Dharmendra died on 24 November. A wave of sadness has spread throughout Bollywood and fans. 89 year old Dharmendra was an actor who had dominated Bollywood for the last 65 years. His fan following never decreased. He also did films ranging from Baby Boomer to Millennial and then Gen G’s taste.

Dharmendra has as many hit films as today’s superstars Shahrukh Khan and Salman Khan do not have. He always remained among the most favorite actors, despite this he never got the status of superstar. Whereas his films did wonders at the box office. His hold on all three genres – romantic, action and comedy was very strong. But there were some reasons which prevented him from getting the title of superstar.

There were many reasons for this, like sometimes the era of Rajesh Khanna, sometimes the era of Amitabh Bachchan, sometimes many flops together and sometimes the absence of a solo film despite being a blockbuster and superhit. Let’s take a look at all the reasons.

Why Dharmendra could not become a superstar
Dharmendra did more than 300 films in his career. He gave 64 hit films in his career. Even Shahrukh and Salman do not have so many hit films. Shahrukh has 35 films, Salman has 38 and Amitabh Bachchan has 57 films. Rajesh Khanna has a total of 42 hit films.

• Despite this, Dharmendra could not become a superstar because when he came, Dilip Kumar had this title. Then this tag shifted to Rajesh Khanna and soon after that to Amitabh Bachchan.
• Despite giving many hits in the 70s, most of his films were multi-starrers. That means he had very few solo hits during this period. These films included films like Dharam Veer, Chacha-Bhatija, Sholay, Yaadon Ki Baaraat and Mera Gaon Mera Desh. During this time Amitabh Bachchan was giving solo hits.
• There are more flops in Dharmendra’s career than there are hits in his career. After Mithun Chakraborty, he became the actor with the most flops in Bollywood. He had 150 flop films in his account.

• Apart from this, B grade films also became a hindrance in Dharmendra getting the title of superstar. In the 90s, he was doing B grade films one after the other. He was getting money from all the films like Loha and Jallad No. 1, but stardom was going away. By then new faces like Shahrukh had achieved superstardom. Who had become a new competitor for Dharmendra.
• In the late 90s, Dharmendra started playing character roles in films like Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya and that period continues till now. Because of this Dharmendra could never get superstardom. However, the number of people who liked him was in crores, which has kept him a superstar in the hearts of people till date.

Bollywood’s He-Man i.e. Dharmendra has been ill for several days and is admitted to Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai. Yesterday there were reports that the actor’s condition is critical and he has been put on ventilator. After this, all the family members including Sunny Deol, Hema Malini, Esha Deol were seen in the hospital. By night many stars including Salman Khan, Shahrukh Khan, Govinda and Ameesha Patel came to the hospital to inquire about the actor’s well-being. After which the whole country and fans became worried about Dharmendra’s health and a round of prayers started for his health.

Then on Tuesday morning the news spread that Dharmendra had passed away. This news shook everyone’s heart. But then Hema Malini and Esha Deol posted their anger on those spreading rumors of Dharmendra’s demise and said that the actor is now recovering.

Hema calls false news of Dharmendra’s demise irresponsible
Let us tell you that on Tuesday, October 11, Hema Malini posted on her He wrote, “What is happening is unforgivable! How can responsible channels spread false news about a person who is responding to treatment and recovering? This is extremely insulting and irresponsible. Please fully respect the family and their need for privacy.”

What is happening is unforgivable! How can responsible channels spread false news about a person who is responding to treatment and is recovering? This is being extremely disrespectful and irresponsible. Please give due respect to the family and its need for privacy.

— Hema Malini (@dreamgirlhema) November 11, 2025

Dharmendra’s daughter Isha also got angry at those spreading rumours.
Earlier, Esha Deol had also released a statement on her Instagram handle clarifying that Dharmendra is “stable and recovering.” He had written, “The media is in overdrive and spreading false news. My father is stable and recovering, we request everyone to give our family privacy. Thanks for the prayers for papa’s speedy recovery.”

Sunny Deol also gave Dharmendra’s health update
Earlier, Sunny Deol’s team had also released Dharmendra’s health update. According to a report in ETimes, Sunny Deol’s team had said in its statement, ‘Dharmendra’s condition is stable and he is under observation. Further comments and updates will be shared when available. Please do not spread false rumors about his health. Everyone is requested to pray for his speedy recovery and respect the family’s right to privacy. Sunny Deol team.

Since when is Dharmendra admitted in the hospital?
Let us tell you that 89 year old Dharmendra was admitted to the hospital on 1 November. Earlier there were reports that he has been admitted to the hospital for routine checkup. Then news came that the veteran actor has been admitted to the hospital due to difficulty in breathing and is in the ICU. A staff member of the hospital had said, “No, there is nothing to worry about right now. His condition is stable. His parameters are fine. Heart rate is 70, blood pressure is 140/80. His urine output is also fine.” When asked why he was taken to the hospital, the hospital staff said, “He was complaining of breathing problems. He is in the ICU.”

Now after the statement issued by the family, it has become clear that Dharmendra is recovering. However, he is struggling with age related problems. Amidst all this, fans are praying for the veteran actor’s speedy recovery.