Film veteran Dharmendra was discharged from Mumbai's Breach Candy Hospital on Wednesday morning. He was believed to be "critical" over the past few days and was on life support. As fans worried about his health, old stories about the film icon started resurfacing online.
Dharmendra, who shares a cordial relationship with Salman Khan, once said that he is the perfect choice to portray him on screen.
In a chat with Bollywood Life back in 2015, Dharmendra was asked to pick a name for his biopic.
"Salman Khan. I think he has a lot of characteristics which are very similar to mine. I think he will be able to portray me onscreen perfectly," Dharmendra had said back then.
On another occasion, Dharmendra praised Salman Khan as a "genuine" man. The veteran superstar shared, "Today, if I call anyone from the industry, everyone will be there because of my family's goodwill. Salman himself is a very good human being. I love him; he's a wonderful person. He's genuine."
When asked about his first meeting with Salman, the film veteran said, "Once I was shooting a film near a lake, and that was the first time I saw Salman. He was quite shy then—and even today, he is very shy. While shooting, the camera dropped into the lake and he dived in to take it out. At that time, I thought, 'He's quite courageous too.' He is an emotional man. If you aren't a good person, you are nothing."
Salman Khan and Dharmendra worked together in the 1998 film Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya. Salman Khan was one of the first celebrities who rushed to the hospital on Monday night to meet the ailing Dharmendra.
After Dharmendra's discharge, Dr. Pratit Samdani of Breach Candy Hospital confirmed to NDTV, "Dharmendra ji has been discharged from the hospital around 7:30 am. He will be treated at home as the family has decided to give him home treatment."
