You made a big-bang comeback with three wonderful films last year – Johnny Gaddaar, Apne and Life In A… Metro. It was great seeing you back.
I’m happy that you are also telling me that you’re very glad about my return. Even I used to wonder, “Where had I gone?” I was meant to be here. Because that fire I had in the beginning, before I even entered films, my very breath also used to pray to be in films. I was so bang. So imagine that person… when I stayed away for five to seven years, it was very painful for me. I don’t know why it’s always, you know… destiny. Ultimately, we have to call it destiny.
But I’m very happy that people still have the same kind of love and affection for me, and that is the most important thing. I think it’s human nature – to be loved, to be liked, to be admired. It’s the same for you, for everyone. And there is no place like the film industry. Here, you can do anything; you can command love, affection – everything. Because people have given me the same respect, love and affection, it feels good. When I hear that from anyone, it feeds my soul and my mind… and of course, my body also feels better.
I’m so happy that people have accepted me again. And that matters for good. So now, I’ll be continue doing films.
Was it difficult coming back?
No, it was… You see, suddenly there’s been a big change in the industry, and different kinds of films have started coming in. These youngsters came with a bang. And it is always like that – I think after every two or three decades, a new crop does come. It’s bound to come.
So there were no scripts for me at this age… Whatever I am, to me, I never feel that I am growing very old or old. I feel young at heart. One should always remain young at heart.
We are working on a good script; Vijayta Films has started making films. I was in search of a script where I could contribute, and we are getting a few scripts. I’m sure again, I will be able to carry on this responsibility to what I said ‘It is human nature to be loved, to love, to be liked, to be admired.’ So I hope I will be able to fulfill that responsibility, to receive that love and to achieve that once again.
As you made a comeback now, physically, was it tough to match the energy you had earlier?
About two months ago, I was riding at my farmhouse. It doesn’t mean anything… but age does affect you, it’s bound to. I’m not as agile or running around like before, but if the spirit is there, you overcome it. And I know what I can do now, what I should do, and what I should not do
But the risks you took earlier, you won’t be able to take them now, right?
Yes correct, earlier I used to jump from 18-18 feet of heights.
But your arm strength is still the same.
That will always remain, but whatever it is, I think the credit goes to my parents. It’s my parents’ blessing on me, whatever is in my genes… I am proud of that. Also, the culture of giving respect to others. And one thing I am very blessed with is that I never want anyone to get hurt because of me, anytime or anywhere. So I feel like giving respect and love to everyone. I never see who is big, who is small – there is no such thing in my mind. To me, a human being is a human being. And whatever the job is, whether someone is a porter or a very big man. Sometimes I may go closer to a porter because I understand his feelings very well but I may not go close to a big industrialist because I don’t know what he is like on the inside. And there are differences, differences in thinking and everything. It all changes.
Apart from genes, what else do you do to stay healthy? Because you and good health go together!
Till ’94 I continued doing two shifts, and I am an extremist in many things – my love, affection, this, that, and my booze, carbonated drinks. I used to drink heavily, but gradually I realized it doesn’t go with me. If you want to look the same, if you want to keep your strength and thinking… because it does affect you. It’s the worst thing. Today, sometimes I feel that if I had not touched it… imagine, if I had never touched it, I would have been a different Dharmendra. I would have concentrated much more, in a much better way, which I couldn’t. I was just flying. But of course, without harming anybody. I enjoyed my life but now that I have left drinking, I feel I can enjoy more than I used to.
Then I used to feel like, “Peeke sharab khud se door ho gaye the, chhod kar ise apne paas aa gaye hai. Peeke hum door chale jaate hai khud se.” (By drinking alcohol, I had drifted away from myself; by leaving it, I have come closer to myself. When we drink, we move far away from our own true self.)
And when I finally quit, I know that when we are completely present within ourselves, it’s the biggest strength – a strength I was earlier covering with artificial things and all that.
How long have you considered it? As you had left it many times earlier, what was different this time?
It has been eight years since then, and I haven’t touched it. Earlier, I used to leave it in between for 6–8 months, and headlines would take over with things like “Dharmendra started again… back on the booze wagon… on a drinking spree…”
But now, when I was there in Assam, I didn’t. And when I left for LA, I said on that plane, “Dharmendra, you will not touch it. You’re not going to drink. This is a test when you are in LA.” In the plane, I said no. It suddenly came from inside. As I wanted to become an actor, I asked myself, “Why can’t you be without drinks?” And God helps those who help themselves. It’s my destiny, I am an actor. But I had to make the effort. Even my breath used to tell me, “You want to become this, you want to do this, and you’re going to be an actor.”
And I was honest in my approach. Even with the first car I bought – after reaching here I understood the film industry… how this career works. Otherwise, in Punjab, it used to feel like, “It is easy. I’ll go, and my people will select me. And I’ll definitely be this, this, this…” But when you get into it, you realize.
I never knew they wouldn’t be meeting each other. When I left from Punjab, I thought Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Dev Saab… they must be playing badminton, sitting, talking. Nutan must be coming, Waheeda and all… there must be great rapport, and the affection they show on screen. I used to think they must all share that affection, love, emotion and live so beautifully together. I thought, “I’ll go and meet Nutan and I’ll have my food there.” And like that, so many others. I was dreaming – just a boy from a village.
Now of course, times have changed. Through channels and media, you come to know what everything really is. But back then, nothing was known about actors. They were such beautiful, hidden identities. Today, everything is known – how they are, what they do, what they don’t. So I used to feel that.
I used to think they would never get old. I don’t know what kind of thinking it was , maybe different from others. I thought Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand, Raj Kapoor would always remain the same. Suraiya, Madhubala would always stay as they were, never reaching age. I was… you can say, innocent in my feelings about them. I saw them as different human beings!
You didn’t think of them as human beings actually?
Yes, I used to feel like… what is this? To me, it looked like heaven. How do I get into it? But when I came here and saw it, I realised… oh my God, they are so beautiful with each other when they meet at parties. Oh! As if long-lost lovers or lost brothers are meeting. But then, in some corners, people were whispering. I used to hear them talk against someone. Raj Kapoor speaking against Rajendra Kumar, and Rajendra Kumar speaking against Raj Kapoor. Oh my God, what is this? I never knew. It was a totally different picture from what I had dreamt of.
Even now when I go to meet people, I go as the same Dharmendra. But now I get scared… will I get that warmth back or not? If I talk to somebody and I don’t receive even a quarter of the emotion I give, my self-respect will be hurt.
When I reached here, I’m telling you… I had come and I was shooting for Bandini (1963). Dilip saab came, and he was having food and all that. I was downstairs and I was dying to hug him. At that moment, I thought, “Dharmendra, you haven’t received anything yet… if he even gives you this much….” But I kept quiet and never went upstairs. But he saw me – that a boy had come and gone.
I was still in that phase. A few days later, they called me for some photographs for Filmfare, in their office only. They wanted to do some makeup. I asked, “Why do you want to give me makeup? There’s transparency, this and that…” and one girl did a little bit here. She was Farida, Dilip saab’s sister. And L.B. Rao told me, “You know who that girl is? She’s Dilip Kumar’s sister.” So I said, “Farida ji, please, I want to meet your brother. I’m his greatest fan.” And she appreciated that… and they were all talking good about me, as “this face is this…” A certain air starts circling around your ears too which I never let get to my head. And how about me? Like the way of praise – I never take that to my head either. I used to hear, “He’ll be this, he’s going to rise.”
So I went to meet Dilip saab after that. Then we sat till 1:30 at night.
What I had felt at that time, exactly like that, he was quite an emotional person. He was talking about his past, how he went to Pune, how he left home. He had opened a canteen near the British Army and sold sandwiches, and how his fruit business went down. He was talking as if he had known me for long. And I was thinking, “I’m really sitting with Dilip Kumar.” While talking, food came, things came… many things were discussed. Back then, I’m talking about the 60s – Pali Hill used to get very cold and he gave me a small sweater. While he had knitted it for himself and told me, “Wear this.” After wearing it, when I was leaving, I said, “I’m not returning this to you. I want to keep it.”
Many days later, I was shooting with him for the serial Aaj Ke Sitaare with Saira ji. Dilip Kumar saab was directing. We were wondering what clothes to wear. So I said, “Dilip saab, I had taken a sweater from you. I’ve kept it.” And he said, “Yes, yaar, I had brought two. One earlier was taken by Nazir Hussain, and you took the other.” And I was like, He still remembers! They were very good sweaters; he must have bought two, one was taken by Nazir Hussain’s younger brother and I took the other. And I was surprised that he remembered.
And a day or two ago, I wore a pink shirt. Sunny said, “It’s looking good on you.” Before that Bobby asked, “Papa, is that shirt fitting well on you?” And I said, “Is it yours? It came into my clothes after ironing.” So in the evening when I returned it, Sunny said something… and Bobby had teased Sunny, and Sunny teased Bobby. What Bobby does is, he takes Sunny’s clothes, applies Sunny’s perfume, wears them and then quietly keeps them back.
When you came, what you have described as was someone totally innocent, totally oblivious of what the film industry was, as you had nothing and didn’t know anything but now hasn’t it completely changed? As now, Deol and Dharmendra is a brand. Your whole family is a brand. Thanks to you.
Yeah… naturally. I give it to God, you see? There is one thing in a person that never changes – their fitrat, their basic human nature. Everybody has a different nature. And in my fitrat, in my nature, God has given me one special thing i.e. love. And I’m most blessed because it brings people close to me, and I go close to everybody.
I don’t have any barriers about how much I should talk to someone or how little. I don’t have that in me. Even today, sometimes I feel, “Did I really come to Bombay? Did I really become an actor?”
And then I forget where I actually became an actor – it’s like that whole picture just closes, like it gets wiped out from my memory. And then I feel as if I’m still staying there, roaming those streets, still dreaming of becoming an actor. I start thinking, “I still have to become an actor.”
And the same passion, the same fire, is still there!
But the moment you step out of your gate, you know you are Dharmendra and not that same young boy?
What about me is that, “Koi muskura deta hai toh haath badha deta hoon; koi haath badhata hai toh seene se laga deta hoon” (Someone smiles at me, and I instinctively extend my hand; if someone extends their hand) – that is my nature. If someone smiles at me, I automatically go and say, ‘Hello’. I even step out of my car to meet people.
And you’ve always be like that.
This is how one should be. That is my human nature, it cannot change. This is my biggest plus point, a blessing if I may say so. There is no one big or small, but even today, when I speak to any star, I still have that hesitation. But I’m very lucky, all these youngsters have the same love and respect for me. Be it Shah Rukh, be it Aamir, or be it Salman – Salman even says at times, ‘I’m like Dharmendra ji and Govinda’.
Such things happen very rarely. From Dilip Saab’s era till today, they have that genuine affection – there is absolutely no pretence. So I once wrote something on this, “Jinke aaj har zubaan pe charche hai, unn dilon mein hum dhadakte hai” (The ones everyone talks about today… in their hearts, we are the ones who beat), Dilip Saab agreed with that too.
Once, Sunil Dutt Saab and a few others were sitting somewhere, maybe in Caesar’s Palace. They were discussing who the most handsome person was. Nargis ji said, ‘My husband is here but I will say – Dharmendra is the most handsome person.’
Recently also on Koffee with Karan, Jaya Bachchan said, ‘I wanted to play Basanti because Dharmendra was that Greek god and all.’ And then they asked, ‘Who is the sexy man?’ She nodded and asked, ‘Sexy man? Men, sexy?’ And honestly, it doesn’t sound idiotic to me. To me, girls and ladies are sexy – men, sexy? But then she said, ‘Yes… Dharmendra in the 70s was sexy.’ Such things increased my respect and love for Jaya ji and for Dilip Saab even more.
Similarly, once during a long 10–15 minute speech, Shah Rukh Khan said, ‘He’s a Cary Grant… he’s a nightmare to journalists,’ and much more. All these boys , whoever they are, speak well about me. I think this is my real earning.
As you said, ‘Koi muskura deta hai toh haath bada deta hu aur…’ then have you taught your sons Sunny and Bobby the same thing? Do they also have that quality in them or not?
Nobody teaches you this; it comes directly through your genes. Bobby has it, Sunny is very introverted – he’s so painfully introverted. I tell him, “Yaar, say something?” He is very emotional. Tears will quietly fill his eyes, but he will never say why there is this moisture in them. This is human nature. Sunny is completely different, and Bobby is different. But in their genes, they carry a lot of it. When I hear about them helping someone who is unwell and they helped them financially or supported them, I realise they get emotional. All of this has come to us from my mother – she was a truly great lady!
I remember, while my father was a teacher and we were also farmers with a small piece of land, my maternal grandfather (Nana) lived in Jhansi and worked in the post office – he even named his dog Edward, an anti-British gesture. My mother and my aunt would go to the movements, which used to be agitations against Islam during those times. He (Nana) retired early. I was in sixth grade, and then by eighth grade, the Partition happened. My mother gave me a khadi kurta, pajama, and a tricolour flag, and I went to the juloos (procession). In the evening, a fight broke out between my father and mother – “I could lose my job because of this… this happened… what do you think you are doing…” And I got very upset, wondering what just happened at home and why they were fighting. Was it all because of this khadi and all that?
My father was right in his place, but whatever I am today is because of my mother, and she gave so much to her children. A lot within us comes from the mother; from the father you get discipline or certain restrictions. I have that too but I’m happy that this quality exists in everyone – that respect. They have learned.
Also, I could never say “no” to anyone. I signed so many films and after signing them, I used to suffer wondering why I agreed to do that film, and I wasn’t even paid properly! They would say, “We’ll pay you this much, that much,” and I would just say “yes.” Then I would think, “Everyone’s price is going up but mine isn’t.” It’s a fact.
There was a great time, from the late 60s to the 70s. For 10 years, I could have demanded good money, but I never increased my price.
Today’s generation knows how to hike their price. Bobby doesn’t know how to, but Sunny does.
Dharam ji, you had a long association with Tito (Kushaljit Singh Juneja), didn’t you?
Yeah, it is because we started Ram Balaram (1980) after Sholay (1975). I felt he was a large-hearted producer who looked after us very nicely during the big outdoor shoot in Goa, and yes, he had a strong passion for making good movies.
Now, when he wants to come back to making movies, are you happy to be part of this venture (Har Pal)?
Here, in every corner, everybody is ‘coming back’. So ‘come back’ is a sentence that is very commonly used in the film industry. It’s normal – they say, ‘He has come back,’ or ‘He is going away,’ and then they give a farewell party.
No one goes away from here permanently, right?
No one can leave. It’s a best… because I don’t call it a profession – I call it my beloved. I said it’s my beloved. Yeh root jaati hai toh main mana leta hu, main root jata hu toh yeh mana leti hai (If it gets upset, I pacify it; if I get upset, it pacifies me.) And that’s a fact. I love it. I don’t feel right to call it a profession, but people say, “He’s very professional.” For me, those who are professional are very successful. I wish I could call it that, but I’m still proud that I call it my beloved. I’m not a professional; I don’t consider it a profession at all. It feels like an insult to call it just a profession.
But you are very successful, as I called you a brand!
Thank you to God, but it’s a great thing. Maine usse kya kuch nahi kiya (I have done so much from it.) We give dreams to everybody. We live life within life… life within life… life in one life. We live so many lives. We come across so many people. And as you said, there is no religion, caste, or creed here. We tell people this, I wish we should be honest with each other. The day we become completely honest and true to one another, it will definitely be a Jannat (paradise).
How did you like ‘Har Pal’ (which later remained unreleased) and what was your experience working with director Jahnu Barua?
For the first time, I was working with Jahnu Da and it took me back to my Bandini (1963) days. Because of his style, his approach and his way of taking shots – it reminded of Bimal Da and that feeling is reflected in the film as well.
Have you seen Jahnu da’s earlier work?
No, I had never heard of it. After working with him, I came to know that he has many awards, including National Awards. I had never met him. But when he came for the first time to narrate the script, it was a very nice feeling. So when I suggest something to him, he listens very nicely. It is always mutual because I have been in films for so many years. From your experience, some things come naturally, and sometimes even beyond experience, when something connects with the heart, then what the mind says doesn’t matter. The heart always rules! “Kyon ki log jab tulna karte hai woh gira sakte hai dimaag se, dil se koi nikaal nahi sakta”(Because when people compare, the mind can bring you down, but no one can remove you from the heart.)So once a voice or feeling enters the heart, it cannot be removed from there.
So it has been a nice experience with Dada. Dada keeps telling me that it’s a new script but I don’t mind – when I like someone, a certain feeling comes that yes, this is them and this is the script.
How did you like working in Calcutta?
Oh, it was nice. You see, I went back to those days when I used to go and shoot for Mamta (1966). Then I shot for Guru Dutt’s film Baharen Phir Bhi Aayengi (1966). I liked it very much. I don’t know… now, every city is changing. Also, the smell of Calcutta is missing. It was missing this time as well.
Earlier, there was a Grand Hotel and behind it there was a Princess Street or something… so at 1 a.m., I would always go there and have a drink. Then, a little ahead, there used to be a Chinese restaurant where I would go. Then I went to shoot for Pranoti Ghosh’s film Paari (1966), and we went to the Ichhapurti river and shot there, which was at the border of Bangladesh.
So there was a little goat, a baby goat and I used to memorize my Bengali dialogues there. The goat wasn’t coming close, so I poured a little brandy from the bottle I carried in my bag and made it drink it.
Isn’t it funny that in ‘Har Pal’ you start of by being almost an alcoholic and you’re somebody who never given up on alcohol completely, right? So you really had to act this time.
I think he’s an alcoholic when he leaves it, only he knows the difference. Now, that’s what I was saying, “Pee ke daaru khudse durr hogaye the, chod kar isse apne paas aa gaye hai” (By drinking, alcohol had taken me far from myself; by quitting, I have come closer to myself again.)When a man drinks, he goes far away – he’s in his own world. When he wakes up in the morning, he doesn’t know where he is. Then he pours a little more and getup by saying, “Alright then, let’s go.”
And was it nice working with Preity Zinta, who’s actually Sunny and Bobby’s co-star?
If I were Sunny or Bobby, I would’ve been in love with many youngsters then you all would’ve had a lot of gossip, the press would’ve gotten plenty of “masala”. They aren’t like me. By now, your press headlines would’ve been full and I would’ve given enough spice. “Log mujhe toh kehte the inhe zukaam ki tarah ishq hota tha” (People used to say that they fell in love as easily as one catches a cold).
Now you’ve permanently been with Hema Malini, and it wasn’t a sorrowful phase, as your relationship with Hema ji has lasted for a very long time!
Hema will never be born again on this earth, there will never be another Hema. She’s a great person; she’s simply the greatest. Compared to her, I am nothing!
And you’re fortunate she came into your life?
What more should I say? This is enough. It’s a volume… it’s a volume in itself. How much dignity can we give to this? Oh, she’s great!
Are you looking forward to Har Pal and many more such pals (moments)?
I am dying to be. I felt like I was choking. That’s why I’m in love with this profession, I never put a price on it; I never increased the price or did anything. That’s why you can imagine how much I love being in films – more than films, more than money.
If I had run after money, perhaps this profession would have drifted away from me very fast. I never ran after money. I bought my first Fiat for ₹20,000 in the ’60s, and I used to worry “If my films don’t work, what will happen?” I told myself I would never go back.
I had a brother Ajith. He said, “Paaji, let’s buy the Standard. It opens up, it looks good.” So I told him, “Ajith, if my film doesn’t work tomorrow, I’ll make this a taxi.” He said, “It won’t become a taxi,” but I insisted, “I will run the taxi and again fight and struggle for my career.” This is my thinking. I am strong-willed and farsighted. I don’t want to leave this place at any cost. I will not leave Bombay.
For Love in Simla (1960), I was called because I used to run on Marine Drive and I was staying in a five-star hotel at the Filmfare’s expense. I wore half-pants and went there. There used to be the Persian Dairy, and the director the one who made Yeh Rastey Hain Pyar Ke (1963) lived there. He used to look at me and said to Mukherjee, “I want Dharmendra for Love in Simla.” But I couldn’t match what they wanted in the screen test and I was rejected.
My film had already started but I was sitting outside on a small trampoline at Filmalaya. I was just standing there and Subodh Mukerji told me, “Mr. Dharmendra, don’t be disappointed and don’t go back if you’re rejected. You are born for Bombay, to be an actor!”
So there was something… there is something – when you come here, you just blend into it!
Full interview:
In moments like these, voices from the past feel like gentle reminders of why legends never truly leave us. Through this rediscovered conversation, Dharmendra ji opens the doors to his heart – unguarded, affectionate and endlessly human. His words celebrate a life carved from dreams, discipline and deep love, touching every listener with the same warmth he carried throughout his journey. As we revisit this rare interview, we honour not just the superstar but the soul behind the star… a man who lived with grace, gave with generosity and loved without hesitation. His light endures!
ALSO READ: People’s Man, The He-Man: Dharmendra Ji Passes Away At 89
