A prayer meet was hosted in Delhi by actor and politician Hema Malini for her late husband, veteran actor Dharmendra on Thursday. The legendary star, known as Hindi cinema’s ‘He-man’, passed away on November 24 after a prolonged illness. He was 89.
Several members from the political and the film fraternity attended the meet and honoured the late legend. Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP president JP Nadda, MP Anurag Thakur and actress and politician Kangana Ranaut were spotted offering condolences to Malini and her daughters, Esha and Ahana Deol, at the prayer meet.
During the ceremony, an emotional Malini stepped up to the podium and said, "I never imagined that a moment would come in my life when I would have to host a prayer meeting, especially for my Dharam ji. The whole world is mourning his passing, but for me, it is an inconsolable shock,"
"The person I pretended to love on screen, I fell in love with him in real life. Our love was true so we had the strength to surpass any obstacles. He always had my back," Malini added.
She also spoke about Dharmendra's unfinished dream of writing a book and reminisced about his innate gift for poetry and how he longed to turn his heartfelt words into a published work. "Over time, a hidden aspect of his personality emerged when he started doing Urdu shayri. I often told him he should write a book - his fans would have loved it. So, he was very serious about it and was planning everything but that work was left pending,” she said.
Amit Shah said that completing a 60-year career without a single blemish shows what a pure-hearted person Dharmendra was.
"Dharmendra ji carved a place in the hearts of the countrymen with his acting skills, and his artistry transcended the boundaries of language and region to reside in the hearts of one and all. The Indian film world will always miss this unparalleled actor," he said.
Recalling an interaction with the Bollywood star, the minister said he had never met the actor personally but when he was the party president and Hema Malini was contesting from Mathura in 2014, the Sholay star had called him.
"His health did not allow him to walk on dusty roads or campaign in such conditions for Hema ji, but the concern he expressed over the phone was not a mere formality. I could genuinely feel how worried he was that Hema ji should win the election," Shah said.
Dharmendra had dabbled in politics briefly, winning the Lok Sabha seat from Bikaner on a BJP ticket in 2004.
"Dharmendra ji is the BJP's pride; he will continue to inspire people of the country," Nadda, also a Union Minister, said.
"Dharmendra Ji came from a small village and achieved tremendous success. Whenever I think of him, I always remember the smell of the village and its soil. Despite his fame, he remained a very simple person, deeply connected to his roots," actor-turned-politician Kangana Ranaut.
Dharmendra will soon be seen on the big screen for one last time. He is a part of Sriram Raghavan’s upcoming film Ikkis. It releases on December 25.
