This forgotten film kickstarted Dharmendra’s unforgettable career, Bollywood’s ‘He-Man’ landed his first film after winning…

Dharmendra, Actor. (File Image)

An era ended in Bollywood with the death of Dharmendra, who starred in more than 300 films, at the age of 89. But the great actor, who was born on December 8, 1935, in the ordinary village of Nasrali in Punjab’s Ludhiana district, had no cinema background. In his early days, he did not aspire to become a film actor. It was just a coincidence that Filmfare film magazine, in association with Bimal Roy Productions, conducted the “All India Talent Hunt” in 1960 to discover new actors. A young Jat youth from Phagwara, who works in drilling, sent his photographs for the competition just out of curiosity.

Who was Arjun Hingorani?

Dharmendra impressed the judges with his screen presence and looks and won the competition at the age of just 25 years. He was invited to Bombay (now Mumbai) and producer-director Arjun Hingorani, known for promoting newcomers, offered him a role in the film “Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere”. This film, released in 1960, was his first film to be released. Years later, when he became a Bollywood star, Dharmendra said that he reached Bollywood with no money, no connections, just “a briefcase, dreams and a Filmfare ticket”.

“Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere”

“Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere” also stars Balraj Sahni and Kumkum. Made on a budget of Rs 4 lakh, the film was not considered a financial success. It went unnoticed and Dharmendra’s performance was not very good. But a Punjabi man saw his first commercial success in 1961 with Ramesh Saigal’s “Shola Aur Shabnam”. This was followed by another hit, Mohan Kumar’s Anpadh (1962) and Bimal Roy’s Bandini (1963). Bandini won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi.

Dharmendra’s breakthrough came in 1964, when he starred in another Mohan Kumar film, “Ayee Milan Ki Bela”, opposite Rajendra Kumar and Saira Banu. He played the role of an enemy. He was nominated for the Filmfare Award in the Best Supporting Actor category. Based on the 1962 Sino-Indian War, “Haqeeqat” became a huge critical and commercial success. The film eventually became a super hit as one of its songs titled “Kar Chale Ham Fida”, a solo by Mohammed Rafi, became quite popular.