Jat Yamla Pagla

Circa 1975 Anand Bakshi based his lyrics on the real life persona of an actor who played the reel life hero of the superhit film, Pratiggya. 36 years down the line, these lines from that timeless song were adapted into a series of three superhit films which starred the same actor; this time with both his sons. Cut To 1976. It was a hot summer afternoon in Jaipur when my mother broke the hot news to my granny. The hottest new theatre had opened up with the new film of the hottest actor of Indian Cinema.

The Cinema Hall, Raj Mandir and the film, Charas, had arrived (pun intended). The royal Raj Mandir went on to become a historical landmark of the pink city, but despite being a superhit, Charas has been forgotten. Inaugurated by the then CM of Rajasthan, why would this iconic theatre pick up its debut film, which did not feature the biggest star of those times – Amitabh Bachchan? The reason was simple. Charas featured an actor who was loved, irrespective of his hits or flops and whose connection with his fans was so deep that even the hurricane called Rajesh Khanna could not affect his popularity. Who else could that Jat Yamla Pagla be other than the actor of Indian cinema fondly called Garam Dharam? There won’t be another Dharmendra in Indian cinema ever. A self-made man from humble origins, Dharmendra Kewal Krishan Deol leaves behind a 65 years legacy of 300 plus films.

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Self-made is a man’s biggest achievement in a country which doesn’t recognise merit but only contacts. Dharam P’aji proved the point by holding three unbroken records in Indian cinema till date. He has to his name the highest number of hit films by any lead actor in Bollywood history, the hero of the most expensive Hindi film made in India so far and seven hits in a single year. The Indo-American film, Shalimar (1978), remained the costliest film during that time, while Dharmendra left behind the likes of Rajesh Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan and the Khans by registering 75 hits as a hero and delivering seven hits only in one year, 1987. That’s his legacy we are talking about.

Married with a child by the age of 22, a railway clerk from Punjab went on to win the coveted Filmfare talent contest and landed in Bombay (now Mumbai) in the late 1950s for a career in cinema. The film was shelved. However, that poor but determined dashing young son of a village school headmaster did not give up and picked up the job of a drilling firm worker to fend for his wife and son. His tenacity paid off in a year and he was paid a meagre Rs. 51(around Rs 20000in 2025) for his debut in Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere. The film tanked, but not the man. Fortune favours the brave, and he was undoub te dly one. 1960 welcomed the original He-Man of Bollywood, calle d Dharmendra, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Coming to history, do you know that in the 1970s, Dharmendra was included by the illustrious Times magazine amongst the ‘Top 10 Most Handsome Men in the World’? This reminds me of a trivia from the most popular Indian film till date, Sholay. As per the director, Ramesh Sippy, Dharmendra originally wanted to play the role of Thakur (later played by Sanjeev Kumar) because he felt the character had more gravitas. When Sippy told him that the character, Veeru, gets the girl, not Thakur, our man opted to play Veeru. It is a famous industry legend that during the romantic scenes with Hema Malini’s character, Basanti, he would secretly pay the light boys to mess up the lighting on purpose so that their off-screen romance gets more time.

Who wouldn’t fall for such an eternal romantic? Aah, I can now relate to my mother’s obsession with him. Another interesting aspect of the legend of Dharmendra was that he was loved more for his earthiness than his handsomeness. In the unpredictable film industry, earthiness is that trait which makes the viewers feel that the actor / character is part of their family; one of their own. Leave aside the cinematic world; this is an uncommon gift to any man in any profession. Dharam ji touched his viewers in every sphere – whether thriller (Ankhen, 1968), drama (Satyakam, 1969), romance (Aya Sawan Jhoom Ke, 1969), action (Mera Gaon Mera Desh, 1971), comedy (Chupke Chupke, 1975), supernatural (Ghazab, 1982), tragedy (Razia Sultan, 1983) or an all round film like Sholay, 1975.

He was loved even for his inability to dance. Isn’t that a rarity? One of the most influential personalities in Indian cinema, Dharamji was tr uly a Renaissance man. Apart from a chain of restaurants dedicated to him by his fans, he was also a member of parliament and a closet poet of Urdu. Three million subscribers of his on Instagram would vouch for this. I, for one, eagerly await December 2025 with the hope that his last unreleased film, called Ikkis, does justice to his saga.

Dharmendra left for his heavenly abode just two weeks short of his 90th birthday. They don’t make such sons of the soil in the film industry any more. If you are in Delhi and happen to visit the famous Conaught Place, try a restaurant called Garam Dharam and its dishes Pyare Mohan Masala Nimbu, Parimal’s Paan Gulabo or maybe Veeru Ki Ghutti. If you don’t, then be prepared. Veeru may just turn up to say Kuxxx, Main Tera Khoon Pee Jaaoonga.