Dharmendra remained unsoiled throughout his glorious career in a fraternity that witnessed changes every decade, megastar Amitabh Bachchan said on Tuesday as he mourned the death of his friend and co-star of classics such as Sholay (1975) and Chupke Chupke (1975).
Dharmendra, 89, passed away at his Juhu home on Monday after prolonged illness.
"...another valiant Giant has left us .. left the arena .. leaving behind a silence with an unbearable sound," Bachchan wrote about Dharmendra, who played Veeru to his Jai in the 1975 classic and defined onscreen brotherhood through the song ‘Ye dosti hum nahi todenge.’
Bachchan attended the last rites of the actor with grandson Agastya Nanda and son Abhishek Bachchan. Agastya plays Dharmendra's son in the yet to release Ikkis, which is possibly the late actor's last movie role.
"Dharam ji .. the epitome of greatness, ever linked not only for his renowned physical presence, but for the largeness of his heart , and its most endearing simplicity .. he brought with him the earthiness of the village in Punjab he came from, and remained true to its temperament .. un soiled throughout his glorious career, in a fraternity that witnessed changes every decade .. the fraternity underwent changes .. not him," Bachchan wrote in his official blog post.
Bachchan said Dharmendra's "smile, his charm and his warmth" extended to all that came in his vicinity, which, according to the megastar, is a rarity in the profession.
"The air about us swings vacant .. a vacuum that shall ever remain vacuus.. prayers," Bachchan wrote.
