Horribly sad

The death of movie star Dharmendra is a sad day for Bollywood and cinema lovers in India and even abroad. Dharmendra was a simple village lad from Punjab, who loved movies and aspired to become an actor. He achieved his dream. From the time he started acting in 1960 till date, he remained relevant and captivating.

Despite his cinematic achievements, he continued to be humble, modest and a man of the people. He avoided politics, controversies and strife. He loved his audiences and they loved him back in equal measure. Dharmendra remained an unpretentious person, always well-grounded. He was incredibly handsome and remained so, even in his later years. Age did not wither him. He was a giant as a human being and even as an artist.

In his later years, he flowered as a he-man and strongman actor in action roles. However, he played very sensitive roles, especially in his earlier movies, as in Bandini, Phool aur Patthar, Satyakam and Anupama. In a career of over 300 films, Dharmendra wooed his audiences with his comedy, seriousness, romanticism and striking looks. He was a national heartthrob. He loved his work and so naturally, he excelled in it.

During his career, there were many new emerging stars like Rajesh Khanna, Vinod Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan. None of them could dethrone Dharmendra. He remained the evergreen hero. His competitors, became his colleagues and co-actors. He never hurt anyone and enjoyed goodwill in the industry and the country. He was universally loved.

Dharmendra became a member of every family, though his roles. His death brought sadness in many homes. I was horribly upset, having seen his films from 1960 onwards. I respected him for his humility and loved him for his arts.

Rajendra Aneja,
Mumbai, India