Phagwara was overcome with sorrow on Monday as word of Dharmendra’s passing spread across Punjab. For the people of this town, it wasn’t just the loss of a Bollywood legend — it was the farewell of a son who never forgot the soil that nurtured him.
Although born in Sahnewal, Dharmendra grew up in Phagwara, where he spent his formative years. His father, Master Kewal Krishan Chaudhary, served as a respected teacher at Arya High School, the same institution from which Dharmendra completed his matriculation in 1950. Former classmates and teachers remember him as a soft-spoken, sincere boy whose humility was as natural as his charm.
After completing his intermediate studies at Ramgarhia College in 1952, Dharmendra set off for Mumbai in pursuit of his dream of becoming an actor. Success came swiftly, but his heart remained deeply anchored in Phagwara.
Throughout his stellar career, Dharmendra returned to the town many times, each visit marked with warmth, nostalgia, and deep affection. He often stayed with his cousin Hakim Sat Pal, yet never missed meeting the friends who had been part of his earliest journey.
One of his regular visits was to the home of his schoolmate Advocate S. N. Chopra. Their conversations would drift back to their days at Arya High School — tales of mischievous pranks, admired teachers, and lessons in discipline imparted by his father. Chopra often recalled how the superstar, despite his global fame, retained the same simplicity and fondness for those memories.
Dharmendra also shared a heartfelt bond with Harjit Singh Parmar and his family. Each time he visited Punjab, he would stop by their home, chatting warmly about old times and the town’s changing landscape. Parmar fondly recalled how Dharmendra and his wife Prakash Kaur would arrive with a disarming humility — touching elders’ feet, engaging warmly with the family, and slipping seamlessly back into the role of their old friend. “He always came as the same Dharam — humble, emotional, and deeply connected,” Parmar said.
One story that still resonates across Phagwara dates back to Dharmendra’s youth, when he was rejected for a role in the local Ram Lila staged by the Quami Sewak Ram Lila Committee. Years later, when he returned as a celebrated star, he jokingly asked his friend Kaura, “Can I get a role in Ram Lila now?” The remark left his old friends smiling through tears.
A milestone that cemented his bond with the town came in 2006, when he inaugurated the Gurbachan Singh Parmar Complex built on the site of the old Paradise Theatre — the same cinema where he once watched films that inspired his dreams. Moved by emotion, he raised his voice and declared, “Phagwara Zindabad!” — a heartfelt salute to the town that shaped him.
“Every time he visited, he asked about everyone — the school, the teachers, the neighbourhoods, and especially the old Paradise Theatre,” remembered Advocate Chopra. “For him, Phagwara wasn’t a hometown. It was a piece of his heart.”
On Monday, residents quietly gathered at the Parmar Complex, sharing stories and memories of the superstar who proudly carried Phagwara’s spirit across the world. His words, spoken during one of his emotional visits, linger in the minds of many: “I am a farmer’s son from Punjab. Whatever I am today, I owe to this land and its people.”
The legacy of his father, Master Kewal Krishan Chaudhary — strict, compassionate, and deeply respected — still lives in the halls of Arya High School. According to his father’s colleague, Master Mohan Lal, Dharmendra mirrored many of those same values: humility, discipline, and endless love for people.
As Phagwara grieves, it also celebrates him with pride. The town bids farewell to not just a film legend, but to its most precious son — a man who touched the feet of elders, revisited childhood friends, walked familiar streets, and honored the land that made him who he was.
Across Phagwara, one sentiment rings through the silence: “Dharmendra Amar Rahe.”