Acclaimed actor expressed his grief on the passing of Dharmendra, calling him irreplaceable and reflecting fondly on their long friendship and professional association.
Naseeruddin took to Instagram, where he shared a poster of the 1985 film Ghulami, where he worked with Dharmendra for the first time. The socio-political drama was directed by J. P. Dutta. It featured the late star Dharmendra played Ranjit Singh Choudhary and Shah portrayed Thakur Sultan Singh.
He wrote in the caption: “This was the first time I met the great man himself, I was privileged to work with him on two other projects besides this one. A Dharmendra sized hole is impossible to fill. I treasure the affection I received from him.”
Naseeruddin added: “Not everyone can claim a 60 year long thoroughly deserved stardom. May he rest in eternal peace. Aameen.”
The two actors also starred together in the 1981 film Naina and the action-adventure Tahalka, which released in 1992.
Dharmendra breathed his last on November 24. He was recently hospitalised at Mumbai`s Breach Candy Hospital after reportedly complaining of breathlessness. After getting the necessary treatment, he was discharged on November 12 and continued his recovery at home.
On the professional front, Dharmendra was last seen in the movie Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya in 2024. The movie starred actors Shahid Kapoor and Kriti Sanon.
The late star will be seen posthumously in the movie Ikkis, directed by ace director Sriram Raghavan. It also stars Agastya Nanda and Simar Bhatia. The movie is a war drama based on the life of Arun Khetarpal, the youngest Param Vir Chakra recipient.
,who was widely considered one of the greatest, most handsome, and most commercially successful film stars in the history of Indian cinema, had a cinematic career spanning over six decades; he has worked in more than 300 films.
Dharmendra held the record for starring in the highest number of hit films in Hindi cinema. He was honored with the Padma Bhushan in 2012.