Throughout the late 1970s and 1980s, he was a leading Bollywood star, directing and starring in many of his films. He also starred in the Punjabi film "Bhagat Dhanna Jat" (1974). The 1980 film "Qurbani", with Zeenat Aman, was the biggest hit of his career and launched the singing career of iconic Pakistani pop singer Nazia Hassan, with her memorable track "Aap Jaisa Koi". In 1986, he directed and starred in "Janbaaz", a box office hit, which some consider to be one of his best movies, featured an all-star cast and possessed great songs and excellent cinematography. In 1988, he directed and starred in "Dayavan", which was a remake of an Indian Tamil film titled "Nayakan". After directing and starring in "Yalgaar" (1992), he took a long break from acting for 11 years.