Filmmaker Rajkumar Santoshi recently opened up about one of the biggest regrets of his cinematic career during a candid media interaction. The acclaimed director behind iconic classics like Ghayal, Damini, and Ghatak confessed that despite being so close to the legendary late actor Dharmendra, he never got the opportunity to direct him in a film.
Speaking passionately about the veteran star, Santoshi described Dharmendra as the all-time best actor and a remarkably down-to-earth human being who chose to let his performance speak rather than engage in heavy self-promotion.
He noted how Dharmendra seamlessly excelled across every cinematic genre, working with celebrated directors ranging from Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Bimal Roy to Manmohan Desai, yet never received the full extent of discussion his legendary repertoire deserved.
The deep admiration Rajkumar Santoshi held for Dharmendra makes the lost opportunity even harder to bear, as the director admitted he often feels overwhelmed with emotion and sheds tears thinking about how he missed collaborating with the screen icon. While Santoshi missed the chance to direct the He-Man of Bollywood before his passing at the age of 89 in late 2025, his bond with the Deol family remains deeply rooted.
The director recently helmed the period drama Batwara 1947, which features Dharmendra’s elder son, Sunny Deol, alongside Preity Zinta, Shabana Azmi, and Dharmendra’s grandson Karan Deol. Set against the tumultuous backdrop of the 1947 partition of India, the film drew emotional inspiration from Partition memories, carrying forward the cinematic connection between Santoshi and the Deol family.
The professional synergy between Rajkumar Santoshi and Sunny Deol has yielded some of Indian cinema’s most celebrated masterpieces over the decades. Their successful creative partnership began with blockbuster hits that redefined action and drama on the big screen, forging an artistic connection that naturally extended to the entire Deol family.
Santoshi frequently spent time in their personal space, making his inability to mount a project specifically tailored for Dharmendra a deeply poignant personal oversight. Even as he worked closely with Sunny Deol on set, the absence of a shared film credit with the family patriarch remained a constant thought in the director’s mind, fueling a sense of creative longing that lingered throughout his career.
Despite the lingering sorrow over the unfulfilled project, Batwara 1947 stands as a heartfelt homage to the grand storytelling legacy associated with the Deol name. Produced under the banner of Aamir Khan Productions, the film brought together an ensemble cast to tell a story centered on human compassion and resilience amidst tragic historical upheaval. By directing Sunny Deol and guiding young Karan Deol in the same narrative framework, Santoshi effectively bridged two generations of the legendary acting family on screen.
While the absence of Dharmendra remains an irreplaceable void in Santoshi’s filmography, the director continues to honor the late legend’s impact on cinema by crafting emotionally resonant narratives that uphold the values Dharmendra championed throughout his illustrious life.
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