Dharmendra Passed Away, A Look At Bollywood's 'He-Man's Journey And Legacy, Which Is Ever Shining

Bollywood's 'He Man', Dharmendra, has been receiving prayers from his fans as reports suggest that the 89-year-old actor's health is not good. There have been several false rumours in the media, with some claiming that the actor passed away just a few weeks ago. Well, Esha Deol later dismissed all the buzz and revealed that her father had been recovering.

Several actors paid a visit to Dharmendra in the Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai, and the actor's fans have been left worried about what's going on with him. Amid this noise, the actor recovered and came back to his home. On November 24, 2025, reports suggested that the He-Man of Bollywood passed away. While the reports are yet to be confirmed officially, let's silently take a stroll down to the 'He Man's journey in Bollywood, that began humbly but ended like he is the only one ruling Bollywood like nobody else for the last six decades.

Dharmendra wanted to be like 'Dilip Kumar': His manifestation landed him in the City of Dreams

Dharmendra, who has credits in over 300 films, was born in Nasrali, a village in Ludhiana district, Punjab, back in 1935. Dharmendra was from a humble background, and his father was a headmaster. When he was only 13 years old, he watched Dilip Kumar's movie, Shaheed, and felt a unique connection to the film. Well, this was the beginning of his interest in films, which picked up, and he started manifesting that he, one day, would become a big star like Dilip Kumar. He used to look in the mirror and say, 'Mai Dilip Kumar Banna Chahata Hu'. His manifestation was answered, and he not only became an actor, but he also became someone whose name will always shine brightest in the world of Hindi films.

The beginning and breakthrough of the then-next-big-star-in-making, Dharmendra

Dharmendra first won Filmfare magazine's nationally organised New Talent Award, which brought him to Mumbai from Punjab, with the wish to become a big star. His first planned movie didn't work out, and he made his debut in 1960 with the movie, Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere. The actor couldn't make it work, as the movie itself wasn't a commercial or box-office success. Well, Dharmendra didn't stop right there and continued to work on several movies in the 1960s, like Shola Aur Shabnam, Anpadh, and Bandini, which were all hits, and the actor was getting recognition.

Cut to 1964, when Dharmendra's role as an antagonist in the movie Haqeeqat grabbed a whole lot of attention for the actor of the moment. The movie was a critical and commercial success, and Dharmendra did exactly what he needed to do, which was to carve a special place in the hearts of his fans with his amazing acting skills. Two years later, his role in the movie Phool Aur Patthar cemented his name in the corridors of Bollywood, as it became a major blockbuster.

The continuation of Dharmendra's superstardom and crossing roads with Hema Malini

In 1969, several Bollywood actors experienced a career decline as Rajesh Khanna rose in popularity, but Dharmendra remained steady and continued to rule with his blockbuster movies. Dharmendra continued to win hearts with his films, and in the 1970s, he was paired opposite Hema Malini, which was a hit. The actor delivered some of the major hits of his career, like Tum Haseen Main Jawan, Asit Sen's Sharafat, and Mera Naam Joker, among others.

1973 was also a successful year for Dharmendra with movies like Jungu and Jheel Ke Us Paar, among many other films. By that year, Dharmendra had already achieved his fourth nomination for the Filmfare Award in the Best Actor category, which can make people understand the way he was shining in the industry. 1975 was also a major success for the actor with his masterclass acting in the movie, Sholay, which was a cult classic and one of the best Bollywood films of all time. In the same year, he also delivered another hit, Pratiggya, and thus, he continued to rule Bollywood like nobody else.

With moderate success in his following films, in 1977, Dharmendra again raised the stakes with his mega blockbuster, Dharma Veer. It's wrong to tag the movie as successful only because it was a golden role for the actor. The movie grossed more than 50,000 Euros in the UK, across 23 shows in 5 cities. Not only this, but Dharma Veer also witnessed the sale of 32 million tickets in the Soviet Union, giving an idea of the craze behind the man of the decade, Dharmendra. Post 1977, the success rate dropped in his name, but he was still delivering some of the most remarkable movies, such as Shalimar, Azaad, Phandebaaz, The Burning Train, Alibaba Aur 40 Chor, Ram Balram,  Rajput, Badle Ki Aag, Ghazab, Baghavat, Samraat, Naukar Biwi, Qayamat,  Insaniyat Ke Dushman, and Loha, among so many others.

The 1990s and the 2000s of Dharmendra's career

The 1990s remained successful for the actor, but his star power began to wane; he didn't stop delivering big films such as Naakabandi, Veeru Dada, Humse Na Takrana, Kohraam, and Tahalka. In 1997, the actor was awarded the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award by his favourite Dilip Kumar. Well, this is how you do it. The man who, in his teens, wanted to be like Dilip Kumar received such a prestigious award from him, and if this isn't glamorous, we have no idea what else is.

Cut to the post-2000s, when Dharmendra shifted to low-budget action movies, which were criticised by critics, but this was seemingly a deliberate move by the actor to do something different, as by then the Khan trio and Akshay Kumar were leading the theatres. Following this, the actor shifted to character roles and guest appearances, pairing with the new-age actors. He starred in movies like Kaise Kahoon Ke... Pyaar Hai, Life in a... Metro, Om Shanti Om, Yamla Pagla Deewana, and Tell Me O Kkhuda, among many others.

Dharmendra's acting life in his 80s: An on-screen kiss that made his fans scream

In 2023, Dharmendra was seen in Karan Johar's movie, Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. In the movie, 87-year-old Dharmendra was paired opposite Shabama Azmi. The duo shared a lip-lock moment on-screen, and it ended up being the most-talked-about topic back then. Well, Dharmendra didn't back out from performing the bold scene on screen in his 80s, which screams volumes about his dedication as an actor, and proves why he is the OG. He was also seen in Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya, starring Shahid Kapoor and Kriti Sanon. Dharmendra will next be seen in Ikkis, which is set to release on December 25, 2025.

Dharmendra, the recipient of numerous awards, has a huge net worth: A snippet of his personal life

Dharmendra's contribution to the Hindi film industry is unbeatable, and throughout his career, he received several awards, including Padma Bhusan back in 2012. In 2017, he was awarded the Babasaheb Ambedkar Nobel Award for his services and influence on the Indian population. Apart from these prestigious awards, he was also given several other honours throughout his career.

Talking about his net worth, he reportedly made it around Rs. 500 to 535 crore, throughout his career. Dharmendra was married twice in his life. His first wife was Prakash Kaur, whom he married when he was 19. The duo has four kids: Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol, Vijeta, and Ajeeta. It was in the 1980s, when Dharmendra married Hema Malini while being married to his first wife, and it was one of the most-talked-about controversies back then. Hema and Dharmendra have two daughters, Esha Deol and Ahana Deol.

Dharmendra will continue to rule in the hearts of his fans as 'The One' of all the. A small-town boy became a big star and made all his dreams come true, cementing his name in every block of Bollywood!

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