Dharmendra was a great actor but he was a better human being

Starting his career with the obscure and unsuccessful ‘Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere’ in 1960, the late Dharmendra’s last film, ‘Ikkis’, is slated for release in December, marking a remarkable journey spanning six decades.

An extraordinary feature of his early career was the loyalty both directors and co-stars showed to him. His first director, Arjun Hingorani, did a series of films with him, all with titles using KKK (‘Kahani Kismat Ki’, ‘Khel Khiladi Ka’). Sadhana was the only major heroine of the 1960s who did just one film opposite Dharmendra, the much delayed and now forgotten ‘Ishq Par Zor Nahin’. She always regretted they never worked together again. In an emotional scene while filming the song ‘Tum mujhse door chale jana na’, the sight of an injured Dharmendra in a hospital bed caused Sadhana to shed real tears. Lata Mangeshkar also wept during the recording of the song.

Sharmila Tagore had signed up for ‘Devar’ as her first film in Hindi though ‘Kashmir Ki Kali’ was released first. She struck up an easy friendship with Dharmendra and praised him for his caring attitude. As she put it, heroines were often harassed by spectators while on location and film units did not hire bodyguards. But with Dharmendra there, they needed no other protection and she recalled the time he single-handedly chased away a crowd.

With Dharmendra around, heroines felt personally safe and this was reflected in the emotional depth of their performances. A senior actress like Nutan gave some of her best performances opposite him (‘Bandini’, ‘Dulhan Ek Raat Ki’, ‘Phagun’), and so did a newcomer like Sharmila (‘Anupama’, ‘Satyakam’).

In the tributes paid to him, it was noteworthy how effusive his female co-stars were — from Asha Parekh to Zeenat Aman to the usually silent Moushumi Chatterjee and the suddenly vocal Mumtaz!

Indeed, film critics regularly dismissed him as a weak actor useful only in heroine-oriented films. Unsurprisingly, the only prominent woman critic of the ’60s and ’70s, Amita Malik, had a high opinion of his talents.

Dharmendra was noted for the way he studied the script, asked for the character’s back story and motivation, and then put out a performance so natural that he hardly seemed to be acting. In a famous shoot of ‘Mamta’ with the strong-headed and rarely seen Suchitra Sen, he was so much in character that he was reported to have kissed her on the back. While the director was expecting the angry Suchitra to walk out, her main objection was that the kiss caught her unawares as it hadn’t been discussed in rehearsals.

He also developed a close personal relationship with the tragedy queen, Meena Kumari. Both wrote Urdu poetry in their leisure time. This partnership produced two hit films: ‘Kaajal’ and ‘Phool Aur Patthar’.

Dharmendra’s talents were perhaps more highly regarded in Bengal than Bombay. He had also done two films opposite Bengal’s other female superstar, Supriya Chowdhury: ‘Begaana’ and ‘Aap Ki Parchhaiyan’, though both are remembered now only for the music. He did only one Bengali film, ‘Paari’, but it gave him scenes with Dilip Kumar, and showed he could not be overshadowed even by that legendary actor.

No less important were the Bengali directors of Bombay. Asit Sen gave him a guest appearance in ‘Khamoshi’, where he sang the Hemant Kumar song ‘Tum pukar lo tumhara intezar hai’. Dharmendra’s face was shown only in profile in a long shot, but Sen was confident that the audience would recognise Dharmendra and clap.

For director Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Dharmendra was a godsend as an actor who could depict any emotion and had instinctive comic timing. Mukherjee said all he needed to do was correct his occasional Punjabi accent. ‘Satyakam’, a still relevant film on corruption in construction, is perhaps Dharmendra’s best performance, but the sensitive poet of ‘Anupama’ and the comic professor/chauffeur of ‘Chupke Chupke’ are also gems.

For the Bengali director Dulal Guha, it was Dharmendra’s earthiness which defined him. In Guha’s ‘Pratiggya’, he played the quintessential truck driver in a monster hit. Rajesh Khanna had played a truck driver earlier in ‘Dushman’, also a Guha film, and ‘Shehzada’, but Dharmendra’s portrayal made Khanna’s performance look effete.

The 1970s saw the peak of his career — ‘Mera Gaon Mera Desh’ established the dacoit film and ‘Sholay’ was one of the biggest hits. There were rumours of his romance with Hema Malini, ending in a happy marriage.

He starred in two song and dance entertainers opposite Asha Parekh — ‘Aaye Din Bahaar Ke’ and ‘Aya Sawan Jhoom Ke’. Though admired for his balanced walk, he was a reluctant dancer who improvised his own steps rhythmically and with a charming shyness. The ‘Dharmendra step’ can still be seen in wedding celebrations.

In the South, MGR was reputed to be a Dharmendra fan and Jayalalithaa made her solitary Hindi film, ‘Izzat’, opposite him. She said she was honoured to get a warm congratulatory letter from him when she became Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and she would prepare special dishes whenever he wanted to visit.

And to think that the boy from Dangon village in Ludhiana, who was once a lineman in the Punjab State Electricity Board, did not consider a film career till a relative urged him to enter the Filmfare talent contest of 1957. Guru Dutt was a judge but he deputed Abrar Alvi, who reported that every contestant had imitated the hairstyle and acting of actors except one young man from Punjab in a crew cut. Guru Dutt said he should be selected.

Dharmendra moved to Mumbai in April 1958 with promises of films from Bimal Roy and Guru Dutt. On arrival, he found they planned to shoot his films only after some years. He became a struggler, queuing up outside film studios for auditions when Dev Anand spotted him and prophesised his success. Though often compared to his senior contemporaries Shashi Kapoor and Dev Anand in both the number of films done and the heroines he acted opposite, Dharmendra was probably the most prolific. He broadened the market for Hindi films by becoming the first major non-urban star.

His legendary status also owed a great deal to his humble, helpful nature and innate kindness. There was almost no one in the industry who didn’t love and admire him.

— The writer is the former director general of All India Radio

Fandom in Pakistan

I first noticed Dharamji in the 1962 movie ‘Anpadh’ when I was seven. I had just lost my twin sibling and my father had brought home a dish antenna riddled with holes from the rocket fire between Pashtun and Baloch groups in Chaman. Zee Cinema and Zee Gold became my refuge. ‘Anpadh’ starred Mala Sinha as a rich girl who leaves formal education, thinking she won’t need it. She marries Dharamji, an avid reader, who is disappointed to discover that his wife is uneducated, but she eventually wins his heart.

‘Sholay’ was shown on special occasions like Eid or New Year, and I became an expert on that too. My Bollywood addiction was contagious and my grandparents succumbed soon after. Dharamji was among the last of the stars who grew up before 1947. He embodied Punjab’s diverse heritage. In an interview to Vinay Pathak, he reminisced about his school master, Ghulam Rasool, whom he hugged in 1947 and begged not to leave.

— Ammara Ahmad (Lahore-based journalist & writer)