The passing of legendary Bollywood actor Dharmendra at 89 has brought into sharp focus his deep and enduring connection with Rajasthan, a relationship that extended far beyond the silver screen and into the hearts of its people.
A Friendship That Transcended Business
Dharmendra's commitment to relationships over commerce became legendary through his involvement with Amber Cinema, a historic landmark in Jaipur during the late 1970s. As co-owner of the theater until its closure in the early 1980s, the actor demonstrated extraordinary loyalty to his partners despite the venture's financial struggles.
Prominent film distributor Raj Bansal recalls Dharmendra's exceptional nature. "He always kept his heart before his mind," Bansal remembers. "He never demanded explanations about why the cinema was performing poorly, or why it shut down; not out of a lack of business acumen but because of an abundance of emotional investment. That was his nature, always trusting, gentle, and generous."
The Superhit That Changed a Career
Bansal narrates a remarkable instance of Dharmendra's large-heartedness that occurred during the shooting of 'Main Balwan'. During a break when Rajkumar Santoshi was narrating the script for 'Ghayal', Dharmendra noticed Bansal's interest and immediately promised him the film's distribution rights.
"Dharm ji immediately caught on to the fact that I liked it and promised me the movie's distribution rights on the spot," Bansal said. "He kept his word; the film was a superhit, and it changed my career forever." This spontaneous act of generosity typified Dharmendra's approach to relationships.
The Jat Police and Political Grace
Among Dharmendra's closest bonds in Rajasthan was his friendship with Vijay Punia, then a youth leader whose devotion spawned a unique film-location phenomenon. Punia would arrive at shoots with busloads of enthusiastic youngsters from the Jat community to provide security and space for the actor and his crew.
During the shooting of 'Razia Sultan' in Bikaner, Dharmendra finally approached Punia to ask about the constant presence of this group. Punia's response - "This is the Jat Police at your service" - referencing Dharmendra's own Jat Sikh background, instantly forged a lifelong friendship.
Punia recalls how Dharmendra's simplicity remained unchanged even during his political career. "Once, during his election campaign, Dharmendra expressed a desire to visit a farm. I took him to a friend's place, where he insisted on resting on a charpoy under the open sky, before lunching on rotis cooked on a chulha. He was happiest in such rustic settings," Punia remembers.
Dharmendra's stint as Member of Parliament from Bikaner, though brief and uneventful legislatively, was marked by exceptional grace. He never spoke ill of his opponent, Congress leader Rameshwar Dudi, instead consistently referring to him as his 'younger brother'. Dudi reciprocated this respect, making their electoral contest one of the most cordial in political history.
These stories from Rajasthan paint a portrait of Dharmendra that extends far beyond his cinematic achievements - revealing a man of uncommon humility, deep loyalty, and genuine connection with the people and places that shaped his extraordinary life.
