Dharmendra passed away at the age of 89 after suffering from age-related illness. For most people, he will always be remembered as the strong and charming actor known through titles like “He-Man” and “Dharam Garam.” Over a career of five decades and more than 250 films, he stayed a popular star. Even though he did not reach the superstar status of Dilip Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, Rajesh Khanna or Shah Rukh Khan, he always remained in the top group of actors. He worked in many film genres like romance, action, comedy, and drama, and kept a steady place in the film industry for many years.
The Deol family also holds a special place in Indian politics. Among film families who entered Parliament, they spent the most time there—more than the Dutt or Bachchan families. The Bachchan family had three parliamentarians, but only one from the Lok Sabha. The Dutt family also had three but only two from the Lok Sabha. In the Deol family, three members were directly elected to the Lok Sabha, and Hema Malini served some years in the Rajya Sabha too. Hema’s popularity as the “dream girl” helped her win elections. Dharmendra’s Jat identity also supported her success in the Mathura constituency.
Dharmendra entered politics in 2004 and won the Lok Sabha seat from Bikaner. But he never really enjoyed being a Member of Parliament. Throughout his term, he attended Parliament very rarely. He also did not have a strong interest in the BJP’s internal work. During the 2004 campaign, Congress leader Naval Kishore Sharma accused Dharmendra of not mentioning Hema Malini’s assets in his nomination papers. Dharmendra replied that he did not know much about the BJP’s political philosophy. He also added a dramatic statement: “If I were dictator for five years, I would clear up this mess.” The BJP defended him by saying that other leaders had made similar statements earlier.
During his campaign, Dharmendra often said that people saw him as the characters he played in films—strong heroes fighting evil. At his street-corner meetings, he would make bold promises like solving every problem once elected. He sometimes dramatically added that he would stand on top of Parliament and shout at the government, threatening to jump if they didn’t listen. This was a reference to his famous comic suicide scene dialogue from Sholay.
Commentators noticed his unusual political style. Cultural expert Anil Dharker told BBC that Dharmendra was different from celebrities who only gave warm-up speeches at rallies. He genuinely chose to contest elections himself. However, by 2008, Dharmendra admitted that joining politics was not the best idea for an actor. He said that politics divides the audience and breaks the neutral love actors receive from fans. According to him, the affection of his fans was his biggest achievement.
Dharmendra was criticised often for being absent from Parliament and from Bikaner. In response, he denied these claims and said he was always updated on his constituency’s needs. He listed achievements like cleaning up Sur Sagar, reducing school fees, renovating the Rangmanch theatre, and building bridges. He said that his Bikaner office regularly informed him about public issues. Coming from a farmer’s family, he believed he understood people’s problems well. He also insisted that he never tried to seek attention, either as an actor or as a politician.
After completing his term in 2009, Dharmendra chose not to contest again. The BJP leadership also did not push him. Many felt that Dharmendra wanted a ministerial post, but because the NDA had lost the 2004 election, he never got that chance. Slowly, both he and the party moved on from this political experiment.
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Dharmendra’s personal life, particularly his relationship with Hema Malini, always attracted public attention. Hema’s private life was famously dramatic, involving what some called a “love quadrangle.” At different times, three top actors—Jeetendra, Sanjeev Kumar, and Dharmendra—were in love with her. Hema later confirmed on a TV show that these rumours were true, and she had indeed been pursued by these stars. She also revealed she was confused at one stage while choosing between two of them.
Sanjeev Kumar proposed to Hema on the sets of Sholay, but she rejected him because she was already in love with Dharmendra. Kumar felt sad and hurt, especially because Dharmendra was already married. At one point, he even told director Ramesh Sippy that he didn’t wish to share the same frame with Hema. Despite the rejection, he continued to hope and sought help from Jeetendra, which surprisingly led to Jeetendra himself becoming another admirer of Hema.
Soon, dramatic stories began spreading in Bollywood circles. One rumour claimed that Dharmendra once entered the wedding venue where Hema was about to marry Jeetendra and stopped the ceremony. Another version said that both Dharmendra and Jeetendra kept calling Hema, trying to convince her to choose them, while Jeetendra’s girlfriend Shobha also tried to stop him from marrying Hema. Meanwhile, Dharmendra, married to Prakash Kaur and father to Sunny and Bobby, could not marry Hema legally. His wife had refused to give him a divorce, and bigamy was illegal under the Hindu Marriage Act.
To solve this problem, Dharmendra and Hema reportedly converted to Islam on 21 August 1979 and changed their names to Dilawar Khan Kewal Krishn and Aisha Bi R. Chakravarty. After that, they reportedly married again in 1980 in Chennai according to Iyengar customs. During this function, the priests reportedly reconverted them to their original religion before performing the ceremony.
Years later, this conversion issue returned during the 2004 elections. While filing his nomination papers for the BJP, Dharmendra mentioned the name of his first wife Prakash in the spouse column. The opposition accused him of hiding his earlier conversion. Outlook magazine even published what it said was a copy of his nikahnama, which listed the Muslim names and details of their nikah. However, Dharmendra strongly denied the allegation in an interview, calling it completely incorrect.
Dharmendra’s political career was short, complicated, and often filled with controversies. His natural personality was emotional and straightforward, which sometimes worked against him in politics. His dramatic comments, irregular attendance in Parliament, and his limited involvement in party affairs created difficulties. While BJP leaders liked him, they understood that he did not fully fit into political life.
Even Dharmendra realised that the world of films and the world of politics required very different energies. As an actor, he could charm audiences with a smile, a line of dialogue, or a heroic scene. But in politics, he needed dedication, attendance, detailed knowledge, and constant engagement with voters, which he could not maintain.
Dharmendra often spoke about feeling torn between his acting life and political responsibilities. The criticism he faced for being absent affected him deeply. He repeatedly said he was an emotional person and could not handle the harshness of politics. He also believed that people misunderstood his style and intentions. While his movie characters made bold promises and took instant action against injustice, real politics required patience, planning, and cooperation—qualities he struggled with.
Despite the ups and downs of his political journey, Dharmendra remained a beloved figure in Indian cinema. His honesty, warmth, and simplicity made him an icon. Many fans admired him not only as a hero on screen but also as a gentle human being.
His political career will always be remembered as an unusual and brief phase in the life of one of Bollywood’s most charming stars. He entered politics with passion but soon discovered that his true strength was acting. Even after leaving politics, he continued to share love for his fans and said that their affection was more rewarding than any public office.
Dharmendra's life, both personal and professional, was marked by passion, drama, and strong emotions—just like the films he acted in. And despite everything, he left behind a legacy of kindness, powerful performances, and memorable characters.
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