Saying Goodbye To He-Man of Hindi Cinema: Dharmendra

It was the late ’60s. Many of us were not even born, yet our parents remember the afternoons spent at local cinemas or in front of the family TV, catching the latest hits from Bombay. For many, the easiest way to discover our fathers’ favourite actor was by seeing the man who defined their idea of heroism, charm, and masculinity: veteran actor Dharmendra.

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The He-Man of Bollywood, Dharmendra enjoyed a powerful career from the 1960s as the macho hero,an actor who was just as good in comedic roles as in romantic and action films, equally handsome in those rugged, structured denim jeans that he popularised throughout the 1970s.

Debuting in Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere (1960), directed by Arjun Hingorani, Dharmendra was a young man from Punjab who was reportedly earnest-eyed and soft-spoken, who with his unmistakable performance, made himself a star from the get-go. With films like Phool Aur Patthar and Anupama, he established himself as one of Bollywood’s most sincere performers, an actor who could comfortably switch between restraint and commanding charm without ever betraying a hint of effort.

By the ’70s and ’80s, he had become a national icon. Veeru from Sholay—cheerful, macho, unafraid to love deeply or laugh loudly—became the benchmark for the Hindi film “everyman.” His comedic brilliance in Chupke Chupke remained unmatched; his emotional depth in Satyakam remained a masterclass; his effortless presence in action dramas continued to be imitated.

A youth from rural Punjab who once wrote fan letters to actors, Dharmendra overcame shyness and hardship to build a career that spanned more than six decades and over 250 films. His arrival in Bombay in the late 1950s marked not just the beginning of a career but the beginning of an ethic: humility, honesty, and a deep respect for the craft and the audience. Those values never left him, even as he evolved into one of the biggest superstars India had ever known.

What a life. What a legacy… To possess a presence so magnetic, so unmistakably him, that even a fleeting moment on screen could make an entire room go gaga.

Across the decades, he collected honours and milestones with quiet pride including Filmfare Awards, lifetime achievements, accolades recognising his contribution to Indian cinema’s most formative years. In 2012, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian honour, and later received the Raj Kapoor Lifetime Achievement Award from the Government of Maharashtra.

Dharmendra Singh Deol passed away on 24 November 2025 at the age of 89. May he rest in peace.