Remembering Dharmendra, Bollywood’s Eternal He-Man
It’s curtains for one of the Indian film industry’s favourite sons. Bollywood’s “He-Man,” Dharmendra, died in Mumbai on Monday at the age of 89. IANS reported his death 12 days after he was discharged from Breach Candy Hospital; he had been admitted there in late October with difficulties related to breathing. The star was just weeks away from celebrating his 90th birthday on December 8.
For over six decades, Dharmendra was widely loved as one of Hindi cinema’s favourite stars. It all started in 1960 with the film Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere, and from then on, there was no looking back for a man whose career knew absolutely no bounds, nor did his screen presence. In the 1960s, he was a familiar and friendly face as an ordinary man in films like Anpadh, Bandini, Anupama, and Aaya Sawan Jhoom Ke – in which his natural charm stood him in good stead – playing the everyday person going about everyday work.
In the course of his career, Dharmendra became known as one of the most versatile stars who left an indelible mark in the history of Indian cinema. He gave us some of #Bollywood’s most memorable roles in movies like #Sholay, #DharamVeer, and #ChupkeChupke, and in films including #MeraGaonMeraDesh and #DreamGirl! Be it the endearing lover boy, the malevolent daredevil with a bazooka in his hand or a natural actor who could incite laughter with just one smirk, Dharmendra’s on-screen imprint resulted in generations of movie enthusiasts.
Through his later years, the star would still captivate audiences. He was last seen in Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya, with Shahid Kapoor and Kriti Sanon. His next film that will hit the big screen is Ikkis—featuring Agastya Nanda, grandson of Amitabh Bachchan—and it is scheduled to release on December 25, which could give fans one final opportunity to witness the actor’s everlasting brilliance.
Dharmendra not just leaves behind a body of work of epic proportions: he also leaves behind the fleetingly rare legacy of humility, warmth, and charm. And as Bollywood and hundreds of millions of fans grieve his passing, he and his films live on — immortalised in the history of Indian cinema.