Dharmendra has been crazy about this heroine, who was one of the highest-paid actresses. She is…
Dharmendra has been labelled a talented actor in Bollywood time and again. There are numerous well-known stories about the veteran star in the industry in the professional and personal spheres. His first marriage to Prakash Kaur is well known and the audience knows about his love for ‘dream girl’ Hema Malini. What many don’t know is the story of his first crush in the Hindi cinema industry.
Indeed, Dharmendra harboured feelings for the female actor who was seeing Dev Anand at the time. Yes, you read that right. Back then, the ‘Sholay‘ actor was an ordinary man who would sneak away from his small village to the city to see her movies. IMDb claims that Dharmendra would only say Suraiya’s name in response to questions regarding his first love. In numerous interviews, Dharmendra has stated that, between the ages of 20 and 21, he was mesmerised by this well-known actor at the time.
Dharmendra saw Suraiya’s 1949 film Dillagi not just once, twice, or ten times, but 40 times, just for her. He had assumed that he would meet Suraiya if he ever got into acting. Eventually, Dilip Kumar’s performance inspired Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol’s father to pursue a career in acting.
Dharmendra began his career in Bollywood at the age of 25. He starred in his debut film, Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere in 1960. He continued to make a mark in the industry with his blockbuster hits one after the other. Did you know he acted in 306 films, some of which have featured cameos, according to IMDB? Dharmendra was last seen in Karan Johar’s directorial Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani in 2023, and his box office-successful Teri Baton Mein Uljha Jiya in 2024.
Suraiya Jamal Sheikh, known by her stage name Suraiya, is still hailed as one of the most beautiful and talented actors in Indian film history. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, she held the title of highest-paid actress in Hindi cinema at one point. She asked more fees than the likes of Dilip Kumar, Ashok Kumar, and other famous superstars, giving one an idea of her status as an actor in Indian cinema. Suraiya starred in over 67 films and sang 338 songs throughout her three-decade-long career.
People and movie enthusiasts used to refer to Suraiya as Malika-e-Husn (queen of beauty) and Malika-e-Adakara (queen of acting) because of her beauty, melodic voice, and impeccable performance!
