NEW DELHI: Veteran Indian actor Dharmendra passed away in Mumbai on Monday after having been in and out of Mumbai’s Breach Candy hospital for several days earlier this month.

A police statement said funeral arrangements were being made at the a crematorium in Mumbai’s Ville Parle suburb.

According to eyewitnesses, an ambulance and several cars left Dharmendra’s Juhu residence and Hema Malini, Esha Deol, Aamir Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan were seen at the crematorium.

Salman Khan and his father, script writer Salim Khan, were also spotted there.

Many celebrities including Karan Johar, Kajol, Ajay Devgn and Kareena Kapoor mourned the actor’s death on social media. Johar called Dharmendra’s death as the end of an era.

Dharmendra, born Dharam Singh Deol in Punjab in 1935, enjoyed a remarkable six-decade career, featuring in over 300 films and headlining classics such as Sholay, Chupke Chupke, Satyakam, Anupama, Seeta Aur Geeta and many others.

He was widely celebrated for his versatility across action, romance and comedy.

Dharmendra is survived by his wives Prakash Kaur, Hema Malini, sons Sunny and Bobby Deol, and daughters Vijeta, Ajeeta, Esha and Ahana.

Agencies add: Dharmendra was lovingly known as the “He-Man” of Bollywood, thanks to his roles in a string of action movies that cemented his legacy spanning more than six decades and 250 films.

Born Dharam Singh Deol on Dec 8, 1935, in Punjab, he also served as a member of parliament and was honoured with one of India’s highest civilian awards.

He struck stardom after becoming the first Bollywood actor to bare his chest on screen, prompting a flood of love letters from women.

Dharmendra moved to Mumbai in 1958 after winning a celebrity magazine’s talent competition.

“I only had my dreams,” he told biographer Rajiv Vijayakar. “I was an untutored villager, with no idea of acting.”

His matinee-idol looks quickly caught the eye of producers, and he made his screen debut in 1960 with the melodrama Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere.

It was in the lead role in the 1966 drama Phool Aur Patthar, that he appeared topless.

“When he whipped off his shirt in the film, for the first time filmmakers woke up to the need to cater to female sexuality,” noted the Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema.

Over the years, Dharmendra shared the screen with leading stars like Nutan, Meena Kumari, and Sharmila Tagore, but his most enduring partnership was with Hema Malini, Bollywood’s first woman superstar from the south.

Their irresistible chemistry in films such as the 1972 hit Seeta Aur Geeta and Sholay blossomed into a real-life romance.

Their 1980 wedding ruffled many feathers, as Dharmendra refused to divorce his first wife, Prakash Kaur. He and Malini had two daughters.

The controversy did little to dim his popularity. Fans continued to cheer for Garam Dharam in theatres across India.

Published in Dawn, November 25th, 2025