I was overwhelmed to read today’s beautiful tribute to Bollywood star Dharmendra—the pain of Hindi cinema—who passed away on 24 November, this time for real, unlike the recent false alarm that upset his family. His family handled the funeral with quiet dignity, completing the rites swiftly in the presence of close relatives, friends, and colleagues from the industry.
Dharmendra was a serious actor who later became popular as a mass hero. I won’t list his many entertaining films, from comedies like Chupke Chupke to blockbusters like Sholay. Instead, I want to recall the 1969 Hrishikesh Mukherjee classic Satyakam, starring Dharmendra alongside Sanjeev Kumar, Sharmila Tagore, and a cameo by Ashok Kumar. The film was made in an era when honesty and idealism still commanded respect. In those days, even a policeman visiting for routine passport verification could make people nervous.
Satyakam is set in a period when integrity was valued among public servants and politicians. Still, compromise was beginning to creep in—nothing compared to the scale of corruption we see today. Dharmendra’s character refuses to “compromise,” which he bluntly calls corruption. His honesty isolates him while those willing to bend rise effortlessly. Eventually, he dies of cancer, leaving his family with nothing except the pride of having lived without ill-gotten wealth. His wife, played by Sharmila Tagore, supports his refusal to compromise, even in hardship, allowing him to die without guilt.
I recall this film because the so-called “Hit Man” of cinema was, in real life, a simple and honest man. Dharmendra entered politics only because he could not refuse Atalji’s request to contest from Bikaner. He won and completed his term. He did some development work, but later admitted he was not fit for politics because it requires a “thick skin.” In other words, one must learn to compromise. Idealism and honesty rarely find space today—not only in politics but in every sphere, including the private sector, where compromise has become the currency of progress.
Young civil servants enter public life with dreams of integrity, but the system quickly teaches them that everything runs on compromise. I recall motivational speaker Shiv Khera, then living in Gurgaon, who became so disillusioned with politicians that he contested as an Independent. He could not even save his deposit, and that ended his political attempt. Even in South Delhi, when Dr Manmohan Singh contested, voters preferred V.K. Malhotra because he promised more, whether realistic or not.
Idealism and honesty have largely vanished, with only a few exceptions. We now live in the era of “adjust, compromise kar lo yaar.”
Dharmendra, idealism, and honesty—R.I.P.
Long live Asatyameva Jayate.
