Maharashtra Navnirman Sena supremo Raj Thackeray posted an emotional tribute for veteran actor Dharmendra on social media.
Raj Thackeray wrote in Marathi on X, “Dharmendraji has died. In Indian cinema, when one speaks of a ‘superstar,’ there is a period of whirlwind success, and there is also a period of fading away. But Dharmendraji is an exception to this. He gave one blockbuster film after another, yet the title of superstar didn’t stick to him, or rather, he didn’t let it stick. It feels more like he didn’t let it stick, because in Dharmendraji’s case, his real self was even more intense than his image.
“In the 1960s decade, a young man with a handsome appearance, an extremely robust physique, a charming smile, a personality where masculinity was naturally felt yet without any trace of bravado, appeared on the screen, and for the next several decades, he dominated the Hindi film industry.
“How many get the fortune of working with a director like Bimal Roy right at the start of their career? Later, directors like Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Chetan Anand, Ramesh Sippy, Raj Khosla, Manmohan Desai, and many others felt that Dharmendra should be their hero–this itself reveals the immense talent within Dharmendraji. And in the highly complicated world of cinema, he was a straightforward man, and that’s why he always remained the common man’s hero.
“The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena’s humble tribute to his memories,” wrote Thackeray in a heartfelt tribute for Dharmendra.
