धर्मेंद्र को याद कर इमोशनल हुईं एक्ट्रेस अनीता राज: बोलीं- वो अद्भुत एक्टर और इंसान थे, सेट पर सभी को बराबर इज्जत देते थे

Veteran actor Dharmendra died on November 24 at the age of 89. The demise of the legendary actor is being considered a big loss for Hindi cinema. Actress Anita Raj, who has worked with him in many films, has shared her memories with Dainik Bhaskar. During this time she also became emotional.

He said- ‘This is unbelievable. I have no words to express that such a great artist and such a good person is no longer among us. This is very sad. For me, this is a personal loss, because Dharam ji was not just a co-star but like a family member.

A new waist got immense support

I did six-seven films with him. My first film with him was ‘Naukar Biwi Ka’. At that time I was completely new.

But he never showed that he was so senior and was working with a newcomer. This was his biggest thing. He used to support so much, encourage so much.

This film was released in the year 1983.

he always used to say

“Remember one thing, a good person and a slightly mediocre actor last a lifetime, but if a person is not good and the acting is very good, his life is very short.”

I have always carried this with me till now. He believed that if you are an amazing person, you will survive in this industry. And Dharam ji in this matter, forget it… he was a wonderful human being and a wonderful actor.

family connection

Our relationship was not limited to just work. It was my husband’s uncle, Arjun Hingorani, who introduced him to the industry. So he was just like our family. He always used to say that “This Hingorani is my family.”

I felt very good just hearing this. Now the only prayer is that his soul rests in peace and he remains happy always. For us, he is still here and will always be there, in his films, in our memories.

Approach to learning acting

The way he approached the characters was worth watching. ‘Naukar Biwi Ka’ was a comedy movie, but he used to bring emotions in that comedy also. He used to transition from emotion to comedy and from comedy to emotion with such ease that it was worth learning.

Once I told him that I learn a lot from you. On this he laughingly said – “An actor learns all his life. Acting… the day one of the actors said that he has become an actor, his downfall came.”

He used to say that acting should be a passion and a person should keep learning as long as he does it. Even today when we go to the set, we see new actors and learn from them too. These little things that he taught me then, I miss a lot now that I know that he is no more.

Discipline and fitness

He was a fitness freak from the beginning. He was very disciplined on the set. His food and drink were absolutely fine. I remember, three-four years ago I met him on the sets of Indian Idol. As soon as he saw me he said, “You are just like that!”

When I laughed and said, “Yes,” he said, “I heard you exercise a lot.” I said, “Yes sir.” He said, “Very good! Just keep doing it, because there is nothing better than exercise. Take care of your food and drink, you will always look young.” Met him again and learned a new lesson.

a nice person

The biggest specialty of Dharam ji was that he respected everyone equally on the set. We actors get respect, but he had equal respect for the workers, light men, and those working behind the scenes.

When there was outdoor shooting, he used to sit with the workers and talk. He used to say, “They should get respect first.” For him, the people behind the camera were as important as those in front of the camera.

Our times were very good. There were no vanity vans then, everyone used to sit together, eat food and talk. Today everyone goes in their own vanity van. The atmosphere of belongingness that Dharam ji created is still a different phase for me.

He will always be with us. All we pray for is that we keep him alive like this – in his memories, in his films.