One of Hindi cinema’s most beloved superstars, Dharmendra, left behind an unforgettable legacy with his powerful performances across decades of filmmaking. Even after his passing at the age of 89, his legacy remains, and his versatile performances continue to resonate with audiences. The late actor was recently honored with a posthumous Padma Vibhushan, received by his wife, Hema Malini.
To celebrate the prestigious honor of the late actor, here’s revisiting five of Dharmendra’s highest-rated films on IMDb.
1. Satyakam (1969)
- Director: Hrishikesh Mukherjee
- IMDb Rating: 8.3/10
- Where to Watch: Youtube
Plot: The story is set in British Raj India. Satyapriya and Naren are amongst the engineering graduates who pass out of Bhawanigarh just a few months before independence. The institute is run by the cruel principal Vikram Singh, who knows his days of control and power are numbered. Satyapriya finds a job in Bhawanigarh and falls in love with Ranjana, whom he eventually marries. The marriage creates several issues in Satyapriya’s orthodox family, which follows the principles of the Acharya clan and hence doesn’t allow Ranjana to enter the household. Satyapriya, a man of the highest integrity, navigates the challenges till the family is forced to question its rules upon a death in its own clan.
2. Chupke Chupke (1975)
- Director: Hrishikesh Mukherjee
- IMDb Rating: 8.3/10
- Where to Watch: JioHotstar
Plot: Botany professor Parimal Tripathi falls in love with Sulekha and marries her. Soon, he starts getting jealous of Sulekha’s brother-in-law Raghavendra, whom she reveres and often describes as highly intellectual. To prove that he is on par with Raghavendra, he secures a job at the latter’s household, disguising himself as chauffeur Pyaremohan, and spews chaos in the family. To make matters worse, Parimal brings in his best friend and English professor, Sukumar Sinha, who disguises himself as Parimal and pretends to be Suleka’s husband. What then follows is a comedy of errors, with misunderstandings spinning out of control and eventually getting resolved.
3. Sholay (1975)
- Director: Ramesh Sippy
- IMDb Rating: 8.1/10
- Where to Watch: Prime Video, Jio Hotstar
Plot: Ex-police inspector Thakur Baldev’s family is brutally murdered by bandit Gabbar Singh. In order to avenge his family’s killings, Thakur recruits two infamous thieves, Jai and Veeru, to infiltrate a small village where Gabbar resides and kill him. When Gabbar learns that two men have been sent to kill him, he starts killing the residents of the village one by one to make Jai (Amitabh Bachchan) and Veeru (Dharmendra) quit the mission. The story then follows the cat-and-mouse chase between Jai and Veeru and Gabbar, with Thakur controlling the game.
4. Mera Naam Joker (1970)
- Director: Raj Kapoor
- IMDb Rating: 7.9/10
- Where to Watch: Zee5
Plot: Young Raju is infatuated with the circus but is prohibited from joining it by his widowed mother, who lost her husband to a tragic accident during a stint at the circus. Despite this, Raju, a natural class clown, starts training for the circus. He develops feelings for his teacher, Mary, but is left heartbroken when she marries another man. Years later, an adult Raju is now a part of the famous Gemini Circus. He crosses paths with a Russian artist, Marina, during an Indo-Soviet circus that’s performing in India. The two fall deeply in love. Just before his major performance at Gemini Circus, Raju receives the devastating news of his mother’s death. In addition, Marina must go back to Russia. Raju performs through his tears and pain. Heartbroken for the second time, Raju leaves the circus to perform on the streets and comes across Meena. He helps her rise to fame, and along the journey, the two fall in love. However, Meena ditches Raju by marrying a wealthy film hero, and he (Raju) is left shattered yet again. Raju then invites all three ladies to his final act at the circus, depicting the painful journey he has endured.
5. Haqeeqat (1964)
- Director: Chetan Anand
- IMDb Rating: 7.8/10
- Where to Watch: YouTube
Plot: The film is set against the Sino-Indian War of 1962. Capt. Bahadur Singh rescues a small platoon of Indian soldiers from the hilly terrain of Ladakh, who are presumed dead. They are then asked to retreat from their post when they are surrounded by Chinese troops. Capt. Singh and his girlfriend, Almo, die while protecting their comrades as they escape from the Chinese military. However, even the retreating soldiers realize that they are outnumbered and give up their lives for their country.
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