Veteran actor Dharmendra passed away on November 24, leaving the industry grieving his loss. The late actor remained active in films until his final days and even had an upcoming release scheduled for next month. After his demise, Aamir Khan paid tribute to him at the ongoing 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa. During a session, he revealed that Dharmendra was the only person who had watched Aamir’s upcoming production Lahore 1947, starring Sunny Deol and Preity Zinta. The film is based on Asghar Wajahat’s renowned play Jis Lahore Nai Dekhya, O Jammeya Nai.
Dharmendra watched Lahore 1947
Speaking about Dharmendra, Aamir expressed that he felt fortunate to have spent time with the legendary actor before his death. “In fact, Lahore 1947, the film we have made with Sunny—I had the good fortune of showing him the film. So he has seen it,” Aamir said. He added, “It’s not released yet, of course. But I’m so glad he got to watch it. It was one of his favourite scripts.”
When Aamir’s son Azad met Dharmendra
Aamir revealed that he met Dharmendra around 7–8 times in the past year. On one of these visits, he brought along his son Azad, believing it was important for him to meet the legendary actor whose work he had not yet experienced.
Speaking about Dharmendra, Aamir said, “I’ve grown up watching him. He was known as the action hero and the He-Man, and he was extremely good at portraying strong characters in action films. But I think he’s underrated. His performances in romance and other genres were just as brilliant.”
“He does amazing comedy, amazing romance, and powerful drama. According to me, Dharamji was one of the finest actors we’ve had. I’ve always looked up to him.”
Aamir on missing the prayer meet
Aamir also spoke about missing Dharmendra`s prayer meet held on Thursday evening. “And what a handsome person he was. Today is his prayer meeting, but I’m not in Mumbai and unfortunately I’m missing it. I was very close to him because, in the last year, I must have met him around 7–8 times. I used to really enjoy his company and would often sit with him. One day, I took Azad with me because I wanted him to meet someone so special.”
He added, “Dharamji wasn’t just a fine actor—he was a wonderful human being. He was so gentle. No matter who he met, whether a colleague or someone outside the industry, he was always warm and soft-spoken. It’s a great loss for all of us.”