'He had a terrific sense of what works at the box office and what doesn't.'
Asha Parekh was considered the luckiest heroine of the 1960s with the biggest blockbusters of the decade to her credit.
But she feels one hero was equally lucky.
"Dharamji was a hit with every heroine," she tells Subhash K Jha.
"With me, he did Aaye Din Bahar Ke, Aaya Sawan Jhoom Ke, Shikar, Mera Gaon Mera Desh, Samadhi... all smash successes with songs that are hummed to this day.
"He had a terrific sense of what works at the box office and what doesn't. I wonder why he never directed a film. He was the handsomest hero I co-starred with, along with Dev Anand and Shammi Kapoor."
Asha Parekh regrets not keeping in touch with Dharmendra.
"One by one, all my co-stars are gone. Now even Dharamji is gone. My heart reaches out to Sunny and Bobby, Esha and Aahana. They must be shattered."
She recalls the fun times she had on the sets with Dharamji.
"I was a mastikhor as was he. But the minute the camera rolled, we were serious. He was a natural on camera. I love his performance in Hrishikesh Mukherjee's Satyakam.
"I was to do Hrishida's Chupke Chupke with Dharamji, but I don't know what happened. Lekin jo bhi kiya unke saath bahot mazaa aaya (whatever work I did with him, I had a blast)."
Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff
