Dharmendra, often called the “son of the soil,” never forgot his roots even after achieving stellar stardom. The film veteran, who died on Monday at the age of 89, once recalled the fading memories of Partition. Born in Nasrali, a village in Ludhiana district, Punjab, on December 8, 1935, the prolific actor looked back on the bygone days during a conversation with actor Vinay Pathak.
In a throwback video, an emotional Dharmendra says, “Main class 8th mein tha. Abdul Jabbar, Akram, mere dost hua karte the. Hum itne pyaar se rehte the ke koi bhed-bhaav nahi tha. Partition ke baat se ajeeb si haalat ho jaati hai (I was in class 8. Abdul Jabbar and Akram were my friends. We used to live happily together. There was not an iota of hatred among us)."
“Hamare jo Rukunuddin sir tha, ek din bazaar se aa raha tha sar jhuka ke. Main usse lipat gaya aur ro pada. Maine masterji se poochha, ‘Kyon ja rahe ho chhod ke?' Unhone bola, ‘Mujhe jaana hi padega (Our masterji was coming from the market with his head down. I hugged him and broke down in tears. I asked him, 'Why are you leaving?". He said, "I have to go)," recalls the actor.
Dharmendra's Early Life In Punjab
Dharmendra was the son of Kewal Krishan and Satwant Kaur. He spent his early years in the village of Sahnewal and studied at Government Senior Secondary School, Lalton Kalan, Ludhiana, where his father was the headmaster.
Before being tagged as the “He-Man” of the industry, Dharmendra portrayed the role of the earnest common man on screen with remarkable authenticity — thanks in large part to Hrishikesh Mukherjee. Their collaboration began with Anupama (1966).
They went on to collaborate on films such as Majhli Didi (1967), Satyakam (1969), Guddi (1971), and the multi-starrer Chupke Chupke (1975). Dharmendra also acted in Mukherjee's Chaitali (1975).
Dharmendra Died At 89
On Monday, tensions were high as security was beefed up outside Dharmendra's house. An ambulance was spotted entering the premises, triggering speculation about the actor's health. Several Bollywood celebrities — including Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Anil Kapoor, Ranveer Singh, and Deepika Padukone — attended the legendary actor's last rites at Pawan Hans Crematorium.
Dharmendra, one of the most celebrated matinee idols of Indian cinema, will be seen on screen one last time in Sriram Raghavan's Ikkis. He plays the father of Agastya Nanda, the grandson of Amitabh Bachchan, in the film.
