Dharmendra (1935-2025): The Never Fading Star

If Rajesh Khanna became the first superstar of India after being discovered in the Filmfare talent hunt, long before him, in 1958, Dharmendra had also been a winner in the same competition. The journey of the two was however dissimilar. Khanna rose like a meteor surpassing everyone else and then flamed out. Dharmendra took his time arriving and never really left until extreme old age came calling. He was a permanent fixture at the very top of Bollywood's starry firmament.

If Rajesh Khanna became the first superstar of India after being discovered in the Filmfare talent hunt, long before him, in 1958, Dharmendra had also been a winner in the same competition. The journey of the two was however dissimilar. Khanna rose like a meteor surpassing everyone else and then flamed out. Dharmendra took his time arriving and never really left until extreme old age came calling. He was a permanent fixture at the very top of Bollywood's starry firmament. 

Success didn’t come easy. The movie that was supposed to launch him after his Filmfare win never took off. He discovered his footing in the film industry in Mumbai gradually with struggle and proved his acting abilities in films like 1964's Haqeeqat or 1969's Satyakam, which many consider to be his best work yet. He had already become a big star by the late 1960s because most movies he touched were turning to box office gold. A mysterious element separates stars from actors and this Dharmendra had in abundance. He was probably the best-looking male star of any era, and an innately pleasant temperament translated onto the screen too. As the tastes of the audience changed, so did his own evolution. He could do comedy, romance, action, and thrillers with equal flair. Even in Sholay 1975, he had a bigger billing than Amitabh Bachchan, who would emerge soon as the next superstar, but it didn’t diminish Dharmendra's appeal. In the 1980s, middle aged by now and launching his son, Dharmendra was still switching tracks into a He-Manish avatar with movies still clocking big numbers at the box office. 

By the mid-1990s, he was in his 60s, and the magic of the leading man began to fade. But, unlike many other stars who couldn’t adjust to time's inevitability, he remained cheerful. A stint in politics followed that he never really embraced, but movies continued to be his mainstay, even if now appearances were infrequent. But his great joy for life always came through in his public appearances. He was someone you could not help but like.