The death of Bollywood icon Dharmendra last month left the film industry and the nation in deep shock. The late actor shared a close professional and personal bond with filmmaker Anil Sharma, having collaborated on several successful films, including Hukumat, Elaan-E-Jung, Tahalka, and Apne. In a recent interview, Sharma recalled his first meeting with Dharmendra, remembering the actor seated in a luxury car alongside his second wife, Hema Malini. The filmmaker also revealed that Dharmendra’s family had wished to spend his final moments in privacy.
Recalling his first meeting with Dharmendra during a chat with The Digital Commentary, Anil Sharma shared, “When I was doing Burning Train, I was an assistant there, was around 17-18 years old. I was in Raj Kapoor sahab’s makeup room on the first floor at RK Studios. Only Dharam ji was allowed access to Raj Kapoor sahab’s makeup room. He had said that when Dharmendra comes, give my makeup room to him and nobody else.”
The filmmaker added, “I was one of the costume assistants and had to set Dharam ji’s outfit options. When I was setting it, word came that Dharmendra is here. From ground floor, the news of his arrival reached us till the last room of the corridor. I ran downstairs and saw that there is a Volkswagen, with 30-40 people around it. BR Chopra and Ravi Chopra sahab were also there. I came and stood there.”
Dharmendra wanted to delay the shoot by a day because he was tired. “The door of the car opened and I saw a glimpse of Dharam ji for the first time, sitting with Hema ji inside. I paused for a second and felt that I got everything in life. He had come after Razia Sultan’s shooting and was a bit tired. He told Chopra ji that he will shoot tomorrow because he was a bit tired,” Anil Sharma said.
However, the filmmaker couldn’t stop himself from approaching Dharmendra. “The call sheet had come. I quickly filled it, went to the main door and said, ‘Sir, sir, sir.’ He opened the van and asked who is it. I gave him the call sheet and he asked what it was. The trend had just started back then. I told him it’s about tomorrow’s program. He said that Chopra sahab had already informed him about tomorrow’s time,” he revealed.
The Gadar director continued, “He understood, smiled at me and asked, ‘Are you an assistant?’ I admitted that I only came to meet him. He asked about my father, knew him maybe. He told me to work hard and I will become something one day. I touched his feet for blessings and he said, ‘Jinde raho (live long).’ I still have that feeling with me today.”
Anil Sharma further admitted that there’s no one like Dharmendra, in the entire film industry. “There has never been a person or actor like him, and can never be. People used to ask him many times, where do you stand in the race. He used to say that I don’t know about numbers, I just know that I am number one in people’s hearts. You see, after he passed away, it’s almost a month, there’s nothing on social media besides him.”
“Everyone is talking about him. No procession was done but feels that the whole country is mourning his loss. The family wanted to spend the last moments with him alone. If it was crowded, then how that would have happened? Not just India, even Pakistan, Bangladesh, Australia, England, making statues, everyone is talking about Dharmendra only,” Sharma concluded.