Phagwara in mourning: Dharmendra's hometown remembers the 'He-Man' of bollywood

Phagwara (The Uttam Hindu): The news of the demise of Bollywood's legendary actor and "He-Man" Dharmendra has sent shockwaves across the country, as well as his hometown of Phagwara. This is the same city where Dharmendra spent his childhood days, and that's why a pall of sadness hangs in the air today. As soon as Karan Johar and IANS confirmed his death on Monday, a wave of mourning swept through Phagwara. Dharmendra may have moved to Mumbai and become a superstar, but his heart always beat for Phagwara. During his visits to Punjab, he never forgot to stop here and spend time with his childhood friends.

Dharmendra and his wife Prakash Kaur with Harjeet Singh Parmar and his family in Phagwara

This news came as a bolt from the blue for the residents of Phagwara. Ever since Dharmendra's health deteriorated and he was admitted to Mumbai's Breach Candy Hospital on November 10th, temples and gurudwaras across the city have been offering prayers and prayers for his well-being. Rumors of his demise had surfaced, but when the doctor discharged him, people breathed a sigh of relief. But Monday's ominous news shattered everyone's hopes. His childhood friends in Phagwara, social worker Kuldeep Sardana, Harjeet Singh Parmar, and advocate Shiv Chopra, are devastated by this news. They knew Dharmendra when the world knew him simply as "Dharam."

Dharmendra with his school friend Advocate S.N. Chopra

Dharmendra's relationship with this city was deeply and intimately connected. His father, Master Kewal Krishna Chaudhary, taught mathematics and social studies at the Arya High School. Dharmendra passed his matriculation from the same school in 1950 and continued his studies at Ramgarhia College until 1952. Senior advocate S.N. Chopra, a classmate at Arya High School, recalled memories of Dharmendra's unique charisma from childhood, but even after reaching the pinnacle of fame, his humility remained unchanged. His friend Harjeet Singh Parmar says that whenever Dharmendra visited Phagwara, he would come not as a star but as a friend. He would sit with them, talk about old stories, joke around, and reminisce.

Actor Birth Place Childhood Memories in Phagwara Streets Recalled by Friends

Dharmendra's memories of Phagwara are fascinating. Sharing a famous anecdote, his friends recounted that before he entered the acting world, Phagwara's Qaumi Sewak Ramlila Committee refused him a role in the Ramlila. After becoming a superstar, Dharmendra would often tease his friends, asking, "Can I get a role in the Ramlila now?" In 2006, when he came to inaugurate a complex built on the site of the old Paradise Theatre, he expressed his love for his city by shouting "Phagwara Zindabad" in front of a crowd of thousands. Today, with his passing, everyone in Phagwara who knew and knew him closely has tears in their eyes.