Legendary actor Dharmendra passed away at his home in Mumbai on November 24. The actor had been in and out of hospital from November 1 onwards. He was admitted to Breach Candy hospital and later was discharged. The family had said in a statement that he was recovering and would continue his treatment at home. While the family and well-wishers were hopeful about his recovery, his death brought immense grief to everyone. Now in an interview ‘Gadar 2’ director Anil Sharma who has been close to the Deol family for many years, has opened up on the legendary actor’s final moments. Sharma revealed during a chat with Vickey Lalwani, “I went to his home. He had recovered. He would open his eyes and he would even move his hands. He was recovering and doctors were saying that Dharamji bahut strong aadmi hai (Dharamji is a very strong man).”
He added, “Doctors also assured that he would recover and even in the hospital, it looked like he would recover. But the age shows its signs, and you can’t do anything in front of age. Everyone was hopeful that he would recover and that we would celebrate his birthday on December 8. Everyone was preparing.” Dharmendra would have turned 90 on December 8.For those not in the know, Sharma directed ‘Dharmendra’ in ‘Hukumat’ in 1987. Their association began since then and it went on to films like ‘Elaan-e-Jung’, ‘Farishtay’ and more. This work relationship further also transferred to Dharmendra’s son Sunny who worked with Sharma in the iconic ‘Gadar’ franchise and other films like ‘The Hero: Love Story Of A Spy’. Sharma also directed all the three Deols together in ‘Apne’. Meanwhile, Anil Sharma had been planning to make ‘Apne 2’ for a while now. But after Dharmendra’s demise, the director revealed that the project can never happen now and it’s shelved forever. He told Hindustan Times, “Apne to apno ke bina nahi ho sakti. Without Dharamji, it’s impossible to make the sequel. Everything was on track and the script was ready, but he left us. Some dreams remain unfulfilled. Without him, it’s not possible.”
