3 min readMumbaiNov 13, 2025 09:49 PM IST
Dharmendra, or should we say He-Man, as he has been fondly known across decades, truly embodies the title in every sense. Not just because he redefined how masculinity was portrayed on screen with his good looks, but also because he was among the first few stars whose talent commanded substantial fees for his films.
His fee for the 1975 classic Sholay remains one of the most talked-about examples of his stature in the industry. Despite Sholay’s stellar ensemble cast, Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjeev Kumar, Hema Malini, Jaya Bachchan, and Amjad Khan, Dharmendra was reportedly the highest-paid among them. He received Rs 1.5 lakh for the role of Veeru, while Amitabh Bachchan was paid Rs 1 lakh for his character of Jai.
Interestingly, Dharmendra initially did not want to play the role of Veeru in Sholay. Director Ramesh Sippy revealed this in a conversation with Lallantop, recalling how Dharmendra wasn’t too happy when he first heard the script. Sippy remembered Dharmendra saying, “This is the story of Thakur and he is fighting against Gabbar. What will we do?” To this, Sippy quipped, “Fine. Either do Thakur or Gabbar’s role but then you won’t get Hema Malini.” And that’s when Dharmendra agreed to play Veeru.
Another, lesser-known fact about Sholay is that Amitabh Bachchan wasn’t the first choice for the film. The role was initially offered to Shatrughan Sinha, whose hectic schedule kept him from taking it up. Speaking to Aaj Tak about it, Shatrughan shared: “I was offered Amitabh Bachchan’s role in Sholay. Ramesh Sippy has written this in his book. I tried to take out dates for the film but I was doing so many films. I was very busy and Ramesh ji wasn’t able to tell me fixed dates for what duration he needs me. He wanted me to block all my dates for Sholay that couldn’t be done. I feel that I should have done that film. I didn’t do it. But I also feel happy for Amitabh Bachchan, who got such a big break with Sholay and he went on to become the national icon.”
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Coming back to Dharmendra and Sholay, when the timeless classic completed 50 years a few months ago, Dharmendra in an exclusive conversation with SCREEN revealed that Sholay isn’t actually his all-time favourite. Instead, he holds Pratiggya closer to his heart, a film that released the same year. He said, “Though Satyakam and Sholay are among my favorites, my all-time favorite is Pratiggya. It came during the same year 1975 as Sholay, so it went unnoticed. But let me tell you, Pratiggya was a super hit in spite of competition from Sholay. Just like in 1971, when Naya Zamana clicked despite a blockbuster like Mera Gaon Mera Desh.”
Much to the relief of his fans, Dharmendra is now recovering at his Juhu residence after being discharged from Mumbai’s Breach Candy Hospital. The veteran actor was admitted on October 31 and was discharged yesterday morning.
Dharmendra initially did not want to play the role of Veeru in Sholay.