Aamir Khan recalls taking son Azad to meet 'gentle giant' Dharmendra

At IFFI, Aamir Khan fondly remembered the late Dharmendra, calling him a "gentle giant" and a "great human being." He shared a heartwarming anecdote about taking his son Azad to meet the legendary actor for a couple of hours.

Aamir Khan's Heartfelt Tribute to Dharmendra

Actor Aamir Khan recently shared a heartwarming story about taking his son Azad to meet legendary actor Dharmendra. Speaking on the sidelines of the 56th International Film Festival of India, Aamir said, "I used to go and sit with him. One day, I took Azad with me, my son. I said, I want you to meet someone, because Azad has not seen his work really. But he came with me and we spent a couple of hours with him and it was really wonderful."

'He was a gentle giant'

While talking about the veteran actor, Aamir said, "Dharamji was not only such a fine actor, but he was a great human being. He was so gentle, he was like a gentle giant."

"And he was very loving, no matter who he would meet, whether it's a colleague, whether it's someone not from the industry, he would always be very warm and soft in meeting people," the 'Lagaan' actor added.

Aamir called the demise of Dharmendra a 'great loss' to the film industry. "Dharamji was an Institution, his Satyakam still teaches us, he was a wonderful person, he was a great actor and it's a great loss for all of us," he said.

'His Hindustani was so clean'

The '3 Idiots' actor also talked about Dharmendra's command on his language. He shared, "He had such a good command of his language. I mean, his Hindustani was so clean. It was amazing to hear him, even in live events when he would speak, he had such grace."

He further added, "I remember I was there at the book launch for Yusuf Saab Dil Kumar Ji and there he spoke, he spoke so in such dignity."

End of an Era in Indian Cinema

Dharmendra, fondly known as the industry's 'He-Man', passed away on November 24 at the age of 89, marking the end of an era in Indian cinema. The final rites of the actor were held at the Pawan Hans Crematorium in Vile Parle. Actors Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Govinda, Ranveer Singh, and Deepika Padukone were spotted arriving at the cremation ground to pay condolences to the Deol family.

To honour his life and legacy, the Deol family organised a prayer meet, titled 'Celebration of Life', on Thursday at Seaside Lawns, Taj Lands End in Bandra, Mumbai. Maniesh Paul, Ananya Birla, Nimrat Kaur and Pooja Hegde were among the attendees.

Aamir Khan on His Career and Instincts

At the fireside chat of IFFI, Aamir was also asked about iconic moments in his career, but he said that each film has been an equally important journey, and any so-called "iconic moment" is for the audience, not him, to decide.

He explained that he has always been guided by instinct, not strategy. As a child fascinated by stories, he grew up listening to narrations meant for his producer father, often hiding behind curtains before being invited to sit openly. Those years, he said, became an unplanned gurukul, shaping his script sense long before he entered cinema.

Aamir also mentioned that because of this relationship with stories, he has never repeated himself simply for comfort. Whenever he finishes a particular kind of film, he feels no excitement in doing another similar one.

This instinct has often gone against industry conventions whether it was choosing Lagaan, Sarfarosh, Dil Chahta Hai, Taare Zameen Par or Ghajini at times when they were not considered commercially "safe". Yet the audience embraced them, often redefining trends instead of following them.

The 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) began in Goa on November 20, will conclude on Friday, November 28. (ANI)

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