END OF AN ERA Dharmendra passes away at 89
| Date :25-Nov-2025 |
MUMBAI :
DHARMENDRA, one of
India’s
most enduring stars
who
sparkled bright right
through a
remarkable 65-year
career span
ning 300 films ranging from
“Satyakam” to
“Sholay” died
here on Monday days
ahead of
his 90th birthday.
The much loved actor,
who
lived most of his
life in the blaz
ing arclights of publicity, was cre
mated at the Pawan Hans cre
matorium in Mumbai’s Ville
Parle suburb quietly
and with
little fuss. Till the
end – and even
after that – his
family made no
comment on his death.
Dharmendra, who would
have turned 90 on
December 8,
had not been keeping
well for
a while and was in
and out of
hospital. Finally, on
November
12, a day after
several media
houses reported his
death and
his furious family
requested pri
vacy, he was discharged and
taken to his Juhu
home where
he breathed his last.
With the family
maintaining
silence, the camera
crews and
others posted outside
his resi
dence picked up cues from an
ambulance and several
cars
seen driving out of
the gates.
A little later, his
wife Hema
Malini and daughter
Esha Deol,
as well as industry
colleagues
Amitabh Bachchan and
son
Abhishek Bachchan,
Aamir
Khan, Shah Rukh Khan,
Salman
Khan and his father
Salim Khan,
were spotted at the
crematori
um. Anil Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt,
Akshay Kumar, Ranveer
Singh,
Deepika Padukone,
Jackie Shroff
and Shabana Azmi also
attended the last rites.
Condolences also poured in
from across the film industry, with celebrities such as Saira Banu, Sharmila Tagore, Karan Johar, Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn, and Kareena Kapoor mourning the death of the actor fondly known as “Garam Dharam” and India’s first “He Man.” “He was just different. He never forgot his roots, and he would talk about them 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,” Tagore, who worked with Dharmendra in classics such as “Satyakam” and “Chupke Chupke,” told PTI. Banu, who also worked with Dharmendra on several movies, including “Aayee Milan Ki Bela,” “Jwaar Bhaata,” and “Resham Ki Dori,” said she spoke to the actor earlier this month, and he told her not to worry and that he will come and visit her soon. “It’s the saddest day because he is family. I’m shocked. I thought we would celebrate his birthday,” Banu told PTI. “Dilipsahab considered him like a younger brother.
They shared a relationship that went beyond work. We’ve been there for each other in good and bad times. He was one of those rare people who visited Dilipsahab quite often, whether he was in hospital or at home. Sometimes he would come at odd hours as well,” she added. Dharmendra, born Dharam Singh Deol in Punjab in 1935, enjoyed a remarkable six-decade career, featuring in over 300 films and headlining classics such as “Sholay,” “Chupke Chupke,” “Satyakam,” “Anupama,” “Seeta Aur Geeta,” and many others. Dharmendra is survived by his wife, Prakash Kaur; Hema Malini; sons Sunny and Bobby Deol; and daughters Vijeta, Ajeeta, Esha, and Ahana. He was honored with the Padma Bhushan in 2012. The actor played brief innings in politics by winning the Bikaner Lok Sabha seat in 2004, but after just one term, he chose to retire. Dharmendra remained active till the very end, and fans would get to see his performance one last time in Sriram Raghavan-directed “Ikkis.”