Happy Birthday Dharmendra, one of Bollywood's greatest living legends.

One of the most celebrated actors of Hindi film industry Dharmendra turned 82 today. From being a charming lover to a macho man, Dharmendra has entertained his fans for almost five decades. Dharmendra is the ultimate tough guy. Some call him the He-Man.

Dharmendra with his first wife Prakash Kaur and son Bobby Deol

In 1997, he received the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to Hindi cinema.His starring roles in action films earned him nicknames such as 'Action King' and 'He-Man'. He gave a remarkable performance in Bandini (1963), Yaadon Ki Baaraat (1973), Sholay, Chupke Chupke (1975), Satyakam (1969) and this list is continued till now also.

Dharmendra sharing a light moment with Raaj Kumar and Meena Kumari.

He has been a member of the 14th Lok Sabha of India, representing Bikaner constituency in Rajasthan from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In 2012, he was honored India’s third highest civilian honor Padma Bhushan by the Government of India.

Sharmila Tagore and Dharmendra in a still from Hrishikesh Mukherjee's Anupama (1966).

If there is an actor who has aced the art of balancing two diverse acting genres – action and romance – then it has to be Dharmendra. Fondly called the ‘He-Man’ of Bollywood, Dharmendra has given the audience several memorable performances. Be it the action-packed role in Sholay, comic role in Chupke Chupke or the romantic hero role in Dream Girl, Dharmendra plays his role to perfection. And the audience has loved ‘Dharam paji’ in every avatar.

Dharmendra and Sharmila Tagore in a still from Hrishikesh Mukherjee's Chupke Chupke (1975).

Dharmendra was born on December 8, 1935, in Nasrali, Punjab. He made his debut with Arjun Hingorani’s Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere in 1960. Over the next few decades, he regaled the audience with several hit performances. His heavy voice, charming looks and well-built physique had women all across the country falling in love with him. Besides his acting chops, Dharmendra was also known for his epic dialogues.

Hema Malini and Dharmendra share a deep bond of love. He and Malini starred together in a number of movies in the early 1970s including the super hit film, Sholay. The couple has two daughters, Esha Deol and Ahana Deol.

10 best dialogues of Dharmendra that made us his fans forever.

‘Kutte kamine … main tera khoon pee jaoonga’. This dialogue from ‘Yaadon Ki Baaraat’ is something that has become a trademark and one of the most popular one liners of all times in Bollywood.

Dharmendra in a still from the movie Lalkar (1972)

‘Basanti… in kutton ke saamne mat nachna’. Undoubtedly, there will never be any replacement to this epic line.

Dharmendra at his home

‘Ek ek ko chun chun ke maaronga … chun chun ke maaronga’. And our very own action hero Dharmendra was ready to attack.

Producer G P Sippy, Dharmendra, Director Ramesh Sippy, Sanjeev Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan and Amjad Khan

‘Tum agar ek maaroge … toh hum char maarenge’. Dharmendra was extremely good when he were to throw an open challenge to villains on screen.

Dharmendra, Feroz Khan and Mumtaz

‘Iss story mein emotion hai, drama hai, tragedy hai’. Another dialogue which no one else could have delivered better than Dharmendra in his own unique style.

Bobby Deol, Dharmendra and Sunny Deol

‘When I dead, police coming … police coming, budiya going jail … in jail budiya chakki peesing, and peesing, and peesing, and peesing, and peesing’. Can any ardent moviegoer forget this ultimate scene and line from ‘Sholay’?

‘Agar t-o ‘to’ hota hai to g-o ‘gu’ kyun nahin hota? This hilarious question from Pyare Mohan still makes us burst into laughter. Don’t you agree on this?

‘Agar taqdeer mein maut likhi hai toh koi bacha nahi sakta … agar zindagi likhi hai toh koi Mai ka laal maar nahi sakta’. Wow! This one is our favourite for sure from Dharmendra’s classic film ‘Dharam Veer’.

‘Pehle ek Hindustani ko samajh lo … Hindi apne aap aa jayegi’. It was for the first time in ‘Apne’ when Dharmendra shared screen space with both his sons Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol on the big screen.

‘Oye ilaaka kutton ka hota hai, bhen ke takke … sher ka nahi’. The comic timing and one liners of Dharmendra along with Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol in ‘Yamla Pagla Deewana’ was received with whistles from the audience.

Sharmila Tagore and Dharmendra in a still from Hrishikesh Mukherjee's Anupama (1966).

The hansomest ever actor on the Indian screen in his prime, Dharmendra is a legend in the history of Hindi cinema. In his heyday he was listed amongst the 5 most attrcative men of the world. No star was more effective in roles of vengeance. However dharmendra enacted a huge spectrum of roles in his entire career.

The actor is still being loved and respected among his followers, though he is not a popular face on the big screen any more. Unlike Amitabh Bachchan and Rishi Kapoor, he is no more offered substantial roles in the modern films which have some well-documented scripts.