Haridwar (Uttarakhand) [India], November 25 (ANI): Swami Chidanand Saraswati Maharaj of Parmarth Niketan on Monday expressed deep grief over the demise of veteran actor Dharmendra and said that his passing marks the “end of an era” in Indian cinema.
Remembering the actor’s decades-long contribution to film and society, he said, “First of all, I pay my homage to the person who made an impact and defined the society through films… I pray that God provides strength to his family… This is the end of an era… People like him do not die; they are always remembered.”
Dharmendra passed away on Monday at the age of 89, bringing to a close an iconic career that spanned more than six decades. His final rites were performed at the Pawan Hans Crematorium in Vile Parle, where family members and close associates gathered for the last farewell.
Acharya Bhupendra Shastri, who performed the last rites, said all rituals were conducted according to tradition. “All the rituals have been performed. We pray for the salvation of the soul of the great actor. All the family members were present there. No one can fill his space. He was a gem for the country. Vo hamare liye, samaj ke liye ek darohar ki tarah the… He has millions of fans across the world…” he said.
A large number of prominent film personalities reached the cremation site to pay their respects to the late actor. Shah Rukh Khan, Govinda, Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone were among those who arrived to offer condolences to the Deol family. Amitabh Bachchan, Saira Banu, Abhishek Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Salim Khan, Sanjay Dutt, Zayed Khan, Rajkumar Santoshi, Anil Sharma and Siddharth Roy Kapur also visited the crematorium to pay homage.
Mehul, the ambulance driver who transported Dharmendra’s mortal remains to the crematorium, recalled the sequence of events and said, “I reached his residence. Took everything from there and reached the crematorium. I did not see his body. I got to know about his death around 11:30 AM. We reached here from his residence in about 10 minutes…”
Known as the ‘He-Man’ of Indian cinema, Dharmendra had been unwell for some time. He was admitted to Mumbai’s Breach Candy Hospital on November 10 following a deterioration in health and was discharged two days later for home treatment. He passed away on November 24.
Dharmendra is survived by his first wife, Prakash Kaur, his second wife, Hema Malini, and six children, Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol, Vijeta, Ajeita, Esha Deol and Ahana Deol.
The legendary actor delivered numerous memorable performances in films such as ‘Aya Sawan Jhoom Ke’, ‘Sholay’, ‘Chupke Chupke’, ‘Ayee Milan Ki Bela’ and ‘Anupama’.
Tributes have continued to pour in from across the country, honouring his unmatched contribution to cinema and Indian popular culture. (ANI)
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