Dharmendra: India's First Action Star Will Be Known For His More Ordinary Roles

My earliest memory of watching Dharmendra on screen was this film from 1980 titled The Burning Train. Like a lot of high-budget movies at the time, this was also 'inspired' from Hollywood. I watched it on a box tv set at home, over a decade after its release, because my dad had acquired a bootleg VCR tape. Most of my memories linked to the film are just watching Dharmendra and Vinod Khanna moving through a burning train, trying to separate the bogies from the runaway engine. 

While the film's visual spectacle was not really visible on the small tv screen, it was my first ever exposure to India's action scene. The feeling of watching people perform choreographed sequences, do stunts and fight the bad guys was, for the lack of a better word, thrilling. At the time, my father told me that Dharmendra had gotten old by now (he was in his mid-40s when The Burning Train released), but when he was younger, he was the "Most Handsome Man In The World". 

I did not understand any of that, but the phrase stuck with me. It was only years later did I find out that he in fact was part of some magazine listicles in the 70s, tagging him as one of the most handsome actors in the world at that time. 

On Monday, Dharmendra passed away at the age of 89 and was later cremated at a crematorium in Mumbai.

Born in pre-independent, united Punjab, Dharmendra Singh Deol went on to participate in Filmfare magazine's talent hunt, kickstarting his nearly 65-year journey with Bollywood. In his first ever film role, he starred alongside Bollywood legend Balraj Sahni in Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere (1960). But it was not till 1964 when Dharmendra led the war epic Haqeeqat that he tasted true stardom. In his last acting role, Dharmendra acted as the protagonist's grandfather in a yet-to-be-released war film Ikkis.

While the octogenarian actor was known for his action-packed roles, his more vulnerable, soft, funny acting roles were equally loved. Whether it was the soft-spoken jailer in Bandini or the honest-to-his-bones Satyapriya Acharya in Satyakam, the softness flows through. 

For most Indians the allure of Dharmendra has more to do with the simplicity of his times, than anything specific to his career. He was the son of a schoolteacher who taught children in rural India. Throughout his career, Dharmendra was widely regarded as a genuine, kind and emotional person. At a public event organised by BBC, Dharmendra famously said "when someone looks at me, I extend my hand to them. When someone extends their hand to me, I embrace them".

The 60s and most of the 70s were all about India looking at what is next. It had been nearly three decades since independence and financial stability was still elusive. Indian industry was just taking off, and economic disparity was starting to make itself visible. Before the political instability and rampant corruption in society gave rise to Amitabh Bachchan's angry young man, Dharmendra's portrayal of the everyman was and always will be his best work.