‘At events and premieres, Meena overtly showered affection in direction of Dharam. Typically she would even take his hand and the following day it will be in print.’
‘On one event, mischievously nearly, she recited a love couplet from Ghalib, which left little doubt within the viewers’s thoughts about Dharmendra’s place in her coronary heart.’

IMAGE: Meena Kumari and Dharmendra in Purnima.

Among the many many individuals who had a particular place in Dharmendra’s life was Meena Kumari.

In keeping with Rajiv M Vijayakar’s biography, Dharmendra: A Biography: Not Only a He-Man, the 2 had a relationship that benefitted each: ‘In his case, it was extra of a qualitative acquire as an actor, and for her, he was maybe the solace she wanted by means of that traumatic section of her life.’

An excerpt from the guide:

 

The primary unlucky involvement that occurred in Dharmendra’s life was that with Meena Kumari.

Many of the business believes — and maybe, rightly so — that it was the star-crossed actress, bereft of sufficient love and affection in actual life, who took a flowery to the strapping younger man she had come to know because the time they started taking pictures for Purnima.

This movie was adopted quickly by Principal Bhi Ladki Hoon (which was launched first), Kaajal (not reverse one another) and Phool Aur Patthar, with which Dharmendra, on a fast ascent, zoomed into the highest echelons.

Three extra movies adopted, Chandan Ka Palna, Majhli Didi and Baharon Ki Manzil, however all of these bombed.

It was Purnima that was launched first, and like with so many high heroines whom he labored with for the primary time, the brand new younger actor requested a good friend, ‘What’s she like?’

Meena Kumari’s biographer states that Dharmendra was ‘petrified on the prospect of going through her in entrance of the digicam.’

The actor was fairly intimidated by the person’s reply that she might outclass him with a mere look, a twitch of the lips or a ‘dialogue’.

The good friend suggested him to the touch her ft once they first met.

Consequently, the biography goes on, Dharmendra approached her with the utmost respect, humility and willingness to be taught.

The younger actor had claimed to be her ardent fan and worshipper. He would watch her films and dream that if he turned an actor he would do a movie together with her.

IMAGE: Sachin, Meena Kumari and Dharmendra in Majhli Didi.

After they have been launched at Chandivali Studios, Dharmendra was ‘thrilled, glad and gratified’ that she was heat, pleasant and inspiring in direction of him.

The touching her ft half has no affirmation, however the guide insists that she did say, ‘The boy will rise. He isn’t a routine entry.’

And that is once we come to the related half: At that cut-off date she wanted a steady and devoted man to take care of her.

And younger Dharmendra was the appropriate man in the appropriate place on the proper time.

We’d relatively not, thus, give credence to the idea that Dharmendra used Kumari to maneuver up the starry ladder after which discarded her.

Allow us to look at issues step-by-step: Firstly, none of their movies, however for Principal Bhi Ladki Hoon produced by AVM Productions, was an enormous filmmaker’s undertaking.

O P Ralhan (Phool Aur Patthar) had given hits however was no mighty filmmaker.

Hrishikesh Mukherjee, who directed Majhli Didi, arguably the pair’s greatest flop, was nobody to take casting strategies from any star, senior (like Meena Kumari) or junior (like Dharmendra).

IMAGE: Meena Kumari and Dharmendra in Phool aur Patthar.

Dharmendra, as we’ve got seen, had a really promising field workplace observe file (greatest described as ‘upwardly cell’ in modern lexicon) that had already given him an edge over contemporaries and a few seniors, so we should say that the concept that Dharmendra used Meena Kumari for profession development doesn’t maintain water.

As for his or her coincidental greatest hit collectively, Phool Aur Patthar, it was Dharmendra’s work and physique (strictly in that order) that zoomed his standing approach up when the movie was liked.

Meena Kumari’s star place, at worst, was unaffected, and at greatest, it helped her get her previous few movies as a number one woman earlier than shifting to character roles in 1968.

An nameless supply has said that originally the connection was solely about work, however with an additional contribution from Meena Kumari’s facet.

She would instill confidence in Dharmendra by correcting him, making him observe his pictures, explaining issues in order that he might perceive his work higher and overcome his weaknesses — and all this particularly in her spare time, even for movies wherein she was not his heroine.

IMAGE: Meena Kumari and Dharmendra in Purnima.

It’s stated that by ‘grooming and correcting weak factors,’ the actress, disadvantaged of affection, wished to interact his consideration, as she was an excessive amount of of a reputed title to make a go overtly.

This manner, she would get to spend time with him, with out making her actual intentions identified to anybody, together with him.

Nearly a each day customer at her home at Juhu’s Janki Kutir, they might open a bottle and spend hours collectively.

However, opposite to in style notion, Dharmendra managed to limit her alcohol consumption when he was there together with her.

He was the whole lot she wanted and wished — loving, trustworthy and caringly dependable. However when he would go away, she would go berserk with the bottle.

At events and premieres, Meena overtly showered affection in direction of Dharam. Typically she would even take his hand and the following day it will be in print.

On one event, mischievously nearly, she recited a love couplet from Ghalib, which left little doubt within the viewers’s thoughts about Dharmendra’s place in her coronary heart.

IMAGE: Meena Kumari and Dharmendra in Kaajal.

As soon as, getting back from Delhi after the premiere of Kaajal, when he arrived on the airport, the authorities seen his inebriated state and refused to let him within the airplane. ‘

‘However I have to get again to Bombay. I have to, Meena is ready for me,’ he’s stated to have informed them.

This assertion and incident have been faithfully reported within the papers the next day.

Kumari’s biographer additionally notes how she had as soon as gone on a picnic with many buddies together with Dharmendra.

When he was in some way positioned in a special automotive whereas returning, the actress turned hysterical.

She wished to know why he was not sitting beside her, whether or not he had run away, or if one thing had probably occurred to him.

Regardless of all assurances, she stopped the automotive, went out and really sat down cross-legged in the course of the street, and started repeating, ‘The place is my Dharam?’

Different rumours, of consuming incidents and fights, additionally abounded on this section.

IMAGE: Meena Kumari and Dharmendra in Phool aur Patthar. {Photograph}: Sort courtesy Movie Historical past Pics/X

Kumari’s biographer admits that Dharmendra was among the many only a few males who have been genuinely good to her.

Every time he went to see her, he would come out of her room crying.

‘I can not assist it,’ can be his trustworthy reply when requested the rationale by Meena Kumari’s sister.

Although the favored view is that Dharam and the actress had been intimate for 3 years, business insiders say that it was not more than six months.

A youthful and married Dharmendra had nothing to supply when it comes to the love and safety Kumari craved.

Suffice to say then that at that cut-off date, each Dharmendra and Meena Kumari benefitted, albeit in numerous methods, from one another’s companionship.

In his case, it was extra of a qualitative acquire as an actor, and for her, he was maybe the solace she wanted by means of that traumatic section of her life.

The actress, even after she stopped seeing Dharmendra, thus had nice regard for him: As he was her protégé and pupil.

She had helped him, and he or she took professional delight when he lastly made it.

Dharam himself has overtly accepted the debt he owes to her for making him what he’s at present

Printed from Dharmendra: A Biography: Not Only a He-Man, by Rajiv M Vijayakar, with particular permission of the publishers, Rupa Publications India.

Pictures curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff