The Hindi cinema industry is in grief following the death of veteran actor Dharmendra on Monday at the age of 89. His health was the subject of increased rumors earlier yesterday, November 24, when an ambulance with strong security arrived at his Juhu home. Later, his family was seen in Mumbai's Pawan Hans Crematorium alongside other industry heavyweights, including Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, and Amitabh Bachchan.
Many people are recalling not only the celebrity he was but also the kindness, warmth, and protectiveness that characterized him off-screen as tributes come in from all around the nation. Expert screenwriter Honey Irani is one of the voices reminiscent of such aspect of him.

"Iss bachchi ko kuchh ho jayega."
Some of Honey's efforts, like Rajnish Bahl's Soorat Aur Seerat (1962), received praise, but others were never released. However, the memory that sticks with her comes from a shoot that included a risky act.
"The filmmaker intended to have us strolling between two moving trains! Honey told The Indian Express, "That was probably one of the first times such a sequence had been attempted in India." The director asked Dharmendra, who played a blind guy in the movie, to wear dark glasses during the scene, but he declined because he thought it would make the stunt risky."Mera beta hai tu."
Long after those movies were finished, Honey also recalls their friendship. She claims Dharmendra would joke, "Mera beta hai tu (You're my son)," whenever they ran into each other. "Beta hai ya beti, samajh hi nahi aata (Can't make out if you were my son or daughter)," he would say, laughing at the fact that she had portrayed his son in certain movies and his daughter in others.

Years later, when 19-year-old Honey worked on Seeta Aur Geeta, which co-starred Hema Malini and was co-written by her future husband Javed Akhtar, their paths met once more. Only in the climax did the two appear together, but Dharmendra was astounded by how much she had changed. "Arey, tu itni badi ho gayi! Pehle toh shorts pehen ke aati thi. Ab kya wahan sari pehen ke khadi hai! (Oh, how quickly you've matured! Earlier, you wore shorts. And now you're standing in a sari!)," Honey recalled, chuckling at his response.
Dharmendra acted in a number of Javed-scripted films, including Manmohan Desai's Chacha Bhatija (1977) and the all-time hit Sholay (1975), but Honey never collaborated with him again after switching to screenwriting in the 1990s.Honey considers his illustrious career
In retrospect, Honey claims that his range was much wider than most people realize. "His adaptability is greatly underestimated. He was capable of both commercial potboilers like Sholay and Hrishikesh Mukherjee movies like Satyakam (1969). Beyond his skill, she continues, it was his character that set him apart. He was also among the most gracious, courteous, and modest individuals she encountered in the Hindi film industry. I can't stress how crucial that is. It's a great loss for humanity as well as the film industry, she argues.

It had been two or three years since Honey last saw Dharmendra. She recalls him being really enthusiastic about going back to work in Ikkis (2025) and Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (2023). He was still full of energy, but his warmth and compassion remained. "We would really miss him," she says.
One thing is evident from her stories: Dharmendra was a good man long before he became a legend, and that is what we shall miss the most.