Apne 2 director Anil Sharma recalls Dharmendra's last days: 'He would open his eyes, move his hands'

Dharmendra, the legendary actor, is no more. The veteran star breathed his last on Nov 24 at the age of 89, days before his birthday on Dec 7, when the actor would have turned 90. His last rites took place at the Pawan Hans cremation ground in Mumbai in the presence of his family, friends, and several Bollywood celebrities.

Dharmendra passed away two weeks after he was discharged from Breach Candy Hospital. The family had maintained a low profile since the actor's discharge, even when rumours of his death surfaced. So far, only Dharmendra's wife, Hema Malini, has shared a statement, with no one else speaking out.

Amid all this, director Anil Sharma, who has a close connection with the Deol family and Dharmendra, shared that the veteran star was on the road to recovery and that everyone, including the doctors, had hopes that he would recover.

Recalling his visit to Dharmendra at his home, he said the actor was responsive and even moved his hands.

Speaking to Vickey Lalwani, Anil, known for his blockbuster films like Gadar, talked about Dharmendra's last days, saying that he was recovering.

“I went to his home. He had recovered. He would open his eyes and even move his hands. He was recovering, and doctors were saying that Dharamji bahut strong aadmi hai. (Doctors said he is a very strong man),” Sharma said.

Saying that when Dharmendra was in the hospital, everyone, including doctors, was assured that he would recover.

He said, “Doctors assured us he would recover, and even in the hospital, it looked like he would. But age shows its signs, and you can’t fight that. Everyone was hopeful, and we all thought we would celebrate his birthday on 8 December.”

Anil and Dharmendra have worked together in several films such as Hukumat, Elaan-E-Jung, Farishtay, Apne and Tahalka, among others. He had even helmed Sunny's career's biggest films, such as Gadar: Ek Prem Katha, The Hero: Love Story of a Spy and most recently Gadar 2.

Director Anil Sharma: Apne 2 cannot happen without Dharmendra

Filmmaker Anil Sharma has directed Apne, which has Dharmendra alongside his two sons, Sunny and Bobby Deol. The talks around part 2 of the movie have been happening. However, the 61-year-old director had said that Apne can't happen without Dharmendra.

“Apne to apno ke bina nahi ho sakti. Without Dharamji, it’s impossible to make the sequel. Everything was on track and the script was ready, but he left us. Some dreams remain unfulfilled. Without him, it’s not possible!” Sharma said.