Never loved anyone else so much: Javed Akhtar remembers Dharmendra’s warmth, eternal charm

As the film industry mourns Dharmendra’s death, Lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar’s memories bring back the warmth, innocence and magic of the golden era of Hindi cinema that Dharmendra himself defined.

Akhtar, in an interview with India Todaycalled him “a rare combination”: a man who Looked like He-Man in every way 70s and 80s, but there was a gentleness about him that softened everyone around him. Akhtar recalled, “Despite looking very masculine, he had a tremendously gentle and innocent quality.” He said, “He was strong, dignified, full of self-respect and yet humble, even unaware of his stardom. He would blush when he was praised.”

In Akhtar’s words, the star who was worshiped by the industry and his audience reappears on screen: “Simple, warm, Innocent.” Akhtar called him Someone who was equally comfortable being a quiet, sensitive soul Anupama And true work Like the cheerful, bubbly hero he was cinder,

Akhtar explained how the iconic role, written by him and Salim Khan, came alive inside Dharmendra: “Only he could bring that energy, that enthusiasm. I wonder if anyone else could have played the role of Veeru.”

He continued to talk about the characteristics that defined his personality. Akhtar said, “He was a very dignified person. And the person had a sense of humor. He would laugh at you, laugh with you, tell you jokes. He just didn’t know how to handle praise. He would blush. If you praised Dharam ji, he would blush and feel very uncomfortable. He had this humanity in him. He was a combination of qualities that are not conducive to possibility.”

with the spontaneous comedy of quietly quietly The raw power of his action films, Akhtar said, comes from Dharmendra’s range, his expressive personality. “Whatever he did, it went with him,” he said, recalling the era when actors would work on 15-16 films at a time, prepare dialogues minutes before the take and still deliver performances that are now immortal.

He further added, “He was a humble, decent, simple, innocent person which you can see inside AnupamaHe had a wonderful sense of humor and a very down to earth sense of humor, which you can see quietly quietlyHe was a powerful man and you can see this in some of his action films, He was a very enthusiastic person – bubbly and humorous – and you could see it, cinderThese roles are extensions of some aspect of the personality,”

Akhtar’s memories also highlight the man behind the star: someone who laughed easily, told brilliant jokes, recited poetry at his farmhouse in the evenings and “touched the heart”.boy from punjab“Well into his later years. A man so remarkably handsome that, as Akhtar put it, “one had to be blind not to see women being attracted to him.”

But above all, Dharmendra was loved deeply, widely, sincerely: “There would hardly be any people in the film industry who were loved like he was,” Akhtar said. “In a tough industry, it’s special to be loved like this,” he said.

In Akhtar’s words, Dharmendra epitomized the glory of the old Bombay studios, the camaraderie on the sets and the spontaneity of a generation that made classics without thinking. Akhtar highlighted that Dharmendra was always both suave and glamorous, and that he left a golden glow of that era that refuses to fade.