An emotional moment came for Indian cinema at the 79th British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA), one of the most prestigious platforms of global cinema, when Bollywood’s ‘He-Man’ Dharmendra was given a special honour. The ‘In Memoriam’ section of the ceremony remembered film stars from across the world who left the world in the last one year.
‘He-Man’ remembered between the tunes
As singer Jessie Ware began singing ‘The Way We Were’ at the evening’s event, held at London’s prestigious Royal Festival Hall, images of late film personalities flashed on the screen. Dharmendra shared the screen with international stalwarts like Diane Keaton, Terence Stamp and Val Kilmer.
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Stars such as Catherine O’Hara, Gene Hackman and Brigitte Bardot were also remembered in the montage. It was a moment of pride and honor for Indian fans that the Bollywood legend got this recognition at the global level.
The montage also included big names like Catherine O’Hara, Rob Reiner, Gene Hackman, Robert Duvall, Tom Stoppard, Brigitte Bardot, Lalo Schifrin and Michael Madsen. For many Indian viewers, it was both emotional and rewarding to see Dharmendra honored on such a big global platform. Born in Ludhiana in 1935, Dharmendra started his film career in 1960 with Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere. He received early praise with films like Bandini, Aayi Milan Ki Bela and Khamoshi, and then became a superstar with Phool Aur Patthar in 1966.
In a career spanning over six decades, he has given stellar performances in classic films like Mera Gaon Mera Desh, Sita Aur Geeta, Chupke Chupke, Sholay and Yaadon Ki Baaraat. Dharmendra, popularly known as the ‘He-Man of India’, straddled generations, sharing the screen with his sons Sunny and Bobby Deol in the ‘Apne’ and ‘Yamla Pagla Deewana’ franchises.
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His last film was ‘Ikkis’, which was released in January. His funeral took place in Mumbai and he is survived by his wives Prakash Kaur and Hema Malini, and six children, including actors Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol and Esha Deol. He was posthumously awarded the Padma Vibhushan for his immense contribution to Indian cinema.