India, Nov. 25 -- All that boxer Amit Panghal wanted after winning his first and only Asian Games gold in September 2018 was a meeting with Dharmendra, the iconic film star who he had grown to love thanks to his father's adoration for him.

To his surprise, within a day of going public with that wish on September 1, the charismatic superstar responded and invited him to his home.

Sometime in mid-November that same year, the two met at Dharmendra's palatial house in Mumbai to share a warm meal, discuss life and ambition from two different perspectives and make memories that Panghal says, would last a lifetime.

"We didn't meet after that but I had his phone number and I would wish him on his birthday, he would always respond," Panghal tol...