Bollywood’s ‘He-Man’, Dharmendra, was more than just a superstar, he was a man who won hearts on and off the screen. The legendary actor passed away on Monday, November 24, 2025, leaving fans, colleagues, and the entire film industry in deep grief. Known for his charm, charisma, and down-to-earth nature, Dharmendra was admired not only for his heroic on-screen roles but also for the warmth and kindness he showed to everyone around him.Veteran actress Sharmila Tagore, who starred alongside him in timeless classics like ‘Satyakam’ and ‘Chupke Chupke’, fondly remembered a man who never let stardom change him.
Sharmila Tagore recalls Dharamji’s unchanged warm personality
Tagore shared her memories of Dharmendra, describing him as affable, cooperative, and endlessly humble. In an interview with PTI, she said, “I did not find any change in him till the end. As an actor, of course, he was wonderful to act with and in his attitude towards the crowd or people on the set, he was the same affable, cooperative person. He would meet with people, whether rich or poor, with equal warmth. I have seen him hugging a man on the streets without any hesitation.“She added, “He was just different. He never forgot his roots and he would talk about it openly. He was, as they say, a man of the earth and he remained very close to his real self… I didn’t see any change in him with stardom and popularity.”See More: Dharmendra passes away at 89 at his residence in Mumbai, Karan Johar posts: ‘An end of an era’
She talks about their work in Hrishikesh Mukherjee films
Dharmendra and Tagore shared the screen in several Hindi films, but their work with acclaimed director Hrishikesh Mukherjee stands out. They starred together in films like ‘Anupama’ and ‘Satyakam’, both regarded as some of their finest performances.Their most popular collaboration was the comedy-drama ‘Chupke Chupke’, in which Dharmendra played a botany professor pretending to be a Hindi-speaking driver. Tagore said, “For ‘Chupke Chupke’, he should have got the National Award. He was brilliant. But I think those days they thought comedy was not… only a serious actor should receive awards, something like that, maybe.”Dharmendra also appeared in Mukherjee’s ‘Majhli Didi’ with Meena Kumari, ‘Guddi’ with Jaya Bachchan, and ‘Chaitali’ with Saira Banu, showing his versatility across genres.See More: Dharmendra Passes Away: PM Narendra Modi pays emotional tribute; Hema Malini, Esha Deol, Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan and others arrive for the funeral
She remembers how director often teased him
Tagore recalled how Mukherjee would tease Dharmendra about playing simple, relatable characters, unlike his usual “muscle man” roles. She recalled, “Hrishida would tease him. He would tell Dharamji, ‘Forget that you are Dharmendra, the muscle man. Here you are playing a very good role’… He would make us laugh… All of us were very relaxed on Hrishida’s set… I think Dharam liked that atmosphere where he wasn’t treated specially or anything. And we did very good films together from ‘Satyakam’ to ‘Chupke Chupke’ and ‘Anupama’. They were all very good films.”Tagore shared a touching story from ‘Mere Hamdam Mere Dost’, where Dharmendra extended the shooting schedule to help her finish a song before catching a flight. “I was doing double shift in the morning. I was shooting from 7 to 2 for another film. And from 2 to 10, I was working for ‘Mere Hamdam Mere Dost’. And we were filming the song, ‘Chhalka ye jaam’. And till 10 o’clock, we couldn’t finish the song. So the director requested me to come the next day,” she recalled.She added, “I had planned to do that other shooting till 2 o’clock and then catch the 4 o’clock flight or something like that to Kolkata… I requested Dharam if he could extend and finish the song. It was already 10 o’clock… He agreed and we finished the song. Those were the mad days. We shot the song till six in the morning… Whenever they (crew) were lighting up for the shot, he would go and sleep or rest in the makeup room. We were shooting at Kardar studio, which doesn’t exist now… He was so sweet. I’ll forever remember that gesture. I can’t think of anybody else who would have done that. They would have said, ‘Rinku (Tagore’s nickname), we love you very much, but we need to sleep.’ Nobody sane would have done it, but Dharam did. He was different. I was forever grateful to him.”Beyond Mukherjee’s films, Dharmendra and Tagore also acted together in ‘Yakeen’, ‘Ek Mahal Ho Sapano Ka’, ‘Devar’, and ‘Sunny’. Sharmila Tagore’s reflections highlight Dharmendra’s exceptional character, a superstar who never let fame change him. His generosity, humility, and kindness ensured his legacy would be remembered not only through films but also through the many lives he touched off-screen.See More: Dharmendra last rites: Esha Deol breaks into tears, Hema Malini folds hands; Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan and other celebs leave crematorium after paying final respects
