“I am full of life. I am a dreamer and want to keep doing something,” says veteran actor Dharmendra, who will turn 85 on December 8.

“Earlier, I used to celebrate my birthday. But then, I felt it was too artificial, kyun ki industry mein dikhawa zyaada hota hai. Log janamdin ko promotion ke liye use karte hain. Moreover, this year has been quite sad with the farmers suffering and the ongoing pandemic. You can’t enjoy. Also, since losing my mum years ago, I don’t really enjoy celebrating birthdays. She used to be excited about it,” says the actor.

He is looking forward to starting work on two movies including Apne 2 with his sons Sunny and Bobby Deol. “I know how to use my time otherwise waqt aapko istamal karta hain. At my farm, I keep experimenting with my produce as I am a dehati. I practise yoga which gives me some positive energy. Yeh mera nature hai,” he shares.

Despite his son, Sunny, testing positive, senior Deol reveals there is nothing to worry about. “Covid-19 can happen to anyone. I urge people to take precautions. He is in isolation and following medical advice. I saw photos in which he can be seen roaming around Rohtang Pass without a shirt, maybe he got corona due to that (laughs),” he says.

He has also been following the farmer’s protest in Delhi and hopes it gets resolved. “Government jo kar sake, please kare. I have never heard that farmers are happy as they always suffer due to heavy rains or no rains or any other environmental reason. They have many hardships and it is painful. They should be heard and I hope they come to a mutual decision soon. It is so cold up north and then there is Coronavirus too, so I hope this protest gets settled soon,” he concludes.

Renuka Vyavahare (BOMBAY TIMES; December 8, 2019)

One of the most handsome heroes in Bollywood, Dharmendra turns 84 today. The yesteryear superstar, however, is not too fond of celebrating his birthday. The actor, who was in Lonavala yesterday, told BT, “My mother used to celebrate my birthdays with a lot of love and enthusiasm. She used to make this day special. Woh bahut pyaar se mera birthday manaati thi. After she passed away, I don’t feel the same. I no longer like to celebrate my birthdays because she is no more.”

Dharmendra was down with dengue a month ago but has now recuperated and is doing fine. “By God’s grace, I am well. Aap sabki blessings aur mohabbat ka asar hai. I want to thank all my fans who wish well for me,” he said. 

Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 8, 2018)

For years, he had nurtured the dream of becoming an actor, even confiding in his mother that he wanted to run away to Mumbai. She had stopped him, saying if he did, his strict schoolmaster father would turn her out too and suggested that he send out applications to film producers from Punjab instead. Dharamendra or Dharam Singh Deol as he was known then, had laughed at how ‘bholi’ she was. But soon afterwards, he saw an ad for the Filmfare talent-hunt contest inviting participants from across India, and filled out the application. He was shortlisted for the auditions and subsequently picked out as the winner by filmmakers Bimal Roy and Guru Dutt. And his dream of coming to (then) Bombay was realised.

Dharamji, who turns 83 today, is still just as passionate about films – he describes the medium as his “beloved” and asserts that he didn’t come here to make money or buy bungalows and cars. “I wanted to act so I could make a place for myself in people’s hearts. I rented an apartment initially and bought a Fiat car for Rs 18,000 (pictured on top) just before the release of my first film. I drove straight to the studio to give Bimal da the good news and took him out for a spin. He was very happy for me and assured me that I’d go far,” the actor reminisces, pointing out that though he’s not shrewd and manipulative, he’s survived in the industry for almost six decades and delivered over 100 hits with a lot of hard work and a “little bit of talent”.

Rajkumar Santoshi, a self-confessed Dharmendra fan, attributes the actor’s longevity as much to his versatility as to his innate goodness which his face reflects on screen, along with his honesty and simplicity. The filmmaker owes his break as a director in Ghayal to Dharam ji who put his trust in a rank newcomer who’d assisted Govind Nihalani and belonged to a different school of filmmaking. Santoshi’s original producer had dropped out because he wasn’t happy with his choice of hero, first Kamal Haasan, then, Sunny Deol. “Sunny took me to Rajasthan where Dharam ji was filming J P Dutta’s Batwara for a narration. He liked the story as much as Sunny had and asked me curiously if I was related to filmmaker P L Santoshi whom he knew well. On learning that I was his son, something I hadn’t divulged, he embraced me and told us to go ahead. Ghayal was the first film he lent his name to as a producer. It got us plenty of rewards and awards,” he says.

Santoshi goes on to point out that though a hugely under-rated actor, Dharamji’s range of histrionics in the films of the ’60s and ’70s had matched that of Dilip Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan. Four of Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s films alone – Satyakam, Anupama, Guddi and Chupke Chupke – had showcased his talent in diverse performances. “He was the only one to stand up to the Rajesh Khanna popularity wave in the ’70s with hits like Mera Gaon Mera Desh, Samadhi and Sholay, in which, despite Sanjeev Kumar and Amjad Khan having author-backed roles and Amitabh Bachchan at his brooding best, Dharam ji managed to stand out with his ‘soocide’ act atop the water tank,” Santoshi, known as an actor’s director, says, adding that his comic timing is also impeccable, as seen in Sholay and Pratigya . “When he serenaded his heroine with a 'Rafta Rafta' or a 'Yamla Pagla Deewana', he made the romance seem real and while he was flexing his muscles as a He-Man, there was a vulnerability to him that made you want to protect him. Not to forget, he was voted among the 10 most handsome men in the world at one point, he didn’t need cosmetic surgery and his hair is his own. Today, he’s still a very good-looking 83-year-old man,” he asserts.

Dharamji’s cousin, Guddu Dhanoa, says he’s proud to have a brother who’s so handsome. “At airports and other public places, I could see waves of adulation and admiration follow him, along with cries of, ‘Dharmendra... Dharmendra,’” says the director of films like Ziddi, Bichhoo and 23rd March 1931: Shaheed featuring Sunny and Bobby. “I was so proud to have such a handsome brother, one who visited us in Delhi when I was still in school, bringing with him hordes of fans into our home who wanted to speak to him and touch him. Army jawans came in trucks and blocked our lane so he could not run away. He was at the height of his stardom then, and I’ve heard when because of date problems there was talk of him dropping out of Sholay, the price per territory for the film fell from Rs 25 lakh to Rs 12 lakh,” says Dhanoa.

When I ask Dharam ji who only this year was seen in Yamla Pagla Deewana Phir Se, for the reason he has remained in people’s hearts for so long, he typically replies with a shayari he had just penned, “Mauka diya muqaddar ne, dil-dimag ek hue, neki bhi saath hui, mehnat aur mashaqqat ke, manzilein tai hoti gayi, aur hum surkh-ruu hue.”

 
The affable actor in his characteristic candidness speaks on how he is overwhelmed by the love and support of his fans
Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; December 9, 2015)

Dharmendra turned 80 yesterday and the actor celebrated his big day with family, industry friends and fan groups from Bengaluru, Bhopal and Solapur who travelled all the way to get a glimpse of the star on the special day and camped outside his Juhu abode since early morning. The veteran actor, too, made sure that his well-wishers were looked after. Food packets, soft drinks and umpteen number of cakes did the rounds of those waiting outside.

Sweet temptations
The actor, whose career spans over five decades, says that he will always remain young at heart. “I feel 18, not 80. I have been on the phone continuously since early morning and when not on the phone, I am hugging and shaking hands with people. I have also been on a cake-cutting spree. I had planned to cut down on sweets, but it is proving to be difficult to resist with so many pieces of cake being fed to me.” When asked about how did he ring in his birthday at midnight, he says, “At that hour, I am in my dream world.”

Wrapped delights
The actor also revealed that he is looking forward to unpacking the numerous presents he has received. “I am overwhelmed by the love and affection of my near and dear ones, especially by the fan groups who have travelled all the way. I feel like a child at a birthday party considering my excitement about the number of gifts I have received. I think I will be spending the entire night unpacking them. However, something that struck me was that a few of the gifts look like bottles which contain something I have been trying to give up for years,” adds the actor.

While for many of us, birthdays are synonymous with celebration, Dharmendra recalled that he learnt about cakes, candles and birthday parties only when he arrived in Mumbai and joined the industry 55 years ago. “During my younger days, back home in Punjab, birthdays meant getting two annas. That was a big deal for us kids in those days.” His younger daughter Ahana with son Darien and Hema Malini specially flew in from New Delhi to be with the actor.

What made his birthday even more special was that the trailer of his son Sunny’s film, Ghayal Once Again, is being attached with Rohit Shetty’s Dilwale and Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Bajirao Mastani. “A teaser had been released earlier and now that I have seen the trailer and rushes of the film, I can say that Sunny has done well,” says the proud father. The veteran actor has also planned a home production with his younger son, Bobby. “We plan to make an announcement soon and will shoot in New Delhi,” he informs.

As Dharmendra’s brother, Ajit Singh Deol, passed away in October this year, he thought subdued, but his fans and well wishers had other plans.

The Big B connect
Several Bollywood folk also wished him on Twitter including his Sholay (1975) co-star Amitabh Bachchan. “He put up our snapshots the images he has put up. I have an emotional connect with him though we may not meet often. He is like a brother. Unfortunately, I am not on Twitter and do not know how to go about it. I prefer to write instead. I still pen Urdu poetry.”

On his 80th birthday, Dharmendra talks about the Ghayal sequel, how his grandsons won't be friends with him and how his fans have ensured that he's still flying high
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 9, 2015)


Dharmendra, who turned 80 on Tuesday, started the day quietly with a small pooja. He was in no mood to celebrate since his brother had passed away just a few weeks ago. But the fans who'd come from all parts of the country and gathered outside his office in large numbers, soon put Darling D in an ebullient mood.

"I call them my parr... my wings... since it is because of them that I am still flying high. I don't like to stand outside and do any kind of drama so I invited those who wanted to wish me inside," he told Mirror later in the afternoon.

A guest who was present informed that the birthday boy had smilingly posed for several photographs and scribbled hundreds of autographs. Also, three buffets had been laid out for friends, fans and the office staff. "No one who dropped by was allowed to leave without having lunch. Dharamji also cut two cakes," added the source.

A poet-philosopher, Dharmendra pointed out that this was an occasion to give back some of the "love" he can feel from miles away and which, for him, has always outscored fame. "Shaurat chali jaati hai, chaahat nahin. It's taken me out of the ratrace and brought me much happiness, which you see, reflected on my face today. I don't let it go to my head, it keeps my feet strong and rooted to the ground. If anything scares me it's being hurt and hurting someone," he says emotionally.

He goes on to point out that while others chase after crores, he didn't know where to hide the Rs 10,000 he'd received for his first film, shoving it under his pillow till he could deposit it in the bank the next morning and spending a sleepless night. "All I had asked God for was a Fiat car; he has given me so much. There are times when I dig out old photographs of mine before I became an actor and tell that Dharmendra, 'Yaar dekh, tu wakai actor ban gaya hai.' I want him to come to me since I need a friend, but he's happy in his native village, Sahnewal, and not interested in this banavati duniya," he sighs.

You bring up his sons, Sunny and Bobby and he cheers up instantly. He's happy Sunny's got back to direction with Ghayal Once Again but admits that there are times when he's worried too. "25 years have passed since we made Ghayal. The audience has changed and now there's a Balwant Rai in every 10 people we meet," he says, adding that they've woven an interesting story around four teenagers who inadvertently get into trouble and rely on Sunny as Ajay Mehra to bail them out.

He particularly likes the film's punchline, "Agar hum sachh ke saath hain to jeetne tak hum haar nahin manenge", pointing out that it sends out an inspiring message to youngsters who are fighting for the truth. "There's plenty of emotional drama and Dan Bradley has done a superb job with the action scenes," he compliments, pointing out that he was happy being an actor and only turned producer to launch his sons. "I'm happy Sunny is working so hard to keep the home banner flying high."

His grandsons, Rajvir and Karan, are also being groomed for stardom. Dharmendra describes them as good kids, very down-to-earth, who love him a lot. "But like Sunny and Bobby they too are very shy and won't be friends with me," he grouses, adding with a laugh that when he complains to Sunny, he tells him that his own sons aren't his friends either.

His four daughters bring him a lot of joy too. All of them call to wish him on his big day and he points out that from daughters who are forever "do meethe bol is enough".

So, when can we expect to see Garam Dharam back on screen? He acknowledges with a chuckle that he loves the camera. "It's like a beloved who will never go away. We are looking out for a good script, one that suits all three (Sunny, Bobby and him) of us," he reveals. "I followed my childhood idol Dilip saab (Dilip Kumar) to Mumbai to become an actor, now I think I will follow Clint Eastwood who said he wants to act even when he's 105."