Do you know Dharmendra was the highest paid actor in Sholay, charged Rs 5 to 15 lakh for one film in 80's, details inside

Known across generations as Bollywood’s He-Man, he headlined more than 300 films across six decades and still holds the record for the highest number of hit Hindi films delivered by any actor.
His journey from the early 1960s to his peak in the 1970s and 80s remains one of the great success arcs of the industry.

Between the late 1960s and mid-1980s, Dharmendra dominated the box office. Films like Ankhen, Seeta Aur Geeta, Mera Gaon Mera Desh, Yaadon Ki Baaraat, Pratiggya, Dharam Veer, Chacha Bhatija, and Hukumat turned him into a mass favourite, while acclaimed performances in Satyakam, Samadhi, Chupke Chupke, Resham Ki Dori, and The Burning Train earned him the respect of critics. This streak placed him firmly among the highest-paid actors of the era.

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Industry accounts from that time reveal just how commanding his star power was. In the 1980s, Dharmendra is said to have charged between Rs 5 and 15 lakh per film, a remarkable figure for that period. His fee for the 1975 classic Sholay remains one of the most discussed examples of his stature.

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Despite an ensemble cast that included Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjeev Kumar, Hema Malini, Jaya Bachchan, and Amjad Khan, Dharmendra was reportedly the highest-paid among them. He received Rs 1.5 lakh for the role of Veeru, while Amitabh Bachchan was paid Rs 1 lakh. The rest of the cast earned less than a lakh each, highlighting the meteoric draw Dharmendra commanded at the time.