Veteran Bollywood actor Dharmendra died on November 24 at the age of 89. He was not only the Heman of Bollywood but he was also a true hero behind the camera. Dharmendra, known for his charm, warmth and memorable presence, had quietly helped many film makers and actors. Director Anil Sharma, a close friend of the Deol family, recently spoke about how Dharmendra’s kindness and generosity left an indelible mark on the film industry.

Dharmendra often used to shoot Punjabi films late at night.
Speaking to Vicky Lalwani, Anil Sharma said, “Dharam ji has done a film with every person, and he has done all kinds of films. He has helped a lot of people. People used to ask him to shoot scenes for their Punjabi films after 9 pm, when his schedule was over.”

Had supported many filmmakers
Anil Sharma recalled, “He used to say, ‘Paaji, my house will run, my picture will be sold.’ Dharam ji used to do all those films for free, and he used to ask them to come wherever he was shooting and work with him for a few hours.”

The director remembered Dharmendra’s last days at home
Anil Sharma also recalled Dharmendra’s last moments and said, “I went to his house. He had recovered. He used to open his eyes and even move his hands. He was recovering, and the doctors were saying that Dharam ji is a very strong man.” He further added, “The doctors had assured us that he would recover, and even in the hospital, it seemed that he would recover. But age shows its signs, and you can’t fight it. Everyone was hopeful and we all thought that we would celebrate his birthday on December 8.”

About Dharmendra’s prayer meeting

Dharmendra’s prayer meeting was held on 27 November. In a poster released by the family, the event was called ‘Celebration of Life’ and featured a picture of Dharmendra in his young age. Celebrities from many generations had come to this prayer meet to pay tribute to the late actor. Stars like Rekha, Aishwarya Rai, Madhuri Dixit, Vidya Balan, Salman Khan, Shahrukh Khan, Shabana Azmi, Jackie Shroff, Sidharth Malhotra, Sunil Shetty, Ameesha Patel, Fardeen Khan, Nimrat Kaur, Sonu Sood, Anu Malik, Subhash Ghai, Abbas-Mustan and Anil Sharma reached the prayer meet to support the Deol family.