4 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Dec 8, 2025 04:31 PM IST
Legendary actor Dharmendra passed away on November 24 in Mumbai, just days before his 90th birthday. On the late actor’s birth anniversary, his family members, Hema Malini, Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol and Esha Deol, shared heartfelt tributes on social media. Several of Dharmendra’s colleagues, including Saira Banu, Shatrughan Sinha, Jackie Shroff and others, also remembered the actor on the occasion.
Saira Banu, Dilip Kumar, and Dharmendra shared a familial bond. Dilip, who died in 2021, considered Dharmendra his brother. Saira took to her Instagram account and posted a heartfelt note with an old interview of the trio. In the clip, she said that she is doubtful who loves Dilip Kumar more, his best friend Dharmendra or herself.
Remembering Dharmendra, she wrote in the caption, “Dharam ji… if I were to put the man into words, it would never be easy. Some people are too large for language, too gentle for description, and too loved for boundaries and he was all of that. His humility was unlike…very much like Dilip Sahib…anything I have ever seen. In a world filled with stars, he shone differently… quietly with a warmth that touched every soul lucky enough to know him. He was always very close to our family effortlessly bridging the worlds of stardom and simplicity.”
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The actor’s note further read, “And the way he loved Dilip Sahib… sometimes I could never decide who loved Dilip Sahib more Dharam Ji or I. Their bond was beyond friendship. It was something rare, something pure, something that made you believe that souls truly recognise each other. Today, on his birthday, my heart feels both heavy and full. Heavy because I wish he were still here with us… and full because I want to believe with all my heart that he is with Dilip Sahib once again. That somewhere, in a quieter, kinder world, the two of them have reunited… laughing, talking, sharing that indescribable bond only they understood.”
Dharmendra’s friend Shatrughan Sinha took to his X handle and posted a bunch of throwback pictures. “Remembering with immense love & fondness my ‘first hero’ & ‘people’s hero’ in true sense, like a dear elder brother @aapkadharam. You have left behind a huge vacuum no one can ever fill. You are truly irreplaceable. You will live in our hearts forever. Long Live Dharamji! #BirthAnniversary,” he wrote.
Jackie Shroff, who worked with the late icon in several films like Return of Jewel Thief, Mard Ki Zabaan and Sikka, also paid tribute to Dharmendra. While sharing a monochrome photo of him on his Instagram Story, the actor wrote, “Remembering Dharmendra ji on his Birth Anniversary. Dharmendra ji… always in our hearts!”
Jackie Shroff’s Instagram Story
On the work front, Dharmendra will posthumously be seen in Ikkis, directed by Sriram Raghavan. The war drama also features Agastya Nanda, Simar Bhatia, Jaideep Ahlawat and Sikandar Kher in pivotal roles. It is set to hit theatres on December 25.
Jackie Shroff’s Instagram Story
Dharmendra's friends Saira Banu, Shatrughan Sinha, Jackie Shroff, paid tributes to him on his 90th birthday