Legendary Bollywood actor Dharmendra, who enjoyed a 65-year career spanning over 300 films, passed away in Mumbai on Monday at the age of 89. A fascinating story from his youth highlights his admiration for Dilip Kumar. In 1952, long before winning the Filmfare talent contest that launched his film career, a college student Dharmendra travelled from Ludhiana to Bombay purely to meet his idol. He boldly walked into Dilip Kumar's Bandra home without being stopped, climbed the stairs, and stood watching the sleeping star. When Dilip Kumar woke and found a stranger at his bedroom door, he called for a servant. A frightened Dharmendra fled the house immediately. Six years later, when they formally met, Dilip Kumar welcomed him warmly, offered advice, gifted him a sweater, and treated him like a younger brother.
The Bold Intrusion of 1952
In 1952, while in his second year of college in Ludhiana, Punjab, Dharmendra travelled to Bombay with no clear acting ambitions but a strong desire to meet Dilip Kumar, whose performance in Shaheed had deeply moved him. He went straight to the actor's Pali Mala residence in Bandra. Finding no watchman or family members, he walked through the main door, climbed the wooden staircase, and reached a bedroom where Dilip Kumar slept on a couch. When the star suddenly woke and called out for a servant, a terrified Dharmendra ran down the stairs and escaped. Later, sitting in a cafeteria drinking lassi, he realized how reckless his intrusion had been.
A Warm Welcome Six Years Later
Six years after that awkward encounter, Dharmendra returned to Bombay to participate in the United Producers and Filmfare Talent Contest. With help from Dilip Kumar's sister Farida, he was invited to the star's new bungalow at 48 Pali Hill. Dilip Kumar welcomed him warmly at 8.30 pm, treating him like a younger brother. He shared his own journey into acting and spoke in English, Punjabi, and Urdu, leaving Dharmendra spellbound. Noticing the evening chill and Dharmendra's thin cotton shirt, Dilip gave him a sweater from his cupboard and hugged him at the gate. Dharmendra treasured that genuine warmth forever.
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