Despite having more hits than Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan, this star was never referred to as a ‘superstar.’
The world of cinema and its glittering journey to fame and stardom, is a dream for every aspiring artist. Yet the path to superstardom demands years of commitment, a relentless drive to showcase one’s talents and the patience to keep pushing forward despite numerous setbacks. Today, we will talk about an actor, an outsider who arrived in Bombay with dreams of becoming a star. His on-screen presence and acting chops made him one of the biggest stars of the 70s and 80s. We are talking about none other than the He-Man of Bollywood, Dharmendra.
Dharmendra holds the record for the most hits as an actor in the Hindi film industry, with an impressive 74 successful films where he played either the lead role or had a significant part. His prolific career, has spanned over five decades, during which he has appeared in over 240 films. Out of these, 94 have been deemed successful, recovering their investments, and 74 has been classified as hits. This includes 7 blockbusters and 13 superhits, with Sholay standing out as the all-time highest-grossing film in Indian cinema.
Well, Amitabh Bachchan who is considered as the biggest star in the history of Indian cinema has fewer hits than Dharmendra, with 56 hits from 153 films. Among the Khans, Salman Khan tops the list with 38 hits, followed by Shah Rukh Khan with 34, and Aamir Khan 20.
Dharmendra was always a significant figure in Hindi cinema, but he was never regarded as a superstar. This was primarily because he was often seen as a supporting actor to bigger stars when he first began his career. By the time he rose to prominence as a lead actor, his major successes were in multi-starrer ensemble films. In the 80s, he starred in several action hits, but they were mostly low-budget, high-grossing films, while the hits of Amitabh Bachchan and Vinod Khanna earned high-grossers.
Meanwhile, Dharmendra was last seen in Shahid Kapoor, Kriti Sanon-starrer Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya (2024) in a supporting role.
