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Dharmendra was the biggest superstar of the late 60s and 70s. It is true that in those days there were big actors like Rajendra Kumar, Manoj Kumar, Shammi Kapoor, and so many others at the top, but Dharmendra had started dominating the theaters despite the presence of these stars.
However, each star did his own thing and there was never a competition or a PR strategy to promote or portray one actor as better than the other. But this changed with Rajesh Khanna who is considered as the first superstar of Bollywood.
Dharmendra during one of his interviews decades ago revealed how things changed with Rajesh Khanna who promoted himself as the superstar with the help of journalists.
Rajesh Khanna started the superstar thing in Bollywood
Dharmendra during this interview said, “Rajesh Khanna ne shuru kiya tha ki superstar hue. Phir jaise jaise main dekh raha tha ki maine iske liye koi jyada bhaag daud nahi ki. Phir Amitabh aye. Phir ahista ahista ye bimari badhna shuru hoi. Aur mai agar chahta sahib toh uss waqt toh aap janate hai picture hit ho rahi thi 30-35 saal se.”
“Agar main chahta toh kisi ko akhbaron ki surkhi batorne nahi deta. Aur aaj har channel ke teesre frame pe main bhi aa sakta tha. Main chahta nahi. Muzhe rat race se koft hoti hai. Iske liye pata nahi kitni mehnat karte hai log. 24 ghante yahi sochte rahte hai ki main kaunse frame main kahan pahochu, main kya ban jau,” Dharmendra added.
Was Dharmendra trying to put Amitabh & Rajesh Khanna down with this statement?
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Even though Dharmendra never promoted himself as the superstar, he became famous as the He-Man of Bollywood who could beat all the goons in the film. His charm and easy acting have always enchanted generations together. While Rajesh Khanna’s stardom was short-lived it was Amitabh Bachchan who continued to be at the top for decades together.
Despite all these big names, Dharmendra continued to be the evergreen superstar who always received a lot of love from the audience.
