Of all the roles that veteran actor Dharmendra played in his over 300 films, perhaps the one that was most spoofed, recreated, and memed (now in the social media era) was the gladiator-inspired look of his character from the 1977 film Dharam Veer.
In fact, Dharmendra's X (formerly Twitter) cover photo is a still from Dharam Veer.
Dharmendra died on November 24 at his Mumbai residence at the age of 89. In Dharam Veer, he played a prince named Dharam who was separated from his twin Veer (Jeetendra) at birth.
Dharmendra's X cover photo captures the actor in a short tunic and skirt, styled like a Roman warrior, showcasing his muscular physique that famously earned him the title of Bollywood's original "He-Man".
A screenshot of Dharmendra's X profile.
His look from Dharam Veer went on to become one of the most iconic costumes in Hindi cinema. Decades later, it remains etched in the memory of fans, so much so that the actor himself chose it as the cover image on his social media profile.
Throwback On Horseback
In fact, in March 2021, Dharmendra had shared a throwback image from the same shoot, reminiscing about his Dharam Veer days.
The photo shows him straddling a horse, dressed in his signature gladiator-style outfit. He captioned it, "Waqt naam ki.... Tez Tarrar ghodi ki peeth pe.... kas le kathi apne janbaaz himmat hausle se....."
His daughter, actor Esha Deol, was among the firsts to comment on the post, dropping heart and evil-eye emojis. Dharmendra responded with a heartwarming message, "Love you Bittu baby".
The Dharam Veer Family Connect
The Dharam Veer costume also holds a special family connection. Dharmendra's youngest son, actor Bobby Deol, played the childhood version of his father's character Dharam in the film.
In an interview with SCREEN, Bobby Deol recalled his experience of working with his father in Dharam Veer.
Bobby said, "I was 5-6 years old. I always wanted to become an actor. My dad was doing Dharam Veer at that point, and he wanted a child who would look like him. A child who had big and thick legs, but he couldn't find one. They kept getting kids who looked really weak.
"Then he thought, 'Let me ask my son'. He asked me, 'Tu meri film mai acting karega? Mere bachpan ka role karega? (Will you act in my film and play my childhood role?)' I said, 'Haan karunga (Yes, I will).' When you are a child, you don't have any inhibitions, you don't have any fear, you just think life is beautiful."
Talking about the now-famous costume, Bobby revealed that a mini Dharam dress was stitched for him "overnight" because he had to shoot the next day.
"I never wore an underwear in those days. When I was shooting, they made me wear this dress. I was like, 'Why are they making me wear a dress?' I asked Bhawarlal, who used to work with my dad, 'Bhawarlal, mere paas chaddi nahi hai (I don't have an underwear), how will I wear this?' They got me a pair of shorts to wear under my dress. But, it was beautiful," he added.
Bobby also recalled a fond memory about asking for payment after his shoot.
"I did the scene and asked my dad, 'Where is my money? I worked, I want my money.' He said, 'Aa, main deta hoon, tu chup kar' (Come, I'll give it to you, be quiet). He didn't know what to say as the film's producer and director were standing right there. I sat in the car, he gave me a bundle of Rs 10,000 notes, and he said, 'Go give it to your grandmother and see to it that it is distributed among the staff members'," he said.
"I went home excitedly, so proud of myself, and gave the money to my grandmother to distribute it. I was so excited that I broke so many hangers in the house to show my sisters and aunts what I did in the film. I was on top of the world. When the film did golden jubilee, I went to the ceremony. They had planned a special award for me with my name on it," he added.