08 December,2025 09:24 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Salman Khan and Dharmendra
On November 24, Bollywood lost its He-Man, Dharmendra, one of its most successful and popular actors. The veteran superstar had made multiple appearances on Salman Khan's reality show Bigg Boss. Today, during the Bigg Boss 19 finale, Salman became emotional as he remembered Dharmendra and praised Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol for arranging the funeral and prayer meeting with great dignity.
While remembering Dharmendra, Salman Khan cries inconsolably, leaving everyone emotional. He said, "We lost the He-Man. We lost the most amazing man. I don't think there is anyone better than Dharmji. The way he lived life was king-size. He gave us Sunny, Bobby and Esha. Since the day he joined the industry, he only wanted to work. He did so many roles. My career graph⦠I have only followed Dharmji. He came with an innocent face and a He-Man's body. That charm stayed with him till the end. Love you, Dharmji. Will always miss you."
Salman further revealed that this was the first time he witnessed such a huge outpour of love for Dharmendra on social media, "The main thing is⦠he died on 24 November, that's my father's birthday, and tomorrow is his birthday, as well as my mum's. If I'm feeling like this, imagine what Sunny and his family must be going through. There were two funerals conducted with utmost dignity: Sooraj Barjatya's mother's and Dharmji's. They held his prayer meet with so much grace and honour. Everyone was crying, but there was a decorum - a celebration of life. Hats off to Bobby and Sunny. Every funeral and prayer meeting should be conducted this beautifully."
Dharmendra was admitted to the hospital in November of this year, and by November 10, speculations of his death had spread on social media. However, his wife Hema Malini and daughter Esha Deol denied the rumours and stated that he was healing. The family eventually brought him home. Sadly, Dharmendra died on November 24 at the age of 89. Bollywood stars such as Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan, and Shah Rukh Khan attended his funeral and expressed their grief. He is survived by six children and two wives, Hema Malini and Prakash Kaur.
