Dharmendra: The actor of all seasons who made hearts skip and generations smile!

The legendary actor, known as the He-Man of Bollywood, passed away earlier today at the age of 89 in Mumbai, leaving behind a six-decade acting legacy. 

As the He-man of Bollywood was laid to rest in Mumbai today, I can’t help but feel personally affected by the loss. I know I speak for millions across generations when I say the air feels heavier and screens emptier with Dharamji's passing. The breathtakingly handsome superstar, who embodied masculinity with grace, romance with effortless charm and intensity with a dash of vulnerability, left behind a legacy of 60 years of incredible work, over 100 box office successes and most importantly, unquantifiable love and goodwill to his name!

Growing up, my memory of Dharamji was that of a warm and adorable elderly, with a sturdy physicality who could win over anyone with his infectious charm, perfect Urdu diction, and humour. Yamla Pagla Deewana was the first time I saw him on the big-screen, and the dialogue where he reacts to a picture from his youth saying “Ladkiyaan inki tasveer apne takiye ke niche rakh ke soti thi”, somehow led me into a rabbit-hole of watching the veteran’s classic love-stories, which were also heavy in social commentaries. Phool Aur Patthar, Bandini, Satyakam and Anupama, were some of them. These films saw Dharamji’s innate goodness and quiet intensity shining through even though he played flawed, broken characters grappling with guilt, morality, and lost love-something that makes you root for him long after the credits rolled! I often feel lot of his acting achievements, that too at the start of his career, are overshadowed by his larger-than-life image and gorgeous face, as the depth and layers he portrayed in his films were nothing short of a masterclass. Bollywood then witnessed his He-Man era with Mera Goan Mera Desh, Sholay and Dharam Veer, where he re-defined action on screen with a physique and finesse which competed with that of Hollywood’s action heroes of the era. He was the definition of masculinity and machoism on-screen, and the fire in his eyes and bulk of his muscles convinced you that he could take down dozens of bad guys in one go!

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But that’s not all that the icon had to offer! He proved his mettle in the genre that is considered the toughest all of- comedy. Besides Yamla Pagla Deewana, audiences loved him as the quirky Veeru whose comic timing was as sharp as his ‘bandook ka nishana’ in the all-time blockbuster film Sholay. Who can forget the iconic ‘tanki’ and temple scenes where his inner sweet mischievous side was on full display! However, a character that a lot of Hindi cinema enthusiasts will remember him for will be the irresistibly charming Dr. Parimal Tripathi from Chupke Chupke who takes his prank way too far to get on the nerves of his know-it-all would be brother-in-law, Raghvendra Prasad Sharma, essayed by another acting maestro Om Prakash, to impress his fiancée, Sulekha (Sharmila Tagore) and prove to her that her beloved Jijaji is in fact a man of very normal wits! As I write this, I cannot help but blush over how handsome Dharamji looked in the all white driver uniform in the song ‘Ab ke sajan sawaan mein’ from the same film. I'm beyond convinced that even my room would have his posters if I were a teen growing up in that era! His smooth transition from Bimal Roy classics to Manmohan Desai and Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s light-hearted worlds showed that the same man who could move you with an intense shot, could also tickle your funny bones in the next, proving once and for all that real superstars don’t need a genre - they create it!

So thank you, Dharamji. As you travel to the heavenly abode, may the same joy you spread across decades return to you a thousandfold as peace, light, and as the gentle smile the world will forever remember you by. Rest in glory, our eternal He-Man. You will live in every frame, every song, and every heart you touched!