By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
Bollywood on Monday lost one of its most handsome and successful actors Dharmendra at the age of 89 following a prolonged illness. He died at his Mumbai home and left behind two wives Prakash Kaur and Hema Malini as well as two sons Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol and four daughters.
The family members rushed the body to Vile Parle crematorium quietly without according him a grand funeral apparently upset with the media for wrongly reporting his death few days ago.
Born in Nasrali, a village in Ludhiana district, Punjab on 8 December 1935, Dharmendra worked in more than 300 films out of which 74 were hits, a record in Bollywood. He made his debut in 1960 with Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere and was the lead actor in the biggest hit Sholay. He first gained popularity in the mid-1960s for films, such as Ayee Milan Ki Bela, Phool Aur Patthar and Aaye Din Bahar Ke, and achieved greater stardom in later years, being dubbed India’s “He-Man” for several of his on-screen roles in Hindi films.
He consistently starred in several successful Hindi films from the late-1960s to the 1980s, such as Ankhen, Shikar, Aya Sawan Jhoom Ke, Jeevan Mrityu, Mera Gaon Mera Desh, Seeta Aur Geeta, Raja Jani, Jugnu, Yaadon Ki Baaraat, Dost, Pratiggya, Charas, Dharam Veer, Chacha Bhatija, Ghulami, Hukumat, Aag Hi Aag, Elaan-E-Jung and Tahalka, as well as some of his acclaimed performances, include Anpadh, Bandini, Haqeeqat, Anupama, Mamta, Majhli Didi, Satyakam, Naya Zamana, Samadhi, Resham Ki Dori, Chupke Chupke, Dillagi, The Burning Train, Ghazab, Do Dishayen and Hathyar.
Unfortunately, he was not given Dada Saheb Phalke Award which he rightly deserved. In 1997, Dharmendra received the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award. While accepting the award from Dilip Kumar and his wife Saira Banu, he became emotional and remarked that he had never won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor despite having worked in so many successful films and nearly a hundred popular films. Speaking on this occasion Dilip Kumar commented, “Whenever I get to meet with God Almighty, I will set before him my only complaint – why did you not make me as handsome as Dharmendra?”.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the death of Dharmendra. “The passing of Dharmendra Ji marks the end of an era in Indian cinema. He was an iconic film personality, a phenomenal actor who brought charm and depth to every role he played. The manner in which he played diverse roles struck a chord with countless people. Dharmendra Ji was equally admired for his simplicity, humility and warmth. In this sad hour, my thoughts are with his family, friends and innumerable fans. Om Shanti,” Modi said on X.