Rajiv Vijayakar recalls memories with Dharmendra: 'Action hero who was all about jhappis'

To the world he was Dharmendra To me he was an lsquoemotionrsquoOur association can only be described as a karmic connection I was less than 10 years old when I first lsquometrsquo him in faroff Agra My parents and somerelatives were staying the night at the Hotel ClarksShirazMy cousins and I were gambolling in the foyer and I was running to catch one of them And my head collided with a solid midriffAs I stumbled two hands picked me up and when I looked up a smile flashed on my face I recognised a face I had seen at least a few times in the films my moviecrazy parents would take me to watch I remembered his name was DharmendraIt would be about four decades until I met him again By that time I had become a diehard fan of the man who was one of the most underrated natural actors in Hindi cinema playing a cop or a criminal a professor or a politician a village bumpkin or a Thakur a truck driver physically challenged ghost a spy a doctor and moreHis performances tended to be real whether in drama Bandini 1963 comedy Chupke Chupke 1975 action Hukumat 1987 or mdash his natural forte till he became Hindi cinemarsquos OG HeMan mdash romance Phool Aur Patthar 1966 It was providence that I got the honour of penning his biography Not Just A HeManIn 2007 a fortnight after Apne hit the screen an unknown number flashed on my phone I was writing then for IndiaWest in California where my US colleague had just interviewed Dharamji and at her request I had written a 800word synopsis of his career and personaWho is this I asked and the voice said ldquoI am Dharmendrardquo The penny dropped But I was suddenly nervous about what had compelled him to call our office in the US take my number and contact me His simple reply was ldquoThere have been 5000 interviews and writeups on me Par tumhare article ne meri rooh ko chhoo liya Hum Deols ki parampara rahi hai mdash when we like someone we give them a jhappi I am still in America awaiting treatment for my knees But when I come back I will hug yourdquoThough it was weeks before we met the promised jhappi enhanced my love for the man responsible for the greatest high of my career as a journalistFrom here to suggesting his name when Rupa Publications gave me an offer to write a book on any star took six years during which I kept meeting orand interviewing him Dharamji as I also called him was soft to the core and I could only wonder at his simplicity when he told me that he came to Mumbai to just earn a ldquoflat and a Fiatrdquo This car remains a prized possession still used for shopping I was told stories of how he beat up someone who threatened to harm his sons and then also took him to the hospital Asha Parekh revealed how he refused to drink brandy when drenched and shivering during a Darjeeling shoot of Aaye Din Bahaar Ke 1966 as she had warned their producer to ensure that he did not come drunk on setMy favourite performances of his remain Phool Aur Patthar Anupama 1966 Jeevan Mrityu 1970 Yaadon Ki Baraat 1973 Chupke Chupke Pratiggya 1975 Sholay 1975 DharamVeer 1977 Ghazab 1982 Apne and his last release Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani 2023 If thatrsquos not variety and versatility what isDharmendra discovered a poet within him in 2007 and recited lines to me that sum up his persona perfectly ldquoChaahat hi boyi hai jo ab kat rahi haiShohrat chali jaati hai chaahat nahinrdquo That was his secret