Dharmendra Death : Veteran Bollywood actor Dharmendra passed away on Monday morning in Mumbai at the age of 89, police sources at the cremation ground confirmed to The Indian Express. The veteran actor, who had worked in over 300 films over his storied career, had been ailing for a month. His last rites were conducted at the Pawan Hans crematorium in Mumbai’s Vile Parle. His family chose to give the actor a quiet, private farewell with only his close friends present during the last rites. Dharmendra would have turned 90 on December 8 this year.
Among his Bollywood colleagues who paid tribute to him included Sholay co-star Amitabh Bachchan and his son Abhishek Bachchan, Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Ranveer Singh and wife Deepika Padukone, Govinda and Sunjay Dutt. Hundreds of fans assembled outside the crematorium as the news of Dharmendra’s death spread. Police had to eventually close the doors of the crematorium. People could be seen sobbing outside, holding the photos of the actor.
Dharmendra was hospitalised in October for a health check-up after complaining of breathlessness. His team had shared that he was doing well and had chosen to extend his stay at the hospital so that he could undergo proper medical screening. Earlier this year, he underwent an eye graft surgery (corneal transplantation).
An outsider who came from a village in Punjab and made Hindi cinema his own, acting in over 300 films which included both mainstream blockbusters and underrated gems, Dharmendra was among those few actors whose stardom was not impacted by the rise of Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan. As he often said, he received few awards in his career but the massive love of his fans more than made up for it. He balanced Sholay — arguably the most iconic Hindi film over decades — with a Satyakam; audience will always remember his comic turn in Chupke Chupke. His career spanned decades and generations.
Dharmendra life journey
Dharmendra’s story is the stuff dreams, and films, are made of. Born Dharmendra Deol, he was born to a school teacher in the Sahnewal village of Ludhiana district, Punjab in 1935. His film ambitions took off after he won a national talent contest organised by a film magazine. He made his debut in Hindi films in 1960 with Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere. The film went unnoticed and it was only next year that he delivered his first success, Shola Aur Shabnam. He followed it up with Mohan Kumar’s Anpadh (1962), and Bimal Roy’s Bandini (1963), which won the National Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi.
Dharmendra came to be known as the charming, handsome man who could deliver captivating performances on screen. Phool Aur Patthar marked his first action role, and it was his action-hero image that eventually gave him the title of the ‘He-Man of Bollywood’.
The 1970s saw him in some of his most popular roles like Jeevan Mrityu, Tum Haseen Mai Jawan, Guddi, Yaadon Ki Baraat, Black Mail, Pratigya, Chupke Chupke, Sholay, Dream Girl, Dharam Veer, Seeta Aur Geeta, Dream Girl, The Burning Train among others. His role of Veeru in Sholay became his most famous.
Dharmendra’s personal life
Tum Haseen Mai Jawan was Hema Malini’s first film with Dharmendra, and their pairing proved to be a hit. They went on to work together in a number of films. It was during the 1970s that Dharmendra fell in love with film actor Hema Malini, even though he was already married to Prakash Kaur at the time, and was a father to four children – sons Sunny and Bobby, and daughters Ajeeta and Vijayta. His and Hema’s love story was nothing less than a movie as the two were ready to go against the world to be with each other. Despite opposition from Hema’s family, and amid conversations of her alliance with Jeetendra, Hema and Dharmendra got married. They later welcomed two daughters – Esha and Ahana.
While Dharmendra was also married to Hema, he continued to live with his first wife Prakash and his extended family, while Hema lived close by. Over the years, it has been speculated that there was animosity within the family but they have largely tried to maintain a united front.
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