Asha Parekh recalls Dharmendra: “He was the most handsome hero I co-starred with” : Bollywood News

Asha Parekh was considered the luckiest heroine of the 1960s with the biggest blockbusters of the decade to her credit.

Asha Parekh recalls Dharmendra: “He was the most handsome hero I co-starred with”

But she feels one hero was equally lucky. “And not just for me, but all my contemporaries. Dharam ji was a hit with every heroine. 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. And 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 most handsome 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 Dharam ji is gone. My heart reaches out to Sunny and Bobby, Esha and Ahana. They must be shattered.”

She recalls the fun times she had on the sets with Dharam ji. “I was a mastikhor (funster). So 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 Hrishi da’s Chupke Chupke with Dharam ji. 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).”

Also Read: Shatrughan Sinha on Dharmendra, “We thought he would recover. Maybe it was wishful thinking”