Curtains down on Bollywood's legendary era

Dharmendra's passing brings an end to a legendary era of Hindi cinema. Dharmendra was a massive package for a Bollywood hero of his time. He could put on display romantic flair at a command, be agile in action scenes, solemnity in voice, and timing in comedy scenes. Everything came in a canter for this macho youngster from Punjab.

Despite not being on par with legends when it comes to acting, Dharmendra, aka Dharamsingh Deol, had a rare knack for keeping audiences entertained during his time on screen. This is a story of a handsome youngster hailing from the village in Punjab, who started with small roles and became an integral part of the commercial success of Hindi cinema by the end of the sixties. This was a result of hard work and Dharmendra’s unquenchable passion for cinema.

Dharmendra became a fan favourite after his role as Veeru in 'Sholay', which became one of the all-time mega hits in India, directed by Ramesh Sippy. It was during the filming of 'Sholay' that Dharmendra met Hema Malini, which later culminated in his second marriage. It was Dharmendra who suggested Amitabh Bachchan to play his friend in 'Sholay'. Later, when Amitabh Bachchan conquered the heights of cinema to become the numero uno in Bollywood, Dharmendra carried no envy but only respect for Bachchan.

Dharmendra was a professional who considered sincerity above everything and made no compromise in it. This same sincerity robbed him of many chances in movies, leading to his career graph going south.

Dharmendra had the rare honour to witness his legacy in cinema carried forward by his sons, Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol. Dharmendra represented Bikaner in Rajasthan on a BJP ticket from 2004 to 2009 and became a Lok Sabha MP. In 2012, the country honoured Dharmendra with the Padma Bhushan.

Even after becoming an actor adored by millions of fans, Dharmendra was careful to maintain humility and modesty, a redundant practice in the industry these days. Any news surrounding Dharmendra outside of the cinema used to attract a lot of attention. The criticism he faced when marrying Hema Malini without breaking up with his former wife, Prakash Kaur, created a storm. Critics deemed that this relationship would fall apart soon, but the couple proved it otherwise. Both Dharmendra and Hema Malini were devoted to each other till their last breath. Dharmendra never cared for what society thought about him but went ahead with decisions he liked. It worked for him.