Ludhiana, November 24: Punjab plunged into mourning on Monday after news spread from Mumbai that legendary Bollywood actor Dharmendra had died at 89. In his native belt of Dangon village and nearby Sahnewal town in Ludhiana district, residents gathered to remember a figure they describe not as a film icon, but as a family member who never severed his connection with home.
People in Sahnewal spoke of the emotional bond Dharmendra shared with Punjab and how generations across the region still regard him as their own. In the town’s old quarters, everyone knows the modest rented house where he spent his early years as the son of schoolteacher Kewal Krishan Deol. Though the building has changed hands and undergone renovation, locals still identify it by one name — Dharmendra’s house.
“Everyone here knows the way to Dharmendra ji’s house. We may be its owners now, but even we call it Dharmendra Bhaji’s house,” said resident Honey Singh, whose family now lives in the property once occupied by the Deols.
According to senior citizens, the house was originally owned by Master Ramji Das, a fellow teacher and friend of Dharmendra’s father, who was transferred to Sahnewal from Lalton Kalan. The Government Primary School where he taught is still widely referred to as Dharmendra’s father’s school.
In Dangon, the actor’s ancestral village, relatives gathered at his century-old family home to share memories of his late-night visits. His aunt Pritam Kaur, now over 100, sat surrounded by family as they recalled how Dharmendra preferred arriving quietly after dark to avoid drawing crowds. Her son, Manjit Singh Deol, and his children spoke of the warmth he carried into the house each time he returned.
Some years ago, Dharmendra transferred his 19-kanal agricultural holding in the village to Manjit Singh, a gesture the family recalls with emotion. “It was his way of keeping the family bond alive,” said Manjit’s son, Buta Singh Deol. “He wanted the land preserved. He trusted us with it.”
Buta remembered how deeply the actor was affected by the death of his younger brother, Shingara Singh, during the Covid pandemic. “He was shattered,” he said.
Despite his stardom, Dharmendra often spoke of his regret that he could not do more for Dangon because of his demanding shooting schedules. He would gently remind visitors that while he carried love for all of Punjab, the village was his true home. “Though all of Punjab is my motherland,” he once said, “my roots are in this village.”
In Sahnewal, many residents described a sense of personal bereavement. Girdhari Lal Sharma, a childhood acquaintance and a friend of Dharmendra’s younger brother Ajit Singh, said he stayed at the actor’s Mumbai home while training for a job. “His children welcomed me with open arms and hearts,” he said. He recalled visiting him on a film set years later, when Dharmendra recognised him in a crowd and asked security to let him through. “He was very down to earth. His death is a personal loss,” he said.
Satish Kumar, who runs the local sweet shop, said his grandfather Sadhu Ram was close to Dharmendra in childhood. The actor, he recalled, never visited Sahnewal without stopping by their shop. Ahead of grandson Karan Deol’s wedding in 2023, Dharmendra reportedly ordered 35 kg of barfi from the same shop. “Bhaji came here in 2022 for the last time. He walked through the lanes where he once played,” Satish said.
Residents said they had been praying for his recovery since his recent hospitalisation in Mumbai. As the news of his death appeared on television and social media, villagers gathered near the community space by his childhood home to grieve collectively.
“Dharmendra ji may have been a star to the world, but for us he was Bhaji,” said Gaurav Kumar, a local resident. “An affectionate elder who never forgot where he came from.”
