Remembering Dharmendra: When Bollywood's He-Man warned the underworld; he once handled knife attack alone

Indian cinema and fans across the world are mourning the death of Bollywood star Dharmendra, who took his last breath on Monday, at the age of 89. Loved for their charm and elegance, the action-packed movies are still very popular. But do you know, he was courageous in real life, too? During the 1980s and 90s, when Mumbai’s film industry was oppressed by the underworld, Bollywood's He-Man remained unshaken.

Unlike many other stars who bowed under the pressure of Extortion calls, threats, and forced involvement in mafia-backed films, Dharmendra refused to follow their terms.

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Why did the underworld stay away from Dharmendra?

In a recent interview with Friday Talkies, before Dharmendra died, actor-director Satyajeet Puri said, "The underworld was at its peak then. One phone call and most actors would tremble." Talking about the late actor's bravery, he further added, “But Dharmendra and his family were never scared. If anyone tried to threaten him, he would tell them, ‘If you come for me, the whole Sahnewal (his village) will come from Punjab. You may have ten men, but I have an army. Ek bolunga aur truck bharke log aa jayenge. Don’t mess with me.’ And they never did.”

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When a man attacked Dharmendra with a knife

Recalling another incident, Puri said once a man attacked the actor with a knife in a public space, and Dharmendra handled the situation without calling anyone for help. The actor grabbed the man, disarmed him, and pinned him to the ground. "Today, actors move with bouncers. Back then, Dharmendra and Vinod Khanna would walk freely. They didn’t need security," Puri said.

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The Ghulami horse incident

Another incident of Dharmendra's bravery happened during the shoot of Ghulami (1985). In the scene, a horse was required to climb a marble staircase, which Dharmendra insisted on performing himself. Unbeknownst to the crew, the horse had urinated on the steps, which made them slippery. As the animal slipped mid-climb, "In a split second, Dharmendra slammed his left leg against the marble and used his thigh strength to push himself and the horse upright," revealed Puri.

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He added that if any other actor had been in his place, he would have suffered months-long injuries, but Bollywood's He-Man walked away without a scratch.

At the moment, he was furious at the negligence and was searching for the assistant responsible, but in no time, his anger cooled down, and he gave the owner ₹200 to check if the animal was hurt.

There are many such incidents of courage in the legacy left by Dharmendra. Besides being a superstar, he was a man of grit. His final film, Ikkis, directed by Sriram Raghavan, is set to be released on December 25. In this war drama, he is playing the role of the father of Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, PVC.