‘ACTORS DO ANYTHING FOR MONEY NOW’
Veteran actor Dharmendra says that Bollywood has become something like a ‘sabzi mandi’ now
Veteran actor Dharmendra feels that the film industry has become a sabzi mandi (vegetable market) nowadays, with money becoming everything for the actors.
The actor spoke on his take on the film industry’s current state, his career, and the different kind of roles he experimented with, including comedy.
“This industry has become a sabzi mandi today, where you sell, buy, and bargain for vegetables. The actors today are dancing and singing for money, go anywhere money is, get involved in oil massages (pun intended) — all for money. Money is everything now, something which was not so in our time,” he said.
Dharmendra has worked in more than 300 films, with hits like Phool Aur Patthar (1966), Mera Gaon Mera Desh (1971), Sholay (1975), and Chupke Chupke (1975) to his credit.
He has worked with the crème de la crème of the film industry, including Nutan, Meena Kumari, Dev Anand, Hema Malini, Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjeev Kumar, Amjad Khan, Jeetendra, Jaya Bachchan, Sharmila Tagore, Om Prakash, and Rakhi, among others.
On being a Bollywood superstar at one point of time, Dharmendra said that he could have remained that way, but stressed that he was never that shrewd.
“I could have remained on that pedestal had I wanted, but I cannot be in that rat race,” said the 82-year-old.
Known for his comic timing, Dharmendra believes that comedy is the most difficult genre. “In comedy a lot can come from within you. (In Sholay) There were a were few dialogues or words that I added myself and they worked, like mausiji in the suicide scene,” he said.
I never had that shrewd, cunning brain to get awards. I am not interested in that. Your film is a hit, fans love you. That should be your award. At least, it’s like that for me
DHARMENDRA,
ACTOR