When Duty Called, Dharmendra Flew 18 Hours In Agony To Stand With His Party

At a special prayer meeting held in Delhi to pay tribute to the legendary Dharmendra, his associate of 21 years, Sudhir Kumar Singh, opened his heart and took everyone back to a moment that revealed the real He-Man - not just the reel one.

Sudhir Kumar Singh was just another government officer in the Railway Ministry's protocol wing years ago, yet within months of their first formal meeting, the legendary Dharmendra insisted on dropping every trace of hierarchy - "Beta, ab se tu mera chhota bhai hai," he declared  and for the next 21 years, that is exactly what Sudhir became: not an aide, not a fan, but family.

What began formally soon turned into a deep bond sealed over drinks and endless conversations.

Long before he became Bollywood's evergreen action hero, a young Dharmendra - born Dharam Singh Deol in the villages of Punjab - had travelled to Khajurahat near Ayodhya for a marketing job with an international company working on rural water-pumping projects. "That was the grounded, small-town boy I came to know and love," Sudhir recalled fondly.

But one incident from 2008 stands out as the ultimate testament to Dharmendra's character.

During the high-stakes trust vote on the Indo-US nuclear deal, the Manmohan Singh government hung by a thread. The BJP was scrambling to keep every single MP in line. Dharmendra, then the sitting MP from Bikaner, had undergone knee replacement surgery and was recovering in America. He had already informed the party leadership that he wouldn't make it back in time.

Yet, on the crucial day, when every vote and every gesture of solidarity mattered, Dharmendra landed in Delhi and went straight from the airport to Le Meridien hotel - where all BJP MPs were lodged - walking with excruciating pain, still bandaged, but with fire in his eyes.

"He came only to boost morale, to show his colleagues they were not alone," Sudhir told NDTV, his voice heavy with emotion. "That day I saw the same courage he showed in Sholay - only this time it was real life."

Sudhir revealed he would often ask his friend, "Dharam ji, why don't you fight elections again? The people of Bikaner still want to touch your feet." Dharmendra would laugh and reply that the public loved his "herogiri" on screen but never took him seriously as a politician.

He had entered politics in 2004 on the BJP's "India Shining" wave, persuaded by LK Advani and close friend Shatrughan Sinha. Contesting from Congress stronghold Bikaner, he stunned everyone by winning by nearly 60,000 votes. But frequent film shoots, low Parliament attendance, and eventual disillusionment led him to quit after one term, later admitting politics was not his world.

Today, as the Delhi Chief Minister, the Home Minister, other top BJP leaders, and Union ministers arrived at the prayer meeting to pay their respects, one thing was clear: Dharmendra may have left the political arena, but his loyalty, courage, and large-heartedness never left anyone who knew him – on screen or off it.