Dharmendra who turns 85 today is made macho guys cool even before the word macho was trendy. It would be surprising to know that this highly energetic ‘kutte-kameene’ spouting hero actually started his career with a series of women-oriented films. Then no one had a clue that his
The star who was full of masculine oomph also showcased his sensitive
and soft side in movies of Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Bimal Roy. This
tag associated with him since the release of Sholay.
The 70’s heartthrob was much more than a hot-headed Punjabi that
usually how the audience perceives him to be. Case in point are these
memorable and nuanced performances by him, check it out -
Chupke Chupke
Dubbed as Bollywood’s best comedy films to date, Chupke Chupke is a comedy of errors which promises to be a laughter riot. This 1975 comedy-stars Dharmendra and Sharmila Tagore in lead roles. Dharmendra portrays the role of a botany professor with perfect comic timing.
This movie still remains one of the most intelligent comedies ever written. Dharmendra in the movie proves that his expressions are
enough to tickle your bones.
Satyakam
Contrary to the light-hearted role in Chupke Chupke, Satyakam is a serious take by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. It is lauded by several critics and even call the actor’s one of the finest work. A nuanced portrayal of Satyapriya by Dharm, he is brought up on ideals of his Gandhian
grandfather played by Ashok Kumar. He marries a woman aka Sharmila Tagore carrying another man’s child but is himself unable to accept her fully. The film places Satyapriya in reflects on the aspects of morals dilemmas, stating that it is easy to follow morals and ethics
in theory but difficult to follow.
Sholay
How can we complete the list without this landmark movie that changed the route of Bollywood? A complete masala entertainer, the movie belongs to the actors, each and everyone who performs their very best to entertain the generations gone and the generations to come. One of
the most endearing performances was from the fun and mostly drunk Veeru. The tipsy water tank scene where he threatens to jump off in broken English screaming, ‘Suicide! ’. ‘ When I die, Police Coming, Budhiya going jail, In Jail Budhiya Chaki pising and pising and pising’ An iconic scene which even made Gen Z Dharmendra’s fan.
Yaadon Ki Baarat
A complete Hindi film pot-boiler. The story revolves around three brothers who are separated after their parents are murdered by a gangster. The actor puts forward a brilliant performance where he is trying to seek revenge for the murder. One of the high points of the film that showcases his acting brilliance is when at the end he realizes he found his real brothers.