Malerkotla, Ludhiana grieve as Dharmendra’s 90th birthday wish left unfulfilled

Residents of the Malerkotla and Ludhiana region are sombre that they could not see their beloved hero, Dharmendra, relish his favourite “makki di roti” and “sarson da saag” on his 90th birthday. Dharmendra passed away just a fortnight before the milestone, which was to be celebrated on December 8.

Born on December 8, 1935, at his mother’s native village Nasrali near Ludhiana, Dharmendra hailed from a Deol family of Dangon village in Raikot subdivision. He was the son of Kewal Krishan and grandson of Narain Dass. In 1954, he married Parkash Kaur Sohi, a native of Banbhaura village in Malerkotla (then Sangrur) district.

Satbir Singh Sheera Banbhaura, a social activist and politician from Banbhaura, said residents of his village and nearby areas were deeply saddened that their prayers for the recovery of the Sohi clan’s “damad” did not bear fruit. “We have lost a simple, humble icon who brought name and pride to our region,” he said.

Varinder Singh Sohi, an NRI nephew of Parkash Kaur, recalled how his wedding in 2005 became unforgettable due to Dharmendra and Sunny Deol’s presence. “Though both ‘Fufar ji’ (Dharmendra) and ‘Veera’ (Sunny Deol) behaved like humble family members, villagers climbed rooftops just to catch a glimpse of them,” he said, adding that he and his uncle Jasvir Singh Sohi were leaving for Mumbai to represent the Sohi family.

Bhushan Lomash of Issi village remembered that Dharmendra would visit his father, the late Dilbag Rai Issa, with whom the actor had worked at the Punjab Tubewell Corporation before entering films.

Residents of this part of Malwa take pride in the fact that their love for art and culture helped shape Dharmendra’s early journey. Dharmendra married Parkash Kaur of Banbhaura in 1954 — long before he became Bollywood’s He-Man. At the time, he was simply Dharam Singh Deol, a 19-year-old Punjabi with a dream.

In the late 1950s, Dharmendra moved to Mumbai to pursue acting, with Parkash Kaur remaining his anchor. In an interview a few years ago, he fondly recalled a Malerkotla photographer, Jaan Mohammad, who clicked his pictures for the 1958 talent contest that he eventually won, though the film he was to debut in was never made.

Advocate Gurinder Singh Lalli said Dharmendra had expressed a desire to do something meaningful for his native village Dangon in memory of his father, but his professional commitments, family responsibilities and lack of coordination prevented the plans from materialising. “When we met in Chandigarh over a decade ago, he discussed investing in education projects in the village and asked his uncle Jagir Singh Deol to work on them. Unfortunately, none of the major plans took shape,” Lalli said, praising the actor’s humility and concern.

Kulwinder Dangon said villagers were heartbroken that their prayers for the actor’s recovery remained unanswered and their plans to celebrate his 90th birthday were dashed. “We knew the Deol family had seen a ray of hope for celebrating his milestone birthday. We were reminded of his wish to enjoy ‘sarson da saag’ and ‘makki di roti’ while sitting by a traditional ‘chulha’, and to ride a two-wheeler-driven cart. During our meeting with him at a Chandigarh hotel, he spoke fondly of these simple joys,” he said, regretting that their plan to take freshly cooked ‘saag’ to Mumbai for the celebration was thwarted by fate.