The handsome He man with a vulnerable look, Dharmendra, a top bracket star of Hindi films is no.more. Even as romantic Rajesh Khanna faded away and angry young man Amitabh Bachchan ceased to be the force in the box office that he used to be.
Dharmendra refused to be written off.
Known for his rugged physique and a look which was a blend of masculinity and tenderness, he was destined for adulation. It is unfortunate that he did not get the same kudos for his acting which he richly deserved.
Dharmendra had a remarkable journey from the fields of Ludhiana to the top rung stardom in what was then Bombay.Indeed it was a long and vivid arc.
The story of his films career is as evocative as it is rare. He made his mark sans a film family lineage or connection.
What Dharmendra achieved was by dint of his good looks and hard work. Fate had cast him in a key role.
Be it as a boxer with s broken heart in Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere or the idealistic government engineer in Satyakam who sees his works imploding around him, Dharmendra excelled in an understated acting
style.
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Perhaps this was the reason his boisterous roles in Sholay, Raja Jani, Hukumat and Charas to name a few got the brownie points. Never overloaded by awards, he is in a place a few notches above award winners in the heart of his fans.
Dharmendra made his choice to join films at an early age. He saw Dilip Kumar in Shaheed and after winning a contest for starting in s film in Bombay, there was no looking back.
His molten vulnerability served him well in romantic roles. But it was his flying fists and ripping muscles which cemented his stay in films.
Arguably his physical proweess in post Sholay years made his image. But he worked his way out of it.
Dharmdndra’s performance as a sensitive goon ehoovdd songs in Johnny Gaddar, Life in a Metro and Ricky Aur Rani Prem Kahani are pointers to his efforts to trace his roots.
Perhaps Dharmendra was recreating his cote appeal which made Bimal Roy earmark him for a small but significant role in Bandini. His last few screen performances harked back to the days when the film goers fell in love with a young man from Punjab with soft eyes.
