When Dharmendra revealed he kept drinking the entire night after losing Anand to Rajesh Khanna, "Maine 2 drinks tikake Hrishikesh Mukherjee se kaha..."

When Dharmendra revealed he kept drinking the entire night after losing Anand to Rajesh Khanna, "Maine 2 drinks tikake Hrishikesh ji ko sone nahi diya..."

Dharmendra’s passing at 89 has brought back a wave of memories, interviews, and anecdotes from his six-decade career. Among the resurfaced clips is a strikingly candid moment where he recalled how he drank through an entire night and kept calling director Hrishikesh Mukherjee after losing the iconic role of Anand to Rajesh Khanna.

In the old video, Dharmendra revisits a moment of heartbreak wrapped in humour. He remembered that Hrishikesh Mukherjee had narrated the story of Anand to him first, during a flight from Bengal. Dharmendra said, “Hrishida kya hai, unhone mujhe ek kahani sunai thi. Flight mein Bengal se aate-aate. Woh story thi Anand ki. Dharam yeh karenge, woh karenge.” He thought he had the part. Then news reached him that the film had begun with Rajesh Khanna instead.

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That twist hit him hard. He laughed about it years later, admitting that he handled the disappointment with alcohol that night. “Phir pata chala ki woh film shuru ho gayi Rajesh ke saath. Phir maine socha 2 tikata hoon, maine phone kiya aur kaha aapne poori flight mujhe kahani sunayi, maine poori raat unko sone nahi diya, raat bharr peete peete unko phone karta raha,” he said.

He even demonstrated how he kept dialling Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s landline, switching to Punjabi as he mimicked his own drunken insistence: “Mainu role de, yeh kahani mainu sunai si. Kithe gayi role? Mera picture unhone kyon de ditta?” On the other side of the receiver, Mukherjee remained patient, repeating only one line: “So jaa, Dharam. So jaa.” And that was how the entire night passed.

This bond between the two wasn’t built overnight. Long before Dharmendra became Hindi cinema’s action icon, Mukherjee shaped some of his finest performances. Their journey began with Anupama in 1966, followed by Majhli Didi (1967), Satyakam (1969), and later the much-loved comedy Chupke Chupke in 1975. Dharmendra also starred in Mukherjee’s Chaitali the same year. Their films often showcased the quieter, more vulnerable side of his craft.

Also Read: When Dharmendra paid Rs 20 to spot boys for extra hugs with Hema Malini, Ramesh Sippy says, 'he had plenty of time to romance'

As for Anand, the part eventually immortalised by Rajesh Khanna, the 1971 classic became one of the most beloved films in Hindi cinema. Directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee and written by Gulzar, it explored mortality with grace and warmth, earning multiple awards including the Filmfare Award for Best Film.

Dharmendra’s death on Monday prompted an outpouring of grief across the industry. Security outside his Juhu home was tightened as an ambulance arrived, confirming fears about his health. Later in the day, stars across generations — Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Anil Kapoor, Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and others — gathered at Pawan Hans Crematorium to bid him farewell.