Legendary film star Dharmendra died today at his Juhu home in Mumbai after weeks of age-related illness. He was days shy of his 90th birthday on December 8, 2025.
Dharmendra was cremated in the presence of family, close friends, and industry colleagues at the Pawan Hans crematorium in the afternoon. The actor, who was admitted to Mumbai's Breach Candy Hospital on October 31 after he complained of breathlessness, was discharged just 12 days ago.
As we wait for an official statement from the actor's family, here's look at how the foreign media covered the death of Dharmendra, one of India's biggest film icons:
The New York Times
The headline of the New York Times tribute to Dharmendra read: "Dharmendra, Bollywood Leading Man Who Played Heroes and Thieves, Dies at 89".
Dharmendra, nicknamed He-Man for his rugged appeal and impish charisma, appeared in more than 300 productions. The actor, who started out in romance dramas headlined by top women actors of the day such as Nutan and Meena Kumari in the early 1960s, soon changed gears to male-oriented action movies.
"His best-remembered films included Phool Aur Patthar (1966), in which he played a virile but softhearted criminal; Mera Gaon Mera Desh (1971), in which his character transforms from a thief to village protector; Chupke Chupke (1975), a blockbuster romantic comedy of errors in which he portrayed a professor who disguises himself as a driver as part of an elaborate practical joke; and Sholay (1975), an action-adventure in which he played one of two petty criminals, the other portrayed by Amitabh Bachchan, hired by a retired policeman to capture a ruthless villain," read the report.
Quoting The Sunday Guardian, the NYT report stated that Dharmendra once said he would never write a memoir, also dismissing the idea of a biopic of his life.
"People forget films easily. People should remember you despite the lack of any biography or biopic," he had said back in 2012.
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation wrote that while Dharmendra described himself as "a simple man", he commanded extraordinary affection and loyalty from millions of fans. The headline read: "Bollywood's 'He-Man' Dharmendra dies at 89".
According to the BBC website report, Dharmendra often made it to global lists of the "most handsome men" at the peak of his career, adding that female fans would sleep with his photographs under their pillows.
In a 2018 interview with BBC Hindi, the actor said his father, a school headmaster, wanted him to pay attention to studies, but once he watched the Dilip Kumar-starrer Shaheed (1948), he was beyond the point of return.
"I watched my first film when I was in the ninth standard and I was hooked. I was wondering, where is this heaven where all these beautiful people live? I thought I must find my way there. I felt like they were mine and I belonged to them," Dharmendra had said.
Well-built, Dharmendra was popular for doing action scenes, involving daring stunts, on his own.
AP
News agency Associated Press called Dharmendra "one of Indian cinema's most popular stars" whose versatile performances made him a defining screen presence in the 1970s and 1980s According its official website, the headline of the story read: "Dharmendra, iconic Bollywood actor and Indian cinema's 'He-Man', dies at 89"
The story described the actor as "Bollywood's 'He-Man'," someone who blended the old-school heroism of an action star with the tenderness of a romantic hero. From action-packed performances in films such as Sholay, feel-good slice of life films Chupke Chupke to patriotic action drama Mera Gaon Mera Desh, Dharmendra ruled the proverbial roost in the 1970s and 1980s of Hindi cinema.
AFP
The headline of the report on Dharmendra by news agency Agence France Press read: "Bollywood's 'He-Man' Dharmendra dies aged 89".
The report stated that Dharmendra shot to stardom after he became the first Bollywood actor to bare his chest on screen. The film was 1966's Phool Aur Patthar, which was released six years after made his acting debut in Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere.
"When he whipped off his shirt in the film, for the first time Hindi filmmakers woke up to the need to cater to female sexuality," noted the Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema.
In its reportage on Dharmendra's death, AFP highlighted that the actor may have starred with several leading ladies of his heyday but his most "enduring partnership" was with Hema Malini, who would go on to become the actor's second wife. Their popular films together include Tum Haseen Main Jawan, Seeta Aur Geeta, Sholay, Dream Girl.
The agency also called Dharmendra an "underrated actor".
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