Dharmendra born on 8^th December, 35 in Nasrali village in Ludhiana, India, to a middle-class Jatt-Sikh family, was a clerk in the Indian Railways before entering films in 60 film “Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere” (Heart is yours and I’m also yours). His first hit film was Phool Aur Pathar ( Flower and Rock).  Over the years, Dharmendra was cast against 70 heroines. At 19, he married Prakash Kaur, have two sons and two daughters.  He married Bollywood actress Hema Malini for the second time and have two daughters. His career spanning 6 decades working in more than 300 films.  Best known as Veeru, a loveable criminal in the 1975 blockbuster Sholay. Dubbed as the original He-Man of Bollywood, and in his heyday female fans used to sleep with his photos under their pillows. In 2012, he was awarded the “Padma Bhushan”. He won on a BJP ticket in 2004, election from Bikaner in Rajasthan. Despite acting in dozens of hits, Dharmendra never made it to the “number one Superstar status” losing to contemporaries like Dilip Kumar, Rajesh Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan. However, in 1997, Filmfare honoured him with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to Hindi cinema.

On Wednesday news of his death prompted tributes