When Dharmendra Became a ‘Per-Day’ Star for the Sake of Struggling Producers— And the Explosive Rumour That Fizzled Out Like a Sutli Bomb

By Sharad Rai

He was a truly noble man. A star who was everyone’s friend — Dharmendra. Now that he has left this world, every person in the film industry seems to have a picture with him. Social media is flooded with his photos — Facebook, Instagram, X, and reels are full of people remembering him and sharing their personal stories. Among these many stories, one incident stands out—how Dharmendra, with his big heart, would often sign films of poor or low-budget producers out of sheer generosity. He simply couldn’t say no.

When his sons Sunny and Bobby Deol once asked him why he agreed to such small films, Dharmendra replied: “Leave it, yaar. They are poor people. They want to make big films but can’t afford them. If I give them two or three days, their film becomes bigger. And I also get something in return.”

Between 2001 and 2005, several such films were made in which Dharmendra’s role was very small. He shot only two to three days for these projects. Film circles whispered that Dharmendra had begun working on a per-day basis, earning around ₹1.5 lakh per day.

In other words, because of his kindness, Dharmendra had become a daily-wage star. Some examples of these small films include: “Munni Bai,” “Aakhri Dakaity,” “Bhai Thakur,” “Geeta Mera Naam,” “Meri Jung: Ek Ailaan,” “Kaali Ki Saugandh,” “Daaku Kaali Bhawani,” “Saugandh Geeta Ki,” “La Looterra,” “Reshma Aur Sultan,” “Ram Balram Aur Ramkali,” and more.
Producers would craft scripts in such a way that Dharmendra’s few days of footage could be spread across the entire film, and the movie would be marketed as “a Dharmendra film.”

We are not naming these producers or directors here, as many of them still work in Bollywood, and none of them would want Dharmendra’s noble gesture to be misinterpreted or overshadow their gratitude.

Director Sunny Kapoor also made two low-budget films with Dharmendra — “Jagga Daku” and “Fakeera.” He says: “Jagga Daku never got released and Fakeera couldn’t be completed. Dharmendra ji was working in small films to help small producers. Saying he did it for money is absolutely wrong. He had enough money. Around the same time, he produced two films — Indian with Sunny Deol, and Socha Na Tha with Abhay Deol. If he had financial issues, how could he produce big films?”

Sunny Kapoor further reveals that in 1999, a film called “Munni Bai,” directed by Kanti Shah and produced by Gulab, did well. Dharmendra had acted in it only to help them. The film’s success triggered a long queue of small producers hoping for Dharmendra’s support, leading to the “per-day” phase.
The only condition was: the producer must book him for at least three days.

The Controversy — A Rumour That Became a “Sutli Bomb”
But then came the dirt.
A highly inappropriate rumour began spreading about one such low-budget film. The claim was that in Dharmendra’s village Nasrali (Ludhiana, Punjab), a cinema hall was screening a C-grade film where a few of Dharmendra’s shots were mixed with “BF scenes” (obscene content).

People of Nasrali revere Dharmendra and his family. Upon seeing this alleged film, a local reportedly called up Sunny Deol in Mumbai. Sunny allegedly summoned the producer to his office, offered to give him work — and also beat him up severely..

After this incident, Sunny Deol instructed his father never to accept small films again. Later, however, it became clear that the entire story was false. Nothing like that had happened. It was a complete fabrication — nothing more than a gossip “sutli bomb.”
Just like how false rumours about Dharmendra’s death were spread online shortly before his real passing, this too was a baseless story.

For someone who devoted 65 years to Indian cinema, Dharmendra’s sincerity, simplicity, and grace always kept him above cheap gossip. He walked through every controversy with dignity — and came out shining every single time

FAQs

Q1. Why did Dharmendra tend to act in films with poor producers?

A: Dharmendra was incredibly generous and gentle. He couldn't refuse anyone and would even work on a daily basis to help low-budget producers.

Q2. What did Dharmendra's sons tell him about doing small films?

A: Sunny and Bobby asked why he was doing small and low-budget films, to which Dharmendra said that these producers dream big and he loves to help them.

Q3. Why did Dharmendra work in low-budget films?

A: He believed that his two-three days of shooting make the producer's film "big" and everyone benefits from it.

Q4. What is being seen on social media after Dharmendra's death?

A: Social media is flooded with old pictures and anecdotes of people from the industry with Dharmendra, in which people are remembering the moments spent with him.

Q5. Why are low-budget producers called 'poor producers'?

A: In film industry parlance, producers who make films on a low budget are informally called 'poor producers'.

actor dharmendra death | Bollywood attends Dharmendra prayer | Bollywood reacts to Dharmendra | Dharmendra death news | Dharmendra daughter support | dharmendra death date | dharmendra and hema malini latest news | dharmendra and hema malini love story | dharmendra alive or not