Dharamjiwillstayin ourmemories forever

Dharamji was not only a superstar - he was a truly wonderful human being. I met him for the first time on the set of my aunt's film Chaitali, where he was the leading man opposite Saira Banu. We went to the shoot every day, and Dharamji was always friendly, kind, and gracious to all of us.

- ABHIK ROY New Delhi, 24 November

What set him apart from other Bollywood stars, in my opinion, was his extraordinary humility. He never forgot his gratitude to my uncle, Bimal Roy, who gave him his first break as a romantic actor in Bandini. Although his role as the prison doctor who falls in love with the heroine, played by Nutan, was small, he received critical acclaim for the quiet sensitivity he brought to it - so different from the action-hero persona he later became known for.

There was a gentleness and moral dignity in that character that seemed to mirror the man himself. His scenes with Nutan, understated yet filled with emotional restraint, revealed a depth that filmmakers and audiences had not seen before. In many ways, Bandini marked the beginning of a new kind of leading man in Hindi cinema - one who could convey strength without aggression and romantic intensity without theatrics.