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Veteran actor Dharmendra was a man of the soil—an artist shaped by his love for Dilip Kumar, yet rooted deeply in the simple, agrarian life of rural Punjab. Though cinema made him a legend, his heart remained that of a humble village man who cherished farming and the quiet rhythms of the countryside. His busy Bollywood career rarely allowed him the luxury of being in his village, but whenever he found a break, he unfailingly travelled to his ancestral home in Dangon, about 25 kilometres from Ludhiana.
Although Dharmendra had left the village first due to his father’s job transfers and later for his film career, his extended family continued to live there, and he visited them whenever he could. During one such visit about a decade ago, he handed over possession of his ancestral land to his cousin brother, who had lovingly tended to it in his absence.
Dharmendra’s nephew, Buta Singh Deol, has now told media: “He came to the village in 2015–16 when he transferred 19 kanal and three marla of land (1 acre is 8 kanal) to my father Manjit Singh and my uncle Shingara Singh, who has since passed away. Since he had left for Mumbai decades ago, our family has been taking care of the land and tilling it. He never forgot his roots or us.”
Buta added that despite the fame and adulation surrounding him, Dharmendra always stayed in touch with his family and childhood friends in Punjab. “Dharmendra uncle was my father Manjit Singh’s cousin. The last time he came to the village was in 2019, when his son Sunny Deol contested the parliamentary elections from Gurdaspur. I also went there to campaign for him.”
He recalled how every year, his family travelled to meet the actor with updates on the ancestral land. “My grandfather, my father, and later I would go to Mumbai annually to show Dharmendra the land-assessment papers, so he knew the property was intact. A few years ago, he personally came and transferred the land to my father and uncle as a gesture of trust and gratitude.”
Buta shared that he remained in regular contact with his uncle and had spoken to him just two months ago.
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Dharmendra’s father, a government school teacher, was frequently transferred, and the family eventually settled in Sahnewal, where the young Dharmendra spent much of his early life.
Though Dharmendra could not often return to Punjab, he recreated a slice of it in Khandala, near Mumbai, where he owned a sprawling farm. He spent much of his later years there, immersed once again in the world he loved—growing vegetables and fruits, tending to cattle, and enjoying the serenity of farm life. During the COVID-19 lockdown, the actor shared numerous videos from his farm, offering fans glimpses of the simple, earthy lifestyle that had always anchored him.
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