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Shatrughan Sinha and late actor Dharmendra shared birthdays just a day apart. While Dharmendra’s birth anniversary falls on December 8, Shatrughan turned 79 on December 9. The two also shared a warm personal equation. On Dharmendra’s birth anniversary, Shatrughan paid tribute to him, calling him his “elder brother” and his “first hero.” It was Dharmendra who headlined the 1968 film Pyar Hi Pyar, in which Vyjayanthimala played the female lead and Shatrughan made his Bollywood debut as a villain.
Since the beginning, Shatrughan had maintained a close bond with Dharmendra. They worked together in films like Blackmail, Dost, Ganga Tere Desh Mein, Shehzaade, Taaqat and more. They would have appeared together in Ramesh Sippy’s iconic Sholay — one of the most memorable films of Dharmendra’s career — had Dharmendra not recommended Amitabh Bachchan for the role of Jai. Shatrughan was initially considered for the part, but in an old interview with India TV, Dharmendra admitted that he had suggested Amitabh for the role, something that initially upset Shatrughan, who even confronted Dharmendra about it.
Speaking about the incident, Dharmendra had said, “I never said it but since Amitabh himself has started talking about it now, so I’ll admit it. Yes, I got him the role. Amitabh used to come to me for this role. Otherwise, it was going to Shatrughan Sinha.”
When Shatrughan Sinha found out, he even confronted Dharmendra. The Yamla Pagla Deewana actor admitted the same and said, “When Shatru got to know he came to me and said, ‘Paaji, you gave my role to him!’ To which I replied, “I wasn’t sure what to do. Amitabh had come to me first, so I thought I should give it to him.”
In an old interaction with Subhash K Jha, Shatrughan shared that he would have worked with Dharmendra in Sholay but God had other plans. He said, “We would have also done Sholay together but fate willed it otherwise. It is always a pleasure to work with an actor who has no feeling of one-upmanship. Dharmendra is a very confident man and artiste. He has never coveted other actors’ roles, never indulged in competitive games. There is not a malicious bone in that rugged body.”
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In another interaction, Shatrughan expressed regret about refusing Sholay due to date clashes. Speaking to AajTak, he said, “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.”
Dharmendra passed away on November 24, days before his 90th birth anniversary. Remembering him, Shatrughan wrote on social media, “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!”
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