‘I loved Dharmendra’: When Jaya Bachchan hid behind a sofa on seeing Dharam Paaji, wanted to be Basanti in Sholay
Hindi film industry’s He-Man, Dharmendra passed away today at his Juhu residence at the age of 89, just two weeks before his 90th birthday. His demise broke millions of hearts, because Dharam Paaji was a true superstar, not just for the audience but also his co-stars. His aura was so magnificent that Jaya Bachchan, who made her Bollywood debut with the veteran superstar in Guddi (1971), hid behind a sofa when she saw Dharmendra for the first time. As the nation mourns, let’s take a trip down memory lane and remember the wholesome moment.
Back in 2007, Sholay co-stars Jaya Bachchan and Hema Malini came together for an episode of Karan Johar’s chat show Koffee With Karan. During the same, Jaya opened up about her love for Dharmendra, and shared, “I loved Dharmendra… You know when I saw him for the first time and I was introduced to him, there was a sofa like this. I went and hid behind it. I was so nervous! I didn’t know what to do. There was this fantastic-looking man. I still remember what he was wearing- white trousers and a white shirt and he looked like a Greek God.” Jaya went on to add, “I should have played Basanti! Because I loved Dharmendra.”
Dharmendra had reacted to this confession while promoting his and Jaya’s last film Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (2023). The late superstar had shared, “This is her love and respect speaking. I’ve known Jaya and Amitabh for a very long time now. I still remember the fun times that we had while shooting for Sholay.” Interestingly, last year on Amitabh Bachchan’s show, Aamir Khan had asked him, “When Jaya ji used to go for the shoots with another hero. So, which hero’s name bothered you, knowing that Jaya ji was shooting with him today?” Hearing this, Amitabh shared how his wife Jaya loved Dharmendra and had told him about it long ago. Big B revealed, “Ahh..never felt bothered. On the very first day, she said that Dharmendra is my favourite. She said that ‘there is no man more handsome than him in our industry’.”
May Dharam Paaji rest in peace.
