Salman, Abhishek pay tribute to Dharmendra at his prayer meet

Salman, Abhishek pay tribute to Dharmendra at his prayer meet

Mumbai, Emotions ran high as close friends and colleagues, from Salman Khan and Abhishek Bachchan to Karan Johar and Rekha, gathered to honour veteran actor Dharmendra at his prayer meet on Thursday.

Salman, Abhishek pay tribute to Dharmendra at his prayer meet

Known affectionately as the "He-Man" of Indian cinema, the legendary actor passed away on Monday at the age of 89.

The Deol family, which had largely maintained silence since Dharmendra’s death, organised the prayer meet, titled ‘Celebration of Life’, on the serene lawns of Hotel Taj Lands End in suburban Bandra. Those present included Dharmendra and his first wife Prakash Kaur’s sons, Sunny and Bobby Deol, daughters Ajeeta and Vijeta, grandsons Karan and Rajveer Deol, as well as nephew Abhay Deol.

However, Dharmendra’s second wife Hema Malini and their daughters, Esha and Ahaana Deol, were not present at the prayer meet.

The gathering was also attended by Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit, Vidya Balan, Shabana Azmi, Jackie Shroff, Sidharth Malhotra, Suniel Shetty, Ameesha Patel, Fardeen Khan, Nimrat Kaur, Sonu Sood, Anu Malik, Subhash Ghai, Abbas-Mastan, and Anil Sharma among others, who all came together to pay their last respects to the man who embodied the spirit of Indian cinema.

The Deol family including Sunny and Bobby Deol appeared visibly emotional as they stood through the prayer meet, which began at 5:30 pm and concluded around 8 pm.

The lush green lawn area was adorned with elaborate floral arrangements, and over half a dozen led screens were put up, which displayed the many scenes from Dharmendra's extensive filmography, which included hits such as "Mera Gaon Mera Desh", "Batwara", "Sholay", and "Apne", among others.

The screens also featured candid photographs from the veteran actor’s social media, adding a personal touch to the tribute.

A huge portrait of Dharmendra was put up at a stage where many singers paid tribute to the late star by singing his popular songs. The giant screen on the stage displayed the message "We'll Miss You".

Playback singer Sonu Nigam sang several tracks from Dharmendra's films like "Main Kahi Kavi Na Ban Jau", "Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas", "Apne Toh Apne Hote Hai", "Ro Lene De", "Yeh Dosti Hum Nahi Todenge", among many others.

Tight security was deployed across the venue, with guards stationed at all entry and exit points to ensure a smooth flow of visitors.

Born as Dharam Singh Deol in Punjab in 1935, the screen icon featured in more than 300 films in a career spanning six-decades.

The actor was widely celebrated for his versatility across action, romance and comedy and some of his classics include “Sholay”, “Chupke Chupke”, “Satyakam, “Anupama”, “Seeta Aur Geeta” and many others.

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