Dharmendra

Some Lesser Known Facts About Dharmendra

• Did Dharmendra smoke?: No (Quit in 1983)

• Did Dharmendra drink alcohol?: Yes

• When he was a child, he was very reluctant to go to school and often used to urge his mother not to send him to school.

• Due to his lack of interest in studies, he could study only up to 12th standard.

• From the very beginning, Dharmendra started inculcating an interest in movies, and he often used to share his fascination with his mother.

  

• One day, on his mother’s suggestion, he sent an application to Filmfare’s new talent hunt with his portfolio. In fact, it was an advertisement by Bimal Roy and Guru Dutt for a film for which Dharmendra went to Malerkotla to get his portfolio done by Jaan Mohammed (John & Sons).

• Dharmendra won the Filmfare magazine’s ‘New Talent Hunt‘ award and visited Mumbai for the first time in search of work.

• In 1954, when he married his first wife, Parkash Kaur, he was just 19 years old.

  

• He appeared as a solo hero in Phool Aur Patthar (1966), which was also his first ‘Action Film.’ The film went on to become the highest-grossing film of 1966. Dharmendra also received his first Filmfare nomination for Best Actor.

• In the 1960s, his link-up with Meena Kumari often made headlines. It was also speculated that she had helped Dharmendra establish himself among the A-listers of Bollywood of that time.

  

• For his performances as a romantic, comic, as well as an action hero, Dharmendra earned the category of a versatile actor by 1975.

• His most successful pairing was with Hema Malini, who also went on to become his wife later.

• Dharmendra launched both of his sons in films: Sunny Deol in Betaab and Bobby Deol in Barsaat (1995). He also launched his nephew Abhay Deol in Socha Na Tha (2005).

• Dharmendra was a great fan of the singer and actor Suraiya. In an interview, he revealed that he had watched her film ‘Dillagi’ (1949) more than 40 times, after walking several miles on foot to the nearest cinema hall in his hometown, Sahnewal. He also attended her funeral when she died in 2004.

• It is said that during the shooting of ‘Sholay’ (1975), Dharmendra fell in love with Hema Malini, and whenever there was an intimate shoot with Hema Malini, he used to bribe the light boys to disturb the lights to have as many retakes as possible.

• Hema Malini’s parents did not want Hema to marry Dharmendra, as he was already married. However, on the day of her marriage with actor Jeetendra, in Madras, Dharmendra entered the marriage hall and was pushed out of the hall by Hema’s father. Hema Malini refused to marry Jeetendra and later married Dharmendra. ^[2]HT

• During the shoot of Sholay, Amitabh Bachchan was like a newcomer to Dharmendra. However, he developed a great bond with Amitabh, and the pair went on to become a new definition of friendship in Bollywood.

• In the 1975 film ‘Pratigya,’ when the choreographer of the song ‘Main Jat Yamla Pagla Deewana’ got fed up with training the proper dance moves, Dharmendra decided to go on his own and danced with his unique style.

• At an event, the veteran actor Dilip Kumar said that Dharmendra is the most handsome man he has ever seen. He said, “Bhagwaan Ne Badi Fursat Se Banaya Hoga Ise.” 

• Dharmendra faced multiple health challenges between 2015 and 2020, including back pain, muscle strain, and weakness, sometimes requiring hospitalisation.

• In 2025, he underwent a corneal transplant after his left eye’s cornea was damaged.
  

• On 31 October 2025, Dharmendra was admitted to Breach Candy Hospital with breathing problems. After brief ICU observation and stabilisation of his vital signs, he was discharged the same day.

• On 10 November 2025, Dharmendra was readmitted to Breach Candy Hospital, Mumbai, for breathing complications and placed on ventilator support. Hema Malini later took to social media to confirm he was under constant medical care.
  

• On 11 November 2025, false reports of Dharmendra’s death went viral online. Hema Malini and Esha Deol, however, criticised the rumours and confirmed he was alive and stable.

• On 24 November 2025, Dharmendra passed away at his residence in Mumbai due to age-related ailments.