'Actors like him don't exist now': Rakesh Bedi recalls last film shoot together with Dharmendra

Rakesh Bedi recalled working with Dharmendra in Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya and revealed how the veteran actor surprised him on his birthday.

Veteran actor Dharmendra's death on November 24 shocked the entire nation. Bollywood celebrities are still grieving his death and recalling fond memories of the actor. In a recent conversation with NDTV, actor Rakesh Bedi also recalled working with Dharmendra in their last film together, Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya, and revealed how the veteran actor fed him cake, making his day special.

Rakesh Bedi recalls fond memories with late actor Dharmendra.

Rakesh Bedi on his memories with Dharmendra

Rakesh spoke about Dharmendra's legacy, recalling how he used to take care of everyone, and said, "All I can say is that he was kind of mad — such actors don't exist now. He used to care for everyone; he used to care for the unit. Aap unke saath 15 minutes baith jao, toh aapko lagega ki yeh mera aadmi hai aur woh mere baare mein sochta hai (If you sit with him for just 15 minutes, you'll feel like he's your own person and that he genuinely cares about you). That was the kind of love he showered upon people around him all the time."

He added, "He and I have done many films. Ek bohot badi film hai unke saath, bohot hi hit thi (There was a very big film with him, which was a huge hit). He and I were there in key roles. The name was Dadagiri. Since then, I have worked with him in many films. Our last film together was Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya. It was my birthday on one of the shooting dates of TBMAUJ. He insisted that ‘cake main mangaoonga (I'll order the cake)’, and then the crew said, ‘Nahi sir, we will (No sir, we will).’ Then we cut it together. He fed me, and I fed him. It was very sweet of him."

Dharmendra's death and last film

The veteran actor was admitted to hospital earlier in November. On November 10, reports surfaced that the actor had died. However, his wife Hema Malini and daughter Esha Deol refuted any such rumours. His sons took the veteran actor to their family home in Juhu for recovery. However, on November 24, the veteran actor died at his residence. His last rites were performed in the presence of the family. Several Bollywood stars, including Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and Govinda, among others, visited the crematorium to pay their last respects.

Dharmendra will be seen on the big screen in Sriram Raghavan's Ikkis. Backed by Maddock Films, the film is based on the life of Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal and is centred around the Battle of Basantar during the 1971 India–Pakistan War. It also stars Agastya Nanda and Jaideep Ahlawat and is scheduled to release in theatres on December 25.

Rakesh Bedi's upcoming movie

Rakesh will next be seen in the film Dhurandhar. Helmed by Aditya Dhar, the movie also stars Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna, Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Rampal and R Madhavan in key roles. The film is scheduled to release in theatres on December 5.