He-man Dharmendra makes TV debut

The sets of music reality show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa came alive when the legendary actor reworked the magic of Veeru and Basanti...

Yesteryear's He-man of Bollywood, Dharmendra, will make his small screen debut on Friday with an episode of Zee TV's music reality show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa.

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The 73-year-old star was invited as a special guest for the show, said a press release.

Dharmendra, who starred in hit films like Sholay, The Burning Train, Seeta Aur Geeta and Chupke Chupke apart from many others in his career spanning over four decades, was given a red carpet welcome amid loud Punjabi tom-toms and a crowd that showered him with flowers.

Much to everyone's surprise, the actor broke into a jig and even recited Urdu couplets.

For the episode, all contestants and mentors paid a tribute to his films and some of his unforgettable songs. He even joined a contestant on stage to sing his popular song Ab ke sajan saawan mein from Chupke Chupke.

When Oman-based contestant Asma Rafi came posing as the iconic Basanti of Sholay and sung Jab tak hai jaan, Dharmendra encouraged her by reciting his famous dialogue from the film. He also performed the suicide scene from the 1975 film and had everyone in splits.

The mentors, music directors Shankar Mahadevan, Aadesh Srivastava, Himesh Reshammiya and Pritam Chakraborty gifted Dharmendra a silver statue of Ganesha and Shiva as a mark of respect.

The episode will be aired at 10 p.m.