Disclaimer: This is based on news reports and social media updates till 8 PM, November 24, 2025. Things are moving fast – please check official sources or family statements for confirmed details.
The news hit like a punch in the gut this morning – Dharmendra, the man every Indian uncle secretly wanted to look like, is gone. At 89, the legendary actor breathed his last at his Juhu home in Mumbai today, November 24, 2025. Just two weeks before he would’ve turned 90.
Twitter – sorry, X – exploded the second the news broke. #Dharmendra has been trending non-stop for hours, with old clips of him jumping off forts in slow motion, shirt half-open, hair flying, racking up millions of views. People are posting childhood photos with him, crying emojis, broken-heart GIFs, and that one dialogue from Sholay everyone knows by heart: “Basanti, in kutto ke saamne mat nachna.”
He wasn’t just an actor. He was the walking definition of “tashan.” Born Dharam Singh Deol in a small Punjab village, the guy went from driving tractors to driving the entire country crazy with that jawline and that smile. Over 300 films, dozens of superhits, and one nickname that stuck forever – Garam Dharam. Women fainted, men copied his hairstyle, and directors knew one Dharmendra entry scene was enough to sell tickets for the week.
Everyone has a Dharmendra memory. For some it’s Veeru drunk on the water tank in Sholay, for others it’s the angry young (well, angry middle-aged) father in those 90s family dramas with Sunny and Bobby. My dad still says “Beta, bandook bhi dushman ko dikhani padti hai” whenever he wants to sound cool. That was Dharmendra’s magic – he made larger-than-life feel real.
The last few months were tough. He was in and out of hospital, back issues, heart trouble, the usual cruel stuff that comes with age. He got discharged just ten days ago and even posted a video smiling, telling fans “Main theek hoon, dua karo.” Nobody thought this was coming so soon.
Today the scenes outside his house were pure Bollywood – only this time it wasn’t reel, it was real. Sunny and Bobby carried their father’s body, both trying hard to keep it together. Hema Malini stood quietly in white, looking like someone had switched off the lights inside her. Esha and Ahana were sobbing. Even the Mumbai rain showed up, like it didn’t want to miss the climax.
Politicians, actors, cricketers – everyone came. PM Modi put out a long heartfelt post. Amitabh Bachchan just shared a black-and-white photo of the two of them from Sholay days with the caption “Dost.” Salman Khan reached straight from the gym still in track pants. Reporters said the crowd at the crematorium was so huge they had to shut the road.
Right now the internet is flooded with his best scenes – the shirtless fight in Phool Aur Patthar, the bike entry in Pratigya, the drunk poetry in Chupke Chupke. Somebody made a reel with the song “Main jat yamla pagla deewana” and it already has 10 million views and endless crying emojis.
We lost a lot of legends this year, but losing Dharmendra feels personal. He was the last of that old-school macho-romantic breed. No six-pack abs, no PR team, just raw Punjabi swag and a heart bigger than Punjab itself.
Rest in peace, Dharam ji. Thanks for the movies, the dialogues we still use, and for teaching an entire generation how to look cool while doing absolutely nothing.
Ye dosti… we’ll never forget. Sources: NDTV, Times of India, Hindustan Times, ANI tweets, Bollywood Hungama, and a million heartbroken posts on X.
