Dharmendra: Machismo with marshmallow softness, the star who will sparkle forever

New Delhi: When he was not breaking hearts with his gentle smile, he was breaking bones of baddies with his "dishoom" biceps. And then there was his comic timing that left the audience bathed in mirth.

Dharmendra was the rare star packing it all in a 65-year career with no full stops.

Machismo, sensitivity, charisma. And classic handsomeness. Sprinkled with stardust and wrapped in tinsel, his was a career that spanned every kind of movie – from intense Satyakam to romantic Baharein Phir Bhi Aayengi, from boisterous Sholay to wholesome Chupke Chupke and slick actioner Charas.

Perhaps the last of the big matinee stars, he refused to fade into the shadows, continuing long after the sun set on the careers of many of his contemporaries.

Dharmendra, the man who more than anyone else perhaps embodied a certain goodness and wholesomeness, died on Monday at his Mumbai home. He would have been 90 on December 8.

In 2023, when he was all of 88, he romanced Shabana Azmi to great effect in Karan Johar’s Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani -- still breaking hearts and evoking sighs to the strains of that evergreen love song Abhi Na Jaao Chhod Kar as he serenades his lost love. And seals it with a kiss!

The gait was slow, the age evident but the twinkling eyes and that warm smile? Intact.

This was an actor who saw the Hindi film industry evolve through the decades, moving from black and white to colour and now the digital age, and ensured that he stayed relevant in each era. His foot firmly planted in commercial cinema, Dharmendra survived the superstardom of Rajesh Khanna and the rise of Amitabh Bachchan, making sure his space was all his own.

He was Garam Dharam and the original He-Man of Hindi cinema with the marshmallow softness of the fairytale hero.

Dharmendra, who acted in more than 300 films, was often called a 'Greek God', a tag that hid a sensitive artist just a little eclipsed by his macho man roles.

"I have always broken my image every time I went on screen. I don't know what it means to be a Greek god but people used to call me one,” he said with characteristic modesty in an interview with PTI in 2018.

It was the essence of the simple Punjab village boy and one he retained. Active on social media, Dharmendra frequently shared pictures of produce from his farm in Lonavla and also the Urdu verses he penned and quoted liberally on his handles.

It was an effective way to communicate – the savvy Dharmendra had 2.6 million followers on Instagram and 770.5k X followers. The handle? The evocative “aapkadharam”.

Dharmendra was born Dharam Singh Deol in Nasrali village, Ludhiana district of Punjab on December 8, 1935, to an idealistic school teacher. The family moved to Sahenwal village after his father's transfer when Dharmendra was just two. His father, a school teacher, hoped his son would become a professor.

Enamoured by the magic of the movies of Dilip Kumar and Madhubala, Dharmendra started nursing a different dream: to see his name up on the posters. He would often climb a bridge at local station and pray the Frontier Mail chugging through would one day take him to Mumbai, the city of dreams.

It did.

In 1958, Filmfare magazine announced a nationwide talent hunt. The young Dharam decided to try his luck, won the contest and packed his bags for Mumbai.

The first film he signed was Bimal Roy's Bandini opposite Ashok Kumar and Nutan. While waiting for the movie to begin, he found it hard to make ends meet and worked in a drilling firm for Rs 200 a month to survive.

The first break came in 1960 with Arjun Hingorani's Dil Bhi Tera, Hum Bhi Tere in 1960. The debut was not a success. But he did get noticed.

After a series of films, including Ayee Milan Ki Bela and Haqeeqat and Kaajal, came stardom with the 1966 film Phool Aur Patthar opposite Meena Kumari.

That same year saw him in Anupama, his first film with director Hrishikesh Mukherjee who saw in him the gentle, supportive hero to Sharmila Tagore.

Mukherjee, who imagined Dharmendra differently from the rough screen persona of several of his other movies, went on to cast him in Majhli Didi, Satyakam, Guddi, Chaitali and, of course, Chupke Chupke where his role as botany professor Parimal Tripathi will long be remembered.

Dharmendra the superstar bloomed to his full potential in the 70s and 80s when another big name was on the horizon: Amitabh Bachchan.

He teamed up with Bachchan in Chupke Chupke. And also memorably in Sholay where their roles as Jai and Veeru came to define male bonding, the two characters blending comedy, action and romance.

Dharmendra continued to get top billing in the 80s and romanced heroines like Sridevi and Dimple Kapadia, who also worked with his son Sunny.

In later decades, Dharmendra slipped into character roles.

In 2007, when he was 72, Dharmendra played a gang member in Sriram Raghavan's Johnny Gaddar and a man who connects with his childhood love in Life in a Metro by Anurag Basu.

There was no escaping the unrelenting spotlight on his personal life.

He was married to Prakash Kaur. They have four children – sons, actors Bobby and Sunny Deol, and two daughters Vijeta and Ajeeta.

In 1980, the actor tied the knot with his frequent co-star Hema Malini after allegedly converting to Islam, a claim Dharmendra denied. The couple share daughters Esha and Ahana.

The much publicised romance with Hema Malini blossomed during their many films together. These included Seeta aur Geeta, The Burning Train, Dream Girl and Sholay.

A year after getting married to Hema Malini, the patriarch of the Deol family established the production house Vijayta Films in 1981. It was created to provide a launch pad for his son Sunny Deol with 1983's Betaab.

Ever the family man, Dharmendra used the banner to give a break to younger son Bobby Deol in Barsaat in 1995. In 2005, it was the turn of nephew Abhay Deol in Socha Na Tha. And in 2019, grandson Karan Deol got his moment in Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas.

Dharmendra shared screen space with sons Sunny and Bobby for the first time in 2007's sports drama Apne. The Deol men also starred in comedy franchise Yamla Pagla Deewana, which borrows its title from a popular Dharmendra song from the film Pratigya.

The Deol family patriarch wasn’t keen on Esha joining films and never watched her film Dhoom, but later relented and worked with her in the 2011 film Tell Me O Kkhuda.

The remarkable career saw just a few awards.

As producer of the 1990 film Ghayal, starring son Sunny Deol, the veteran received a National Film Award for best popular film providing wholesome entertainment.

Also a Padma Bhushan recipient, Dharmendra dabbled in politics briefly, winning the Lok Sabha seat from Bikaner on a BJP ticket in 2004.

It has been an exeunt from the stage of life, but Dharmendra’s not quite done yet. In December this year, he will be seen in Ikkis, a war film by Sriram Raghavan.

True stars never die. They just sparkle in the distant firmament.