Bachchan often played the "angry young man" in 1970s Bollywood

They are together again in Hum Kaun Hai? (Who Are We?), a supernatural thriller being released before the end of the year.

The pair co-starred in three of the biggest Hindi films of the 1970s and 1980s; Sholay (Flames), Chupke Chupke (Quietly Quietly) and Ram Balaram.

Bachchan said a lack of good scripts had prevented recent collaborations.

"Unfortunately not a single good script was written keeping us in mind, " he said. "So I am happy that after 22 years someone has thought about us."

Dharmendra - like many Indian actors he uses only one name - was known as Bollywood's original action hero, while Bachchan excelled as an "angry young man" in the 1970s and early 1980s.

The film also stars Dimple Kapadia, one of Bollywood's most glamorous heroines, and Maushmi Chatterjee, another leading actress from the 1970s.