Family, friends remember Dharmendra on 90th birthday with moving tributes

Mumbai, Dec 8 (PTI) Dharmendra's children Sunny Deol and Esha Deol, wife Hema Malini and industry colleagues like Sharmila Tagore and Saira Banu on Monday remembered the Bollywood star on what would have been his 90th birthday.

Dharmendra died on November 24 after brief illness and the family quietly marked the day by sharing their memories with the Hindi cinema star.

In his first public comment since Dharmendra's death, son Sunny Deol posted a video of their time together. "Today is my father's birthday. Papa is always with me, in me, love you papa. Miss you," he captioned the video on Instagram.

Esha Deol said she will forever carry the "magical precious memories, life lessons and the unconditional love" she received from her father, who will always be with her.

"...the dignity and the strength you have given me as your daughter cannot be replaced or matched by any other. I so painfully miss you papa … your warm protective hugs that felt like the cosiest blanket , holding your soft yet strong hands which had unspoken messages & your voice calling out my name that followed with endless conversations , laughter & shayaris," she wrote on Instagram.

Hema Malini also marked the day by sharing the photographs of their time together on Twitter, addressing the late star affectionately as "my dear heart".

"More than two weeks have passed since you left me heartbroken, slowly gathering up the pieces and trying to reconstruct my life, knowing that you will always be with me in spirit. The joyful memories of our life together can never be erased and just reliving those moments bring me great solace and happiness.

"I thank God for our lovely years together, for our two beautiful girls who reaffirm our love for each other and for all the beautiful, happy memories that will remain with me in my heart," she said, hoping that he is at peace now.

Sunny's elder son Karan Deol also posted a tribute for his grandfather, who he used to address as "Bade Papa". "I grew up watching you, how you carried yourself, how you treated people, how you stayed grounded no matter what life threw at you. Everything I try to be today… a calmer mind, a kinder heart, a stronger person… it all comes from you. Your hugs gave me warmth, that quiet reassurance. You made everything feel okay without even saying a word. I miss that more than I can explain.

There will never be anyone like you, Bade Papa. Thank you for shaping me in ways I understood only when I grew up. Thank you for loving me the way only you could.

I carry you with me every day. I love you. And I miss you, always," he wrote.

His younger brother, Rajveer Deol, also wished his grandfather on his 90th birthday.

"Love you so much, I still hear your voice in my head, I know you're always around me," he wrote on Instagram.

Dharmendra's nephew Abhay Deol shared a picture with Dharmendra from his childhood and recalled how his uncle persuaded him to get that picture clicked. Abhay said he had just been scolded and was upset but Dharmendra told him to "look at the light" and he did.

"I look forward to the moment I hear him say those words to me again, when my time comes. Today was his birthday," he wrote on Instagram.

In a write-up for The Indian Express, Dharmendra's "Chupke Chupke" co-star Sharmila Tagore said, "To have known him, to have worked with him, is to have experienced a rare and steady light, one that illuminated not just the screen, but all of us who stood beside him." Actor Saira Banu said her "Chaitali" co-star was loved by everyone and was beyond the boundaries of description.

"In a world filled with stars, he shone differently… quietly with a warmth that touched every soul lucky enough to know him. He was always very close to our family effortlessly bridging the worlds of stardom and simplicity," she wrote in an Instagram post.

Shatrughan Sinha remembered his friend with "immense love & fondness", calling Dharmendra his "first hero" and someone who was "like a dear elder brother".

"You have left behind a huge vacuum no one can ever fill. You are truly irreplaceable. You will live in our hearts forever. Long Live Dharamji! #BirthAnniversary," Sinha wrote on X.

Actor Salman Khan, who was close to Dharmendra, teared up while remembering his "father figure" on the finale of "Bigg Boss" and said he missed not having the actor this year on the reality show.

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