome at a time when there are not many decent options of entertainment for children, but the actor is wary of calling it a ‘children’s film’. “It’s for the family,” he says, hoping to up its box office prospects. Deol, who made a comeback of sorts this year with the duds Shakalaka Boom Boom, Jhoom Barabar, Naqaab and the hit family entertainer Apne, is now looking forward to Karnik’s next film Roshan—a follow-up of Nanhe with Yadav. Also in the pipeline are Karnik’s Mera Bharat Mahan and Sangeeth Sivan’s action film Ek.

“I’ve tried to act in various genres of movies this year. Some are successful, while others haven’t done well. But I have no regrets,” says Deol. “Now I’m very keen on Ek, since I’m fond of action films.” As I ask him whether he’s undergoing any martial arts training for Ek, Deol jokingly adds, “I don’t need any training. I’m a superhero.”