Last Updated on November 26, 2025 1:32 pm by INDIAN AWAAZ
Animesh Singh
The eternal hero, both in reel and real life, Dharmendra, on whom Lady Luck not just smiled but showered all her blessings, passed into the ages on November 24 after being unwell for the past few weeks.
Virtually the entire filmdom is remembering him and his expansive oeuvre with love and wistfulness, which also include his leading ladies, mainly Waheeda Rehman and Asha Parekh.
Interestingly though the two more senior actresses (this word seems more grammatically appropriate), Vyajayanthi Mala and Mala Sinha, who too did a handful of films with Dharmendra, but who remain mostly away from media glare, haven’t been reached out by the new age media for their reactions and memories of the departed actor.
While Dharmendra wooed and charmed a string of leading ladies right from Nutan to Sridevi on screen, there is one notable actress, who did just one Hindi film, which turned out to be with Dharmendra, but who was a successful screen goddess down South.
It was the actress turned politician, the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, J Jayalalithaa! The only Hindi film she did was “Izzat”, which had Dharmendra in a double role, with Tanuja being the other heroine.
Directed by well-known South film maker T Prakash Rao, Izzat had released in 1968, in which Jayalalithaa played a tribal girl Jhumki, who loves the wealthier character Dilip Singh, played by Dharmendra, while Tanuja’s character was romantically linked with the poor tribal man, again played by Dharmendra.
The film is known for its hit tracks set to music by Laxmikant- Pyarelal, like Yeh Dil Tum Bin Nahin Lagta sung by Mohammad Rahi and Lata Mangeshkar and Kya Miliye Aise Logon Se by Mohammad Rafi, had a boisterous track Jagi Badan Mein Jwala sung by Lata Mangeshkar, which was picturised in Jayalalithaa.
While Dharmendra has romanced several Southern belles on screen like Padmini, Vyajayanthi Mala, and most famously Hema Malini as well as Sridevi and Jaya Prada, Jayalalithaa remains an exception, as she did her only Hindi film opposite him.
His ability to effortlessly slip into any role, be it romantic, sensitive or action oriented, resulted in Dharmendra being cast with a range of actresses.
The sauve and handsome actor will be remembered for his bevy of roles across genres, even though the sobriquet Garam Dharam got stuck with him.