The He-man of Bollywood, Dharmendra, is a prime example of an outsider who made his mark in the industry dominated by established families. Despite his mother’s playful remarks about his looks, Dharmendra became the dream man of every girl. His desire to be in front of the camera began years ago when he idolized the legendary Dilip Kumar. He was known as He-man by villains and loved by ladies as their heroic figure.
In today’s segment of ETimes BFFs (Big Filmy Families), we delve into Dharmendra’s journey of living the quintessential Bollywood dream: from being an ordinary person in a small town to becoming a heartthrob nationwide.
Kewal Kishan Singh Deol and Satwant Kaur
Dharmendra’s father, Kewal Kishan Singh Deol, worked as a school teacher in the same school where his children were enrolled. Kewal Kishan Singh Deol and Satwant Kaur had six children. Sadly, their eldest, Santosh, passed away at the age of two. Dharmendra was their second son, followed by daughter Surindar, who died young due to typhoid. They also had sons Ajit and daughters Harminder and Sudarshan.
Dharmendra
This legend was born on December 8, 1935, in Nasrali village, Ludhiana, Punjab. When he was just two years old, Dharmendra moved to Sanewal when his father was transferred there. When Dharmendra was in 8th grade, the country went through partition, and the actor lost several friends who migrated across the border. Dharmendra’s strict and disciplined father wanted him to become a professor, but destiny had other plans for him.
Following his passion for acting, Dharmendra applied for Filmfare’s talent hunt contest in 1958 and thus began his journey towards fulfilling his Bollywood dream. He made his debut in 1960 with ‘Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere’ and achieved great success with blockbusters like ‘Phool Aur Patthar,’ ‘Seeta Aur Geeta,’ ‘Guddi,’ ‘Yaadon Ki Baaraat,’ ‘Sholay,’ and ‘Chupke Chupke,’ among others.
In addition to establishing his legacy as an actor, Dharmendra also founded a recording studio named after his eldest son. Sunny Super Sound, which reportedly began in 1983, has Dharmendra and his youngest son Bobby as board directors.
Prakash Kaur
Before entering films, Dharmendra had an arranged marriage with Prakash Kaur when he was only 19 years old. Before his film career, Dharmendra was already a father as his first-born, Sunny, was a few years old. Dharmendra and Prakash went on to have three more children: daughters Vijayta and Ajeeta, and son Bobby.
Sunny Deol
Sunny Deol, born on October 19, 1956, followed in his father’s footsteps and entered the film industry. He made his acting debut in 1983 with ‘Betaab,’ co-starring Amrita Singh. Soon after, he married Pooja in 1984. Like his father, Sunny established himself as a macho hero in films and is known for his iconic ‘dhai kilo ka haath.’ Sunny and Pooja have two sons, Karan and Rajveer. Over the years, Sunny delivered powerful performances in films like ‘Damini,’ ‘ChaalBaaz,’ ‘Ghayal,’ ‘Darr,’ and ‘Gadar.’
Karan Deol
Sunny and Pooja’s eldest son, Karan, worked as an assistant director on ‘Yamla Pagla Deewana 2’ in 2013 and made his Bollywood debut with ‘Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas’ in 2019. The film was directed by his father, Sunny Deol. In June 2023, Karan married Drisha Acharya, the great-granddaughter of acclaimed filmmaker Bimal Roy. Drisha works in the travel industry and resides in Dubai.
Rajveer Deol
Sunny and Pooja Deol’s second son, Rajveer Deol, is preparing for his Bollywood debut. He will be playing the lead in ‘Dono,’ which also marks the directorial debut of filmmaker and producer Sooraj Barjatya’s son, Avnish Barjatya.
Vijayta and Ajeeta
Dharmendra and Prakash’s second-born daughter, Vijayta, is married to Vivek Gill, and they have two children, Prerna and Sahil. Dharmendra established a production company in the name of his daughter Vijayta, who prefers to stay away from the limelight. Vijayta’s daughter Prerna Gill, an author, married lawyer Pulkit Deora in 2017.
Dharmendra and Prakash’s youngest child, daughter Ajeeta, resides in the USA. She is married to dentist Dr. Kiran Chaudhri, and they have two children, Nikita, who is also a dentist, and Priyanka.
Bobby Deol
Born as Vijay Singh Deol on January 27, 1967, he is now known by his stage name Bobby. After appearing as a child artist in his father’s film ‘Dharam Veer’ in 1977, Bobby made his full-fledged debut with ‘Barsaat’ in 1995. He went on to deliver successful films like ‘Gupt’ (1997), ‘Soldier’ (1998), and ‘Humraaz’ (2002). In recent times, Bobby has gained popularity in the OTT space with series like ‘Class of ’83’ (2020) and ‘Aashram’ (2020–present). In 1996, Bobby married Tanya Ahuja, the daughter of a top banker. The couple has two children, Aryaman and Dharam.
Hema Malini
Dharmendra and Hema Malini’s love story is a fascinating one. They first met in 1970 while working on ‘Tum Haseen Main Jawaan,’ and their romance blossomed. They faced opposition from Hema Malini’s parents, but eventually, they tied the knot on May 2, 1980. Dharmendra and Hema Malini have two daughters, Esha and Ahana.
Relationship between the two wives
Dharmendra did not divorce his first wife. Instead, he embraced Islam to marry Hema Malini. After Dharmendra and Hema Malini’s wedding, Prakash Kaur gave an interview to a magazine in 1981, where she defended her husband and stated that he was good to her and the best father to their children. She also mentioned that several heroes were getting married for the second time at that time, and Dharmendra should not be singled out.
Hema Malini had met Prakash Kaur at social events before marrying Dharmendra. Hema has always expressed her respect for Prakash and stated that there is no jealousy or resentment between them.
Esha Deol
Dharmendra and Hema Malini’s first child, daughter Esha, was born in 1981. She is a trained classical dancer and made her film debut in ‘Koi Mere Dil Se Poochhe’ in 2002. She went on to appear in films like ‘Dhoom,’ ‘No Entry,’ and many more. Esha made her debut on OTT with ‘Rudra’ in 2022. She married businessman Bharat Takhtani on June 29, 2012, and the couple has two daughters, Radhya (2017) and Miraya (2019).
Ahana Deol
Born in 1985, Ahana Deol tried her hand at acting with ‘Na Tum Jano Na Hum,’ but she soon left the profession. In 2014, she married businessman Vaibh