Chandigarh, March 21
He has been the quintessential ladies' man, darling of his heroines, the ideal lover on celluloid. Dharmendra Bhaaji is all that and more.

Catch him at any point, for any reason. And rest assured, even before he begins to talk to you or allow such an interview to take place, he makes sure you have gulped a glass of lassi or maybe even One Large.

And once you are done with his trademark hospitality, our man is finally at ease. It's quite a beautiful barter, where the interviewer carries home much more than the mere interview. Anyone who has had the chance to sit, talk, eat, drink or just be with the actor will vouch for Dharmendra's hospitality.

So, when news of our handsome, legendary Jat getting a sprain in his hand while shooting for Yamla, Pagla, Deewana in Patiala, spreads like wild fire, (some even talked of a heart stroke which was fortunately a load of nonsense), fans sped to Chandigarh's PGI to check up on the actor's health, hoping to catch a lucky glimpse too.

That is the effect our man still has, even three decades since he epitomized the role of the heartwarming urban gangster Veeru in Sholay. His dialogue — Basanti in kutton key aagey mat naachna (Basanti, don't dance before these despicable dogs) continues to be a sort of anthem for stand-up comedians. While the actor never exactly became a dancer, his two left feet and the jig he did with them continue to be a signature still.

That's Dharam. He had his roots in Ludhiana, became the charismatic star of the '60, '70s and '80s, stayed much married with his loyal first wife, had sons Sunny and Bobby, then married the Dream Girl, Hema Malini, and continued to be loved across the years. For his sheer rustic simplicity.

No wonder, everybody sighed in relief, when on Wednesday last, the hero - smiling through a tired face, the very visibly receding salt and pepper hairline - walked out of PGI declaring that nothing can go wrong with him! "Main Punjab to haan. Mainu kuch nahin ho sakda!" (I am from Punjab. Nothing can happen to me) he stated, smiled, waved and vanished into his car. He plays badminton every morning. “He exercises two hours every morning,” reveals Satish, manager with Hotel Heritage, Patiala, where the Deol family is staying. “Aaj kal to who strict diet paey hain” (these days he is on a strict diet) confides Satish. “Dharam ji eats yellow dal, maithi and lot of green vegetables".

With fans wanting to get a peek-a-boo of the apney Punjab da puttar (their very own son of Punjab), Dharmendra spreads love, giving out autographs and pictures. Hotel workers often see him moving to and fro in casual clothes (jeans rarely). “He greets everyone with a smile,” says an attendant at the hotel.

Curiously, his appeal among men is as strong, if not more. Take Mandeep Singh. He is all of 32 years old and had seen Dharmendra only in films. But once this Patialvi learnt that the former star and his two sons would be camping in Patiala for more than a month, he flew down from Vancouver, his wife Dilrup and six-month old daughter in tow, to catch a glimpse of the star. Who says the popularity of Punjab da puttar is on the wane!

Vindu Dara Singh of Bigg Boss fame breaks in with his version “Dharam uncle often comes to our home for get-togethers. It is a pleasure to have him around. He likes to talk about the good old times, share anecdotes from his career, recite urdu poetry , all in his inimitable style."

Dharmendra has indeed pulled through a long and chequered journey starting with Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere (1960) right to the under-production Yamla Pagla Deewana (2010). The years in between have been memorable , for they made the guy from Sahnewal what he is today. Phool Aur Patthar, Satyakam, Anupama, Chupke Chupke, Dharamvir, Pratigya, Aag He Aag, Apney, Life In a Metro — comedy, action, romance - all delivered in front of the camera with meticulous skill. And then there is this burning desire to pen poetry in Urdu which a visibly relaxed Dharamendra had mentioned while shooting for Apney in Chandigarh. And yes, he also said: "I would love to write a script someday.” Subject? “Anything, any genre,” he replies after a thought. "I love coming to Sahnewal — just love it" he always says.

Contemplating, we know now why Dharamji didn't exactly make hay while the sun shone on his political career. A man this simple and this straight in the face, could hardly have been expected to play political games. And if he did play, he would have unmasked many. The ex-BJP man did little of note in politics but friends and family see his tenure as a selfless service towards the nation.

Dharmendra's sons who adore him still love to see their Papa dance. "We will have the song - Yamla Pagla Deewana in the movie as well. With Papa around, expect only the best," said Sunny Deol recently. For those of you who don’t know, Dharam ji is the greatest fan of Dilip Kumar. Shares actor Raza Murad who has worked with Gulami, loha, Wardi, “He can mimic Dilip ji extremely well. The best thing about him is that he is a light-hearted person who likes to be in the company of jovial people. Dharmendra is a very emotional person, like a child who can cry at drop of a hat. Malice stays miles away from him."

In February a dense fog enveloped Chandigarh and no plane could land the day 40 chorus dancers were to reach Patiala for shooting. Samir Karnik panicked as the disruption in shooting would cost the unit a loss of millions of rupees. But Dharmendra and his sons offered to shoot sequences other than the dance. The entire unit shifted to Doraha and the three Deols continued shooting round the clock. “ Dharamji gave shots for night scenes till 4.30 am and yet he was up and about at breakfast,” exclaimed Karnik, “ how does he do it ?”

His fans however expect a lot more. Like more awards — more than the Lifetime Achievement Award — that came pretty late. Dharam Bhaaji takes the award in his stride. "I didn't work for the award!" he had said. He has a point.

The man endowed with enviable good looks ( Dilip Kumar is said to have declared in jest that he would complain to God Almighty why he had not made him as handsome as Dharmendra) is adored by people close to him.

But the actor with his honest look and robust sex appeal also has the distinction of not receiving a single Filmfare award for acting till the jury made amends in 1997 by giving him the lifetime achievement award. This despite several memorable performances by the actor, who caught the imagination of the audience with his roles of an upright engineer in Satyakam , an honest cop in Mera Gaon Mera Desh, a jail doctor in Bandini and of course the lovable rake in Sholay .

What this world chose to see was probably a simple actor from Punjab reach the zenith, and be done in by some drinking bouts. (Raza Murad says that he has the tendency to give up drinks for six months at a stretch). What they didn't see was his early morning badminton game, a controlled diet, a sincere effort to wriggle out of any situation and well… be a happy, childlike survivor. “It has been a fruitful journey so far. I have delivered my best; nevertheless it is the beginning of a journey. Thankfully I had the support of my kids and family,"says he with satisfaction writ large on his face. One can not but break out into "Dharam Bhaji tussi great ho!"