Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
Tags:
Dharam ji’s spirit will shine through the centuries, illuminating his powerful work that will stand like monuments in our collective memory. He is, after all, one of the founding pillars of our cinema. And we couldn’t have asked for a stronger buniyaad. He is like the great Himalayas, our Sphinx: elemental, a towering force, a volcano, a raging sea, a brooding sky and a calm meadow; his arms sheltering walls, his face a tornado of emotion and charisma. He is the greenery and the beauty of the forest as well as the sternness and immutability of rock.
It is difficult to describe what he means to us. He was our symbol of strength and courage, and even determination. When Dharam ji stood up to the villains, against injustice, with all the sound and fury of the ages, it was cathartic. His greatest performances are operatic, as well as gentle and tender. In that sense, in the West, he has no real parallel; someone like Clark Gable comes to mind, but he was closer to the coolness and silent smoulder of Robert Mitchum or Richard Burton. With the poetry of machismo to be found in such greats as Gary Cooper, Charles Bronson, Kirk Douglas, and Victor Mature — he was an almost Hemingwayesque figure in the national consciousness. A man’s man but with the soul of a poet. He was an actor of Shakespearean proportions, and an icon of action and drama. His sense of humour, too, was special and idiosyncratic.
Also Read | Dharmendra dies at 89: The He-Man who was Everyman’s Hero
He was a personal hero for my dad (actor Naseeruddin Shah) growing up. Dharam ji actually started acting in the early 60s, so my dad saw his films when he was a teenager, and worshipped both Dharam ji and Dara Singh. They were both heroic figures to him, and emblems of strength and style. For my dad to work with him on several cherished occasions was one of the greatest blessings. Though I feature in Sriram Raghavan’s Ikkis, which is Dharmendra ji’s last film, we didn’t have any scenes together.
Haqeeqat, Phool aur Patthar, Sholay, Seeta aur Geeta, Loafer, Patthar aur Paayal, Ram Balram, Dharam-Veer, Kartavya, Batwara, Loha, Hathyar, Elaan-e-Jung, Yakeen, Izzat, Ganga ki Lehren, so many films that I grew up on. The titles from the treasure trove that is his filmography give a sense of the poetry of the earth he represents.
Also Read | Dharmendra (1935-2025) | ‘When he punched someone, you could feel it land’: Sudhir Mishra
Vivaan Shah is an actor whose forthcoming film Ikkis is the last film Dharmendra worked in.
Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.
