In the 1970s and 1980s, Dharmendra, who has played a number of roles in Bollywood, was the ruling king of Hindi cinema. The iconic actor has appeared in a number of films that are now regarded as classic movies. Since joining the industry in 1960, he has appeared in films such as Phool Aur Patthar, Seeta Aur Geeta, Sholay, Insaaf Kaun Karega, Apne, and others. Dharam Paaji, one of the highest-paid actors of his day, won a lot of hearts during his career. Often known as the “Action King,” he has spent decades in the cinema and has delivered some of India’s best films. Here are some of his lesser-known and interesting information.
1. He-man of Bollywood
Dharmendra is Bollywood’s real he-man. In the industry, his dialogue ‘kutte main tera khoon pi jaunga‘ has become correlated with his name. In those days, the star was able to consistently impress viewers in nearly all genres. Dharmendra is well known not only for his action roles, but also for his comedic and romantic roles.
2. Fell for Hema Malini
Dharmendra was smitten by Hema Malini in the 1970s. On the sets of Sholay, he testified to his passion for Hema. When they were shooting the scene where Dharmendra is showing Hema Malini how to fire a revolver, Dharmendra used to give the light-boys Rs 20 to purposefully annoy the pair. Dharmendra reportedly spent Rs 2000 at the time just to hug Hema.
3. Converted to Islam
Dharmendra was married to Prakash Kaur before falling in love with Hema Malini, Bollywood’s dream girl. Dharmendra’s proposal was originally turned down by Hema Malini because he was a married person. However, it appears that passion has truly triumphed. Since he couldn’t marry Hema as a Hindu, the actor accepted islam and adapted his name as Dilawar Khan.
4. Walked miles to watch Dillagi
Dharmendra was a huge fan of Bollywood actress Suraiya The star, who was reportedly a young talent at the time, reportedly walked miles to see her film Dillagi. He had watched the movie about 40 times. Finally, Dharmendra made his debut in 1960 with the film Dil Bhi Tera, Hum Bhi Tere. For his movie, he received only Rs. 51.
5. Restaurant in New Delhi
In New Delhi, Dharmendra has a theme restaurant dedicated to his films, characters, and dialogues. The proprietors are Dharmendra fans who believe that this is the best way to admire him. On the walls are inscribed dialogues from his numerous movies, and the menu is dominated by his screen names. The restaurant was inaugurated by Dharmendra himself. Jawani Bhari Gulabo, Veeru Ki Ghutti, and Pyaare Mohan Masala Nimbu are the titles of the mocktails.
Dharmendra has starred in a total of 306 films. In Bollywood, he was known as ‘Garam’ Dharam. He had the features of a real generous person, the masculine physique of a he-man, and a very comedic hand in his dialogue delivery and pacing in his films. The Government of India awarded him the Padma Bhushan, India’s third highest civilian honour, in 2012.