In his young age, Dharmendra had seen Suraiya’s film Dillagi in some talkies and was so impressed by it that he decided to make his career in films.

Dharmendra had told in an interview that he used to walk several kilometers from the village to watch Suraiya’s film ‘Dillagi’. He watched this film continuously for 40 days.

At that time, Filmfare magazine was looking for new talent, whose advertisement came out. What happened next, to try his luck, Dharmendra filled the form and got selected.

Dharmendra came to Mumbai from Punjab to try his luck, but he had to struggle a lot in Mayanagari. There was a time when he did not even have money for food.

Once Dharmendra did not have any money for food. When the tired actor reached his room, Isabgol was kept there. To satisfy his hunger he took all the pills.

Later, Dharmendra’s health deteriorated significantly. When he was taken to the hospital, the doctor said that he did not need medicine but food.

Dharmendra started his career with ‘Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere’. The actor’s height and body structure were like those of desi wrestlers. Many producers also advised him to leave films and take up wrestling.

However, later Dharmendra played a lot of villains in many films. The actor’s first superhit film was ‘Phool Aur Patthar’, which was released in 1965.

Dharmendra was seen shirtless in the movie Phool Aur Patthar. It was during this movie that discussions about Meena Kumari and her affair started.

Dharmendra had married twice. His first marriage was with Prakash Kaur before becoming an actor. After that the second one was with Hema Malini.