Filmmaker Anil Sharma, known for the recent blockbuster ‘Gadar 2’, recently recalled an incredible story of how the legendary late actor Dharmendra helped shape up his 1987 breakthrough action film, ‘Hukumat’. Speaking on a podcast, Sharma detailed Dharmendra’s faith in the project and his immense generosity, which ultimately saved the film amid financial woes.
Anil Sharma’s five-minute pitch to Dharmendra
Speaking on the podcast, HZ Files, the filmmaker recalled how he was only 25-26 years old when he approached the veteran actor Dharmendra, who was already a massive star. Despite Sharma having only directed two small previous films, Dharmendra took the meeting.
Sharma said, “He had a great sensibility for storytelling. When I went to narrate him the story of Hukumat, I didn’t have a proper story but only a five-minute idea. I was 25-26 years old. Dharmendra was a huge star”Sharma confessed that he didn’t have a full script, only a “five-minute idea” to pitch for Hukumat. Dharmendra, used to call Sharma by the nickname “chhutke” (the little one), heard the idea for precisely five minutes. Impressed, the star immediately told the young director, “He heard the idea for five minutes by the watch. Today, actors listen to a narration for three hours and still don’t get the idea. He told me, ‘There are jumps in this one. It can turn out to be a good film. Put a lot of hard work in. I’m doing the film.”
Dharmendra accepted a low signing amount
Sharma recalled being so overwhelmed by the huge star’s quick faith that his eyes welled up.Despite his stature, Dharmendra did not demand a high signing amount from the young filmmaker. Since Sharma “didn’t have any money,” his father gave Dharmendra only a small token amount, promising to pay more before filming began, a condition the actor was completely fine with. Dharmendra agreed to the movie simply because he thought the story was good.“I froze there. My eyes welled up. I touched his feet. He just blessed me and said, ‘Jeete raho‘ in Punjabi. That’s how my journey with him started. I didn’t have any money. My father gave him just a small token and said we’d pay more before the film begins. He was fine with it. He just thought that the story is good,”
Dharmendra had helped Anil Sharma financially
Dharmendra’s most memorable gesture of support came during the middle of the film’s production. Sharma’s shoot got stuck mid-schedule after his financier unexpectedly walked out, having paid only Rs 5 lakh of the promised Rs 30 lakh.When Dharmendra learned of the situation which involved the crew having to live six to seven members to a room in Nainital, he took matters into his own hands. The star handed over a bag containing between Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 3 lakh in cash to the director, essentially funding the film to keep the shoot from shutting down.Sharma recalled the immense impact of this gesture, “This was Dharmendra. Who else would do that? You can imagine how much Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 3 lakh of that time would cost today”.
Dharmendra shot for film amid a crowd of 50,000
Anil Sharma recalled how Dharmendra shot amid a crowd of 50,000 without any tantrums.Sharma recalled, “He [Dharmendra] didn’t throw any tantrums. He’d even eat in the middle of all that crowd. He didn’t shoo anyone away”
Anil Sharma and Dharmendra’s other collaborations
‘Hukumat’ became a breakthrough action film for Anil Sharma, even though it took two to three years to complete. Following its success, the filmmaker and the veteran actor developed a long and fruitful professional relationship. They went on to collaborate on four more films, including the action entertainers ‘Elaan-E-Jung’ (1989), ‘Farishtay’ (1991), and ‘Tahalka’ (1992), and the hit family drama ‘Apne’ (2007), which also starred Dharmendra’s sons, Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol.
