Dharmendra, cinema’s tender titan & timeless matinee idol, passes away at 89

New Delhi, Nov 24: 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!

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 a statement to the media in 2018.

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.

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.

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 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.

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 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".

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.

PTI