Actor Bobby Deol became emotional while speaking about his father, late actor Dharmendra, during an appearance on the chat show Shekhar Tonite. In a conversation with host Shekhar Suman, Bobby spoke about the void left behind by his father’s death and said Dharmendra was loved not just by his family, but by people everywhere.
Bobby said that wherever he goes, people still remember his father with emotion, while Shekhar recalled ’s warmth, simplicity and the ease with which he connected with everyone around him.
During the conversation, Shekhar compared a father figure to a giant tree under whose shade an entire family feels protected. He said life suddenly feels empty once that presence is gone.
Responding to him, Bobby first spoke about Shekhar’s personal loss and said such pain never fully leaves a person. “You have lost someone very important in your life, and I know the pain you must have gone through. I do not think one can ever truly get over it,” he said, referring to the death of Shekhar’s elder son at a young age.
The Animal meant to him and to others. “Mere liye mere papa woh insaan the jinko poori duniya bahut pyaar karti thi. Humein hamesha yeh ehsaas tha, lekin jab woh chale gaye toh sirf humare liye nahi, poori duniya ke liye bahut dukh tha. Main jahan bhi jaata hoon, log unhe yaad karke emotional ho jaate hain. Papa bahut special the. Unke jaisa koi nahi ho sakta.”
(For me, my father was someone whom the whole world loved immensely. We always knew that, but when he left, there was so much pain and sorrow, not just for our family, but for everyone. Wherever I go, people still speak about him emotionally. That is the kind of person Papa was. Papa was special. No one can ever be like him),” he said.
Shekhar Suman on Dharmendra’s simplicity
Shekhar also recalled Dharmendra’s simplicity and said the actor treated everyone with equal affection, whether they were family members, household staff or workers at his farmhouse.
He said Dharmendra would speak to anyone he met at the farmhouse, whether it was a gardener, house help or someone else, and would happily talk about everyday subjects such as brinjal, fenugreek and parathas. Shekhar said this reflected how simple and grounded he was.
The Sholay actor died at the age of 89 on November 24, 2025, at his Mumbai residence. directed by Sriram Raghavan, was released on January 1 and received praise from critics and audiences. This year, Dharmendra was also posthumously awarded the Padma Vibhushan.