Renowned Bollywood legend, Dharmendra, is dead

Renowned Bollywood icon Dharmendra Kewal Krishan Deol has passed away at the age of 89.

The veteran actor died on Monday at a hospital in Mumbai, marking the end of a remarkable era in Indian cinema.

India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, paid tribute to the legendary star, describing his death as a great loss to the film industry. Modi noted that Dharmendra’s passing “marks the end of an era in Indian cinema,” reflecting the deep influence the actor had on generations of movie lovers.

The former Bollywood star was born on 8 December 1935 in Nasrali village in Punjab’s Ludhiana district.

He was named Dharam Singh Deol by his schoolteacher father.

During his lifetime Dharmendra described himself as “a simple man”, commanding extraordinary affection and loyalty from his tens of millions of fans.

He played several iconic roles, but he is best known as Veeru, in the 1975 blockbuster Sholay. However, Dharmendra featured in over 300 films, many hits, captivating audiences for decades.

At one time, the actor, who was once dubbed the “original He-Man of Bollywood” and “Garam (hot) Dharam”, made it to global lists of “most handsome men” at the peak of his success; and female fans were known to sleep with his photographs under their pillows.

He is survived by two wives Prakash Kaur and Hema Malini; six children, Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol, Esha Deol, Ahana Deol, Vijeta, and Ajeeta Deol; and thirteen grandchildren.