From school teacher’s son to B’wood’s ‘He-Man’

Entertainment Desk :

After a colourful career spanning six decades, Dharmendra migrated to the country of no return. His full name is Dharmendra Kewal Krishnan Deol. But his beginning was extremely uncertain. He received only 51 rupees as remuneration
for his first film!
The story of how he became a legend of Indian cinema from the son of an ordinary school teacher in Sahnewal, Ludhiana, will be worth the screenplay of the film.
Dharmendra’s father was a school teacher by profession. He wanted his son to study and become established. But his son’s mind was set on his dream hero Dilip Kumar. Standing in front of the mirror, he would imagine himself as Dilip Kumar, and dream of becoming a star on the big screen. Despite his father’s strong objections, his mother became the charioteer of his son’s dreams.
It was mainly with his mother’s encouragement that Dharmendra participated in the Filmfare Talent Hunt and won the winner’s crown.
Then, with his mother’s permission, he moved to the city of dreams, Mumbai. Dharmendra made his debut as a hero in 1960 with the film ‘Dil Bhi Tera, Hum Bhi Tere’. While reminiscing about his first income on the stage of a reality show, he revealed a surprising fact. In his words, “There were three producers shooting that film. They would sit in three separate cabins. I would be seated in the middle cabin. The strange thing is, the three producers came separately and put 17 taka in my pocket each.”
That is, his total remuneration as the hero of the first film was only Tk 51. The young man who received 51 rupees that day later built a huge empire with his own skills. He has become one of the most influential actors in Bollywood by giving one hit movie after another. Not only himself, but his entire family is an integral part of Bollywood today. His two sons Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol are powerful actors. His wife Hema Malini, known as the ‘Dream Girl’, and his elder daughter Esha Deol have also made their mark in acting. Despite his father’s disapproval, Dharmendra, with the courage given by his mother, has carved his name in golden letters in the pages of Bollywood history.