An outsider who came from a village in Punjab and made Hindi cinema his own, acting in over 300 films which included both mainstream blockbusters and underrated gems, Dharmendra was among those few actors whose stardom was not impacted by the rise of Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan. As he often said, he received few awards in his career but the massive love of his fans more than made up for it. He balanced Sholay — arguably the most iconic Hindi film over decades — with a Satyakam; audience will always remember his comic turn in Chupke Chupke. His career spanned decades and generations.

Dharmendra’s story is the stuff dreams, and films, are made of. Born Dharmendra Deol, he was born to a school teacher in the Sahnewal village of Ludhiyana district, Punjab in 1935. His film ambitions took off after he won a national talent contest organised by a film magazine. He made his debut in Hindi films in 1960 with Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere. The film went unnoticed and it was only next year that he delivered his first success, Shola Aur Shabnam. He followed it up with Mohan Kumar’s Anpadh (1962), and Bimal Roy’s Bandini (1963), which won the National Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi.

Dharmendra came to be known as the charming, handsome man who could deliver captivating performances on screen. Phool Aur Patthar marked his first action role, and it was his action-hero image that eventually gave him the title of the ‘He-Man of Bollywood’.

The 1970s saw him in some of his most popular roles like Jeevan Mrityu, Tum Haseen Mai Jawan, Guddi, Yaadon Ki Baraat, Black Mail, Pratigya, Chupke Chupke, Sholay, Dream Girl, Dharam Veer, Seeta Aur Geeta, Dream Girl, The Burning Train among others. His role of Veeru in Sholay became his most famous.-Agencies