Mukesh Khanna shares EMOTIONAL video remembering Dharmendra, says ‘“I won’t say he was...’

The He-Man of Bollywood, Dharmendra, passed away on Monday (November 24). He was 89 when he breathed his last and left his fans and family in a deep sense of grief and sorrow. Tributes about remembrance of the actor came in from all corners of the nation. Among one of those was that of the veteran actor Mukesh Khanna. He shared a heartfelt remembrance for the late actor, along with a touching anecdote that was narrated to him by Bobby Deol.

Mukesh Khanna went to visit Dharmendra's place

Mukesh Khanna shared a video message on his YouTube channel, where he revealed that he went to visit the Deol family just a few days prior to Dharmendra's demise. He said, "I had gone to their home just five or six days ago, right after he was brought back from the hospital. They had set up an ICU-like arrangement inside the house itself. I knew I wouldn't be able to meet him properly, but I still felt it was important to go."

He shared that he met Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol during the visit and said, "I told them, 'He is very strong. He will come out of this... he will get through this problem.' but in the end, whatever god wills is what happens."

He called Dharmendra's death an act of destiny and said, "People were shocked because everyone believed he was strong enough to recover. His body gave up, but the soul moves on. And he truly had a beautiful soul."

Mukesh Khanna on Dharmendra's nature

Mukesh Khanna remembered the late actor as someone whose warmth and humility never changed throughout his life. He said, "I have many memories with him also from Tahalka. His simplicity and humility were his biggest strengths. Even in his final months, when he wasn't feeling well, his face still shone with positivity. You look at him and feel, 'Such a good human being has left us'"

Khanna said that Dharmendra's humanity and comfort made him irreplaceable. He shared, "I won't say he was the greatest actor, but he was one of the greatest human beings. The extent to which he made people feel comfortable... very few actors can do that."

Mukesh Khanna remembers an annecdot

Khanna then went on to talk about an incident that was narrated to him by Bobby Deol, which, according to him, proved Dharmendra's kindness and generosity.

He said, "Bobby told me that once, at their bungalow, he stepped out of his room on the second floor and found a stranger roaming around. When he asked who he was, the man said, 'We've come from Punjab, sir. We want to meet Dharam paaji.'"

Bobby just asked the man to come downstairs. Khanna emphasized the fact that such openness is pretty rare nowadays. He said, "Who today allows someone to enter the compound without security? This man had reached the second floor! Bobby told me, 'My father always kept the house open. So many people from Punjab would come. He let everyone enter, meet him, have tea, and leave.' Tell me what actor does that today?"

He also shared that while actors nowadays have to keep security and bouncers around them, that is not the case with Dharmendra. He shared, "He had so much humanity in him that no one would dare misbehave around him."

Mukesh Khanna on Dharmendra's early career

Then, Khanna went down memory lane and talked about the early days of Dharmendra's career. He said, "He had a rugged, athletic look different from the actors of that era. His simplicity, his bright eyes, and his goodness carried him forward." He also praised Dharamendra's natural style and said, "Dharam ji danced like a man with a raw, masculine charm. And when he performed action, it looked real. Today's superstars fight on wires. Dharam ji's punch felt like a real punch." He also said that Sunny Deol's legendary "dhai kilo ka haath" got its power from his father himself. "That raw, effortless strength came from Dharam ji."