Sanjay Khan recalls terrifying incident with Dharmendra on Haqeeqat sets, "our walk back to the officers’ mess ended with a rifle aimed at us"

Sanjay Khan recalls terrifying incident with Dharmendra on Haqeeqat sets, "our walk back to the officers’ mess ended with a rifle aimed at us"

Sanjay Khan reflected on a dramatic yet humorous incident with Dharmendra from the Haqeeqat shoot, sharing a heartfelt tribute on Instagram after the actor’s passing, celebrating their enduring friendship and memories.Khan wrote about their early days in Leh in 1966, when they were shooting Chetan Anand’s war drama. Temperatures were icy, the terrain rough, and the crew lived like soldiers while filming the black-and-white classic. What stayed with him, however, was not the harsh Ladakhi cold but Dharmendra’s warmth and infectious mischief. As he put it, “Long before the world knew him as a star, I knew Dharam as the young man who could turn a freezing Ladakhi night into pure mischief.”

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The incident he recalled came during a routine walk to the officers mess. The two young actors were strolling back after a long shoot when the unexpected happened. A sentry, unable to recognise them in the dark, pointed a rifle in their direction and shouted at them. The moment was frightening, but as Sanjay described, it quickly turned into one of those stories that become part of friendship folklore. “We were in Leh in 1966, shooting Chetan Anand’s Haqeeqat, when a simple walk back to the officers’ mess ended with a rifle aimed at us and a sentry screaming in the dark.”

What followed was the sort of chaos only youth can produce. In his words, “Between our drunken bravado, a mountain of laughter, and that sudden brush with danger, a lifelong friendship took shape.” For Sanjay, that night sealed the bond between them, a bond that outlived decades of work, fame and changing times.

His message ended on a note heavy with loss: “Those who knew you will never forget you. Rest in peace my friend!”

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Along with his tribute, Sanjay shared a recent throwback photograph where he is seen sitting with Dharmendra. Salman Khan is kneeling beside them, while Sanjay’s late wife, Zarine Khan, appears in the frame. The picture captures the easy camaraderie between the stars, a visual reminder of the friendships that shaped Hindi cinema’s golden years.

Haqeeqat, which starred Dharmendra, Balraj Sahni, Priya Rajvansh, Sudhir, Sanjay Khan and Vijay Anand, remains one of Indian cinema’s most significant war films. Set against the Battle of Rezang La, it depicted the heroism of the 5 JAT soldiers during the 1962 war. For Sanjay Khan, though, the film will always carry another meaning: it is where he found a friend for life.