Veteran actor Dharmendra is one of the most iconic figures in Hindi cinema, charming audiences since the 1960s. Known as Bollywood’s “He-Man” for his captivating smile and commanding screen presence, he remains down-to-earth despite the immense fame he has earned. Throughout his life, he made headlines not just for his stardom but also for his two marriages, which resulted in six children, without any divorces. Interestingly, the actor once admitted to being intimidated by a particular actress. It’s said that Dharmendra often partied and drank after film shoots and had a love for food and alcohol.
On a TV show, it was revealed that his drinking habits sometimes caused bad breath. Out of fear of his co-star, Asha Parekh, Dharmendra developed a unique way to manage this. In an interview, he recounted an incident during the shooting of Aaye Din Bahar Ke in Darjeeling, where Asha Parekh was the lead actress. The team would often party late into the night, which included drinking. To avoid troubling his co-star, Dharmendra resorted to eating onions before arriving on set, hoping it would mask the smell of alcohol. One day, he confessed to Asha that it wasn’t onions she smelled—it was alcohol. Her advice to him was simple: stop drinking. And he did.
Dharmendra also recalled filming a song sequence where he had to stand in cold water. After the scene, he was offered brandy to warm up, but he remembered Asha Parekh’s earlier warning to not come to set if he had been drinking. Out of respect for her, he refrained from drinking during the shoot.
Interestingly, Dharmendra wasn’t the only actor who felt uneasy around Asha Parekh. In an old episode of Indian Idol, she shared a story about how Rajesh Khanna was also nervous around her. During the filming of Baharon Ke Sapne, Khanna, who was relatively new to the industry, was intimidated by her established status. Asha described him as an introvert who rarely spoke to anyone on set.
