‘I’ve at all times damaged my picture each time I went on display. I do not know what it means to be a Greek God however individuals used to name me one.’

IMAGE: Dharmendra with Sharmila Tagore in Satyakam.

When he was not breaking hearts together with his mild smile, he was breaking the bones of baddies together with his ‘dishoom‘ biceps.

Then, there was his comedian timing that left the viewers bathed in mirth.

Dharmendra was the uncommon star, packing all of it in a 65-year profession with no full stops.

Machismo, sensitivity, charisma.

And traditional handsomeness.

Sprinkled with stardust and wrapped in tinsel, his was a profession that spanned each form of film, from the extreme Satyakam to the romantic Baharein Phir Bhi Aayengi, from the boisterous Sholay to the healthful Chupke Chupke and slick the actioner Charas.

Maybe the final of the large matinee stars, he refused to fade into the shadows, persevering with lengthy after the solar set on the careers of lots of his contemporaries.

Dharmendra, the person who greater than anybody else maybe embodied a sure goodness and wholesomeness, died on November 24 at his Mumbai residence.

He would have been 90 on December 8.

IMAGE: Dharmendra with Shabana Azmi in Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani.

In 2023, when he was all of 88, he romanced Shabana Azmi to nice impact in Karan Johar’s Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani — nonetheless breaking hearts and evoking sighs to the strains of that evergreen love track Abhi Na Jaao Chhod Kar as he serenades his misplaced love.

And seals it with a kiss!

The gait was sluggish, the age evident however the twinkling eyes and that heat smile? Intact.

This was an actor who noticed the Hindi movie trade evolve by way of the many years, transferring from black and white to color and now the digital age, and ensured that he stayed related in every period.

His foot firmly planted in industrial cinema, Dharmendra survived the superstardom of Rajesh Khanna and the rise of Amitabh Bachchan, ensuring his house was all his personal.

He was Garam Dharam and the unique He-Man of Hindi cinema with the marshmallow softness of the fairytale hero.

Graphic: KBK

Dharmendra, who acted in additional than 300 movies, was typically referred to as a ‘Greek God’, a tag that hid a delicate artist just a bit eclipsed by his macho man roles.

“I’ve at all times damaged my picture each time I went on display. I do not know what it means to be a Greek God however individuals used to name me one,” he mentioned with attribute modesty in an interview with PTI in 2018.

It was the essence of the straightforward Punjab village boy and one he retained.

Energetic on social media, Dharmendra ceaselessly shared footage of produce from his farm in Lonavla and in addition the Urdu verses he penned and quoted liberally on his handles. It was an efficient approach to talk.

The savvy Dharmendra had 2.6 million followers on Instagram and 770.5k X followers.

The deal with? The evocative ‘aapkadharam’.

IMAGE: A younger Dharmendra. {Photograph}: Form courtesy Movie Historical past Pics/X

Dharmendra was born Dharam Singh Deol in Nasrali village, Ludhiana district of Punjab on December 8, 1935, to an idealistic faculty instructor.

The household moved to Sahenwal village after his father’s switch when Dharmendra was simply two.

His father, a faculty instructor, hoped his son would turn out to be a professor.

Enamoured by the magic of the films of Dilip Kumar and Madhubala, Dharmendra began nursing a unique dream: To see his identify up on the posters.

He would typically climb a bridge at native station and pray the Frontier Mail chugging by way of would someday take him to Bombay, the town of goals.

It did.

IMAGE: Dharmendra and Nutan in Bandini.

In 1958, Filmfare journal introduced a nationwide expertise hunt.

The younger Dharam determined to attempt his luck, received the competition and packed his luggage for Mumbai.

The primary movie he signed was Bimal Roy’s Bandini reverse Ashok Kumar and Nutan.

Whereas ready for the film to start, he discovered it onerous to make ends meet and labored in a drilling agency for Rs 200 a month to outlive.

The primary break got here in 1960 with Arjun Hingorani’s Dil Bhi Tera, Hum Bhi Tere in 1960. The debut was not successful. However he did get seen.

After a sequence of movies, together with Ayee Milan Ki Bela, Haqeeqat and Kaajal, got here stardom with the 1966 movie Phool Aur Patthar reverse Meena Kumari.

IMAGE: Dharmendra with Sharmila Tagore in Anupama.

That very same 12 months noticed him in Anupama, his first movie with Director Hrishikesh Mukherjee who noticed in him the mild, supportive hero to Sharmila Tagore. Mukherjee, who imagined Dharmendra in another way from the tough display persona of a number of of his different films, went on to solid him in Majhli Didi, Satyakam, Guddi, Chaitali and Chupke Chupke the place his his function as botany Professor Parimal Tripathi will lengthy be remembered.

Dharmendra The Famous person bloomed to his full potential within the Nineteen Seventies and Eighties when one other large identify was on the horizon: Amitabh Bachchan.

He teamed up with Bachchan in Chupke Chupke and memorably in Sholay the place their roles as Jai and Veeru got here to outline male bonding, the 2 characters mixing comedy, motion and romance.

Dharmendra continued to get prime billing within the Eighties and romanced heroines like Sridevi and Dimple Kapadia, who additionally labored together with his son Sunny.

Within the later many years, Dharmendra slipped into character roles.

In 2007, when he was 72, Dharmendra performed a gang member in Sriram Raghavan’s Johnny Gaddar and a person who connects together with his childhood love in Life… In A Metro by Anurag Basu.

IMAGE: Dharmendra with spouse Prakash Kaur and their kids, Sunny, Bobby, Vijeta and Ajeeta. {Photograph}: Form courtesy Movie Historical past Pics/X

There was no escaping the unrelenting highlight on his private life.

He was married to Prakash Kaur. They’ve 4 kids — two sons, actors Bobby and Sunny Deol, and two daughters, Vijeta and Ajeeta.

In 1980, the actor tied the knot together with his frequent co-star Hema Malini after allegedly changing to Islam, a declare Dharmendra denied. The couple share daughters Esha and Ahana.

The a lot publicised romance with Hema Malini blossomed throughout their many movies collectively, together with Seeta Aur Geeta, The Burning Prepare, Dream Lady and Sholay.

IMAGE: Dharmendra with Sunny and Bobby Deol in Apne.

A 12 months after getting married to Hema Malini, the patriarch of the Deol household established the manufacturing home Vijayta Movies in 1981. It was created to offer a launch pad for his son Sunny Deol with 1983’s Betaab.

Dharmendra used the banner to provide a break to youthful son Bobby Deol as properly, in Barsaat in 1995.

In 2005, it was the flip of nephew Abhay Deol in Socha Na Tha.

In 2019, grandson Karan Deol bought his second in Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas.

Dharmendra shared display house with sons Sunny and Bobby for the primary time in 2007’s sports activities drama Apne.

The Deol males additionally starred in comedy franchise Yamla Pagla Deewana, which borrows its title from a preferred Dharmendra track from the movie Pratigya.

The Deol household patriarch wasn’t eager on Esha becoming a member of movies and didn’t watch her movie Dhoom, however later relented and labored along with her within the 2011 movie Inform Me O Kkhuda.

IMAGE: The Ikkis poster.

The exceptional profession noticed just some awards.

As producer of the 1990 movie Ghayal, starring Sunny Deol, the veteran acquired a Nationwide Movie Award for Greatest Widespread Movie Offering Healthful Leisure.

Additionally a Padma Bhushan recipient, Dharmendra dabbled in politics briefly, successful the Lok Sabha seat from Bikaner on a BJP ticket in 2004.

It has been an exeunt from the stage of life, however Dharmendra’s not fairly finished but.

This December, he might be seen in Ikkis, a struggle movie by Sriram Raghavan.

True stars by no means die. They simply sparkle within the distant firmament.

Images curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff