New Delhi: Evergreen hero Dev Anand, who had accompanied Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his famous Lahore bus journey, believes that the latter will leave his imprint during his visit to Pakistan next week.

The octogenarian thespian, who will be honoured with the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke award for his contributions to Indian cinema, said, "If both Germanys could come together, then why not India and Pakistan?"

Dev Anand, who had studied in Lahore and has fond memories of the place, felt that "sanity" appeared to be returning in relations between the two neighbours.

"If Vajpayee goes he will leave an imprint. He will take off from where he had left last time," he told reporters after a meeting with Information and Broadcasting Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad in his Shastri Bhavan office in New Delhi.

Going nostalgic about his Lahore days, Anand recalled that even the deposed Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharief was a student of the "great college, great professors", where he studied.

Anand, who had floated the National Party after the Emergency, however does not see a role for himself in politics.

"I am in a profession where I am comfortable. I don't think I am needed in politics. Those who are there in politics are doing a good work. But I will not shirk in criticising anyone if a person is doing anything wrong," said Anand, who has plans to make a film on Indo-American cross cultural family.

Besides, he said, he wanted to continue making good films as for a creative man there is no death. He said the award has given him the "kick" to work harder.

The Minister suggested to the thespian that he should go in for a joint Indo-Pakistan film venture and promised all help from the Government for such a project. Noting that India was for more people-to-people contact, he said whenever Pakistan artists come to India, they were given great respect and India also expected similar reciprocal treatment.

Anand was upbeat about the boom in the Indian entertainment sector and especially the growth of television.