'Every day with him was special': Sriram Raghavan reveals what set Dharmendra apart from others | Exclusive

Mumbai: Filmmaker Sriram Raghavan reflected on the late actor Dharmendra and his experience of working with the actor in his movie Ikkis. In the exclusive interview with TV9, the director stated that Dharmendra's deep-loving heart set him apart from other actors. 

"I'm blessed to have his last film with me. It's a pivotal role. I'm very happy. He had seen 70% of the film during the dubbing. I wanted him to see the whole film with proper sound and climax and everything," said Sriram. He recollected, "On Ikkis, every day with him was special. Coactors would love to be with him. Guests would come and click pictures with him. People used to surround him even when he was not shooting. I think he also enjoyed that. He loved coming on the sets. He never complained about going home early or things like that. These days, people on their arrival on sets announce what time they'd be leaving. Dharamji was not like that." 

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Sriram Raghavan reflects on Dharmendra

Further, he added that he had only got the chance to do two films with Dharmendra. "I've done two films with him (Johnny Gaddar and Ikkis), and he suited both the roles perfectly. When I did Johnny Gaddar, I wished I could do more work with him. It took me a few years to come up with a subject that was worthy of a feature. When I heard the story of Ikkis, I felt that he'd be perfect for a role in the film. When I met him, he connected deeply with the story. Once he was on, he was completely involved. He was more hungry. He'd discuss how we could better the scenes. He was full of that," said the actor. 

He added, "Dharamji would make his best to make his coactors feel comfortable. I was a rank newcomer with Johnny Gaddar but Dharamji used to be extremely patient and be there for the cues, etc. He's not someone who'd make you feel threatened. He was the same with Agastya Nanda, too. Of course, the connection of Agastya being Amitabh Bachchan's grandson was there." 

"He's got the combo of playing a He-Man as well as be vulnerable. By the time I met him, he had become health-conscious, so we never had any drinking sessions. He'd gotten into Yoga and exercises," said the filmmaker. 

Ikkis was Dharmendra's last movie. He passed away on November 24.