Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi honored the actor, saying his death signifies the end of an era in Indian cinema.
Dharmendra, who often called himself “a simple man,” received immense love and loyalty from his millions of fans.
Best known for his role as the lovable petty criminal Veeru in the 1975 blockbuster film “Sholay,” he acted in over 300 films, many of which were hits and captivated audiences for decades. His songs topped the charts, and his love and marriage to Hema Malini made headlines.
Known as “Bollywood’s original He-Man” and “Hot Dharam,” the actor often topped global lists of “most handsome men” during his heyday, and female fans would sleep with his pictures under their pillows.
Even Bollywood stars were no exception to his charm—over the years, actress Madhuri Dixit has described him as “one of the most beautiful people I’ve seen on screen,” superstar Salman Khan has called Dharmendra “the most handsome man,” and actress Jaya Bachchan has called him a “Greek God.”
Dharmendra always said that he “feels embarrassed” to talk about his good looks, attributing them to “nature, my parents, and my genes.”
Born on December 8, 1935, in Nasrali village in Punjab’s Ludhiana district, into a middle-class Jat-Sikh family, Deol was named Dharam Singh Deol by his schoolteacher father.
“I watched my first film when I was in ninth standard, and I was fascinated by it. I was thinking, where is this paradise where so many beautiful people live? I thought I must find my way there. I felt they were mine and I was theirs.” But when he told his family, they were horrified.
“My mother said, ‘You are our eldest son; you have family responsibilities.’ I was very sad. So when we heard about the All India Talent Contest through Filmfare magazine, they jokingly told me, ‘Okay, send your application.’ We didn’t think I would get selected.”
But then he won the competition and went to Bombay (now Mumbai), and the rest, as they say, is history. For three decades—after making his debut in 1960 with Dil Bhi Tera, Hum Bhi Tere (Dil is yours and I am yours too)—he ruled Bollywood, giving several hits a year.
Dharmendra first rose to fame with Bimal Roy’s 1963 film Bandini, in which he won acclaim for his brilliant portrayal of a prison doctor who falls in love with a prisoner. He soon became a romantic hero, successfully pairing with top actresses such as Nutan, Meena Kumari, Mala Sinha, and Saira Banu.
In 1966, he made his first action role in Phool Aur Pathar (Flower and Rock), but it was the 1971 hit film Mera Gaon Mera Desh (My Village, My Country) that solidified his reputation as an action hero.
Due to his tall and handsome physique, Dharmendra often performed his own action scenes, which included daring stunts, and took risks.
In addition to romance and action, the actor also gave hits that were suspense thrillers and comedies. Critics praised him for “his impeccable comic timing” in the 1975 comedy riot Chupke Chupke.
Dharmendra said that over the years, he had the opportunity to work with 70 heroines, but his most successful on-screen pairing was with Hema Malini, who later became his second wife.
The couple first met at a film premiere in 1965, and Malini made an instant impression on Dharmendra. In 2017, she wrote in her autobiography that she heard Dharmendra say to fellow actor Shashi Kapoor in Punjabi, “The girl has changed a lot.”
Their romance began in the 1970s with superhit films like Seeta Aur Geeta, Raja Jani, and Sholay, which made headlines because Dharmendra was already married and had grown children with his first wife, Prakash Kaur.
The media wrote about opposition from Malini’s family to their marriage, but the couple eventually married in 1980. Some reports said that they had converted to Islam, which allows polygamy—a claim Dharmendra later denied.
The actor-producer also ventured into politics. He was a BJP MP from Bikaner in Rajasthan for one term from 2005 to 2009. But he was criticized for not taking politics seriously, as he rarely attended Parliament, preferring to spend his time shooting for films or working on his farm.
Years later, speaking on a television program, Aap Ki Adalat, he admitted that he was unsuited to politics. “Politics is not for emotional people; it is for thick-skinned people,” he said. “These five years were very difficult for me; they were difficult.”
He worked almost until the end of his life, acting with his sons Sunny and Bobby Deol, judging reality shows, and connecting with fans through social media.
In his lifetime, the actor gave many great performances, but if there is one role for which he will always be remembered, it would be the role of Veeru in the 1975 blockbuster film Sholay, which has become a cultural phenomenon.
The multi-starrer also starred Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, and Jaya Bachchan in pivotal roles. The film saw Dharmendra and Bachchan playing the roles of lovable bad guys turned saviors who are recruited to fight a fearsome dacoit.
The film became a cult classic, and many fans credited Dharmendra for its success, calling him the “soul of Sholay.” The actor also called it his best role. “I don’t think I’ve ever done a better role than Veeru,” he said.
Despite delivering dozens of hit films, Dharmendra never achieved the “number one” position in Bollywood—falling behind contemporary actors like Dilip Kumar, Rajesh Khanna, and Amitabh Bachchan—and was even snubbed several times at the prestigious Filmfare Awards.
Finally, in 1997, Filmfare honored him with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to Hindi cinema, and in 2012, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan—an Indian government award given to citizens for special service.
But Dharmendra took his stardom lightly, staying away from the rat race and saying he never wanted to be number one in the industry.
He said in an interview, “I never asked for a lot of money, and fame is temporary. I just wanted people’s love.”
