Veteran Bollywood superstar Dharmendra has died in Mumbai, India, at the age of 89, prompting a wave of tributes from India and beyond.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his passing “marks the end of an era in Indian cinema,” praising an actor whose warmth, versatility and “simple-man charm” captivated generations.
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Best known globally as Veeru in the 1975 classic Sholay, Dharmendra starred in over 300 films across five decades, excelling in romance, comedy, and action. His “He-Man” charisma, chart-topping song sequences, and real-life love story with Hema Malini turned him into a national heartthrob.
Despite being hailed by fellow stars from Madhuri Dixit calling him “one of the most handsome men on screen” to Salman Khan describing him as “the most beautiful looking man”, Dharmendra often laughed off the praise, crediting “nature, my parents, and my genes.”
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Dharmendra
Born Dharam Singh Deol in Punjab’s Ludhiana district on 8 December 1935, he grew up in a modest Jatt-Sikh household. His love for cinema began in secondary school.
“I watched my first film in the ninth standard, and I was hooked,” he once told BBC Hindi. “I felt like those beautiful people on screen were mine and I belonged to them.”
Hindustani Times reported that top Bollywood icons, including Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan, attended his funeral at Vile Parle Crematorium, a testament to his enduring influence.
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The Jai Veeru partnership between Amitabh and Dharmendra remains one of the most iconic duos in Indian film history.
Dharmendra’s Imprint on Kannywood
Dharmendra’s death has reopened old conversations in Kannywood about how deeply Bollywood shaped the Hausa-language industry long before it found its own identity.
For decades, Indian films dominated cinema halls and home video across the region, influencing everything from storytelling and costume to the emotional language of love and sacrifice. Long before Kannywood formalised in the late 1990s, Dharmendra’s classics had already become household staples.
Film historian Ibrahim Musa once noted that “you cannot discuss Kannywood’s formative years without acknowledging Indian cinema and Dharmendra stood at the centre of that influence.”
Kannywood mourns a ‘Teacher From Afar’
The news of Dharmendra’s death triggered heartfelt tributes across Kannywood. Many actors say his films shaped their childhood, their acting techniques and their understanding of cinematic expression.
One leading actor, Zaharadden Sani, described Dharmendra as “a teacher from afar, whose films taught us emotion long before any of us stepped into a studio.”
A veteran actress, Fati SU Garba, said he “showed that simplicity and humility could coexist with massive stardom, a lesson Kannywood has tried to embrace.”
Producers and directors also reflected on how his films influenced the musicality and emotional intensity that became hallmarks of Hausa blockbusters in the 2000s.
READ ALSO: Kano Censors Board suspends top Kannywood actress over indecent dressing
A Cross-Cultural Legacy That Lives On
Even as Kannywood embraces digital filmmaking and global streaming, Bollywood’s fingerprints remain visible—from song sequences and costume styles to emotionally grounded storytelling centred on family and honour.
“Dharmendra helped shape our imagination,” senior screenwriter Nura Akilu said. “Our industry exists today partly because actors like him showed us what cinema could be.”
For many in northern Nigeria, Dharmendra was not merely a foreign film star; he was a silent mentor, a familiar presence, and for an entire generation, a teacher from afar.
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