Just 14 days before his 90th birthday, which was due on December 8, Dharmendra passed away.

He was admitted to the hospital because he was having difficulty breathing. The ‘Godi Media’ (mainstream media) enthusiastically declared his death prematurely. His sons, Sunny and Bobby Deol, were annoyed and condemned the press for proclaiming a living person dead in their over-enthusiasm. When the actual event occurred, Dharmendra’s final rites were carried out silently and secretly, before anyone could know. Although Bollywood covers many things, I never had the opportunity to witness a celebrity’s death, so I lack experience in this matter. However, in films, when a star dies, the focus shifts more to the over-enthusiasm to capture photos of who attends the funeral rather than the death itself.

Bobby and Sunny did not want their father’s death to become a spectacle, so they boycotted the ‘Godi Media’.

Dharmendra’s entry into the world of cinema is like a film story itself. As a teenager, Dharmendra watched his first film, featuring Dilip Kumar’s Shaheed. That film influenced the young Dharmendra so much that he decided to become a film star. He would look into the mirror and question himself if he would become Dilip Kumar in the future.

The young man was not focused on studies. His father was a teacher, so he confided his secret wish to his mother. Not wanting to break her son’s heart, his mother silently gave him her saved money. Soon, an opportunity arose for acting in Bombay. There was a competition. Dharmendra went to his friend’s studio, took some photos, filled out the form, and sent it to Bombay.

He received a call from Bombay. There, Eklavya Dharmendra, taking inspiration from his guru Dilip Kumar, auditioned and secured the number one position, leaving all other competitors from the country behind. Thus began his film journey in 1958.

Initially, he did not achieve much success, but then he got the opportunity to act opposite the famous actress Meena Kumari. It was through her that he received an opportunity to act, following Dilip Kumar’s suggestion. Their film, Phool Aur Patthar, was a massive hit. His shirt-off image in that film instantly made him the ‘He-Man’. And those who had advised him to quit acting and pursue wrestling were forced to accept his acting career. Meena Kumari also helped the newcomer actor secure roles in several films. From that point on, Dharmendra gifted one hit after another, cementing his place in the film industry.

Because he remained grounded, he was not swept away by the Rajesh Khanna wave of the seventies. Instead, he delivered back-to-back hits. He changed his strategy from romantic films and successfully captivated the audience by acting in action and comedy genres.

Despite acting for nearly six decades, luck was not in his favor regarding awards. He received a Filmfare trophy towards the end of his life, from the hands of his idol, Dilip Kumar. Dilip Kumar was very affectionate towards Dharmendra, and once said that if God sent Adam with a physique like Dharmendra’s, he would have been happy. 25th November, the poster for his upcoming film Ikkis was released. Unfortunately, he did not get to see it. Director Sriram Raghavan announced that Ikkis will be released during the upcoming Christmas holiday. Besides this, two other films are awaiting release.

As far as I know, there are about three more films that have been pending for a long time. Now, they might be released to capitalize on people’s emotions.

With a heavy heart, I will conclude without saying much more, using a line from his film Black Mail:

“Pal pal dil ke paas tum rehti ho, jeevan meethi pyaas yeh kehti ho…”

Aryan Khan has suddenly become Bollywood’s hottest property. Once an introvert who preferred not to bask in his famous father’s limelight, he delivered a fitting reply—a tight slap—to the trollers and hate-mongers with his series, ‘Bads of Bollywood’.

Following the unprecedented success of the seven-part series, the distributor, Netflix, is desperate to sign him up again. Everyone in Bollywood, from spot boys to the biggest bigwigs, has lauded and blessed him after the thunderous success of the OTT series.

At a recent party thrown to celebrate the success, Aryan Khan made a stunning announcement: he would donate his entire earnings from the series to the flood victims of Punjab.

A proud father, Shah Rukh Khan, couldn’t hold back his tears. After composing himself, he thanked everyone associated with the project. A Mumbai scribe gave me a breaking news tip: Superstar Rajinikanth has reportedly warned his South Indian counterparts to “watch out for this boy, he would break many records.”

Shah Rukh has long had no true rivals in Bollywood or regional cinema. Now, his own son is throwing down a challenge. Aryan is currently preparing for a commercial potboiler, while Shah Rukh is busy with King. Let us wait and watch the silent duel between father and son.

2. A Smart Choice: Learning from Stumbled Careers

Kumar Gaurav was launched by his father, the ‘Jubilee Kumar,’ Rajendra Kumar, in the film Love Story. It wasn’t the expected blockbuster but was a hit nonetheless. When he acted in the film Star, it was supposed to be his showcase, but Pakistani siblings Nazia and Zoheb Hassan stole all the credit for the film’s success. Rightly so, as the songs were chartbusters thanks to their music.

Miffed by this, Kumar Gaurav famously let slip the comment that he wasn’t a star, but the ‘sun of the industry.’ What happened next is history: his films started flopping, and he faded into oblivion. His father tried to salvage his career by producing Naam, but it was his brother-in-law, Sanjay Dutt, along with director Mahesh Bhatt, who were catapulted to success, not him. Another rescue attempt, Phool, starring Madhuri Dixit, also flopped.

Let’s look at another case: Big B’s son, Abhishek Bachchan. He debuted with Refugee alongside Kareena Kapoor. Kareena became an A-list star, but Abhishek couldn’t quite make it. He can act, but being the son of the icon Amitabh Bachchan became a stumbling block for his career. He married Aishwarya Rai, a lady who successfully balances her family and career. Now, Abhishek has seemingly become her unofficial secretary.

Seeing their plight, Aryan Khan made a smart choice by pursuing direction and writing. He completed his scriptwriting and direction courses in the USA. He is well aware that he might not be able to match his illustrious father’s acting prowess, so he chose a different path—and that has made all the difference.

3. The World’s Wealthiest Star

Recently, news started circulating that our very own Shah Rukh Khan has become the wealthiest star in the world. A company named Hurun published the news based on their survey.

Hurun is an Indian company, and frankly, we haven’t heard of them before in the same vein as credible sources like Forbes or Fortune. I’m not questioning their analysis, and I certainly hope it’s not just media hype, because I’m a Shah Rukh Khan fan too. I’ve had the opportunity to interview him three times and have seen his incredible rise to success.

Nevertheless, we should rejoice in his success. He has made us proud by reportedly beating international stars like Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise. Shah Rukh is in a different league altogether.

He smartly invested his money in his production house, Red Chillies Entertainment, and the successful IPL team, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). His relationship with the Dubai royalty catapulted him into a global icon. His film premieres at the Burj Khalifa and his complimentary villa in Al Jumeirah are essentially gifts in exchange for being Dubai’s brand ambassador. Whatever the details, we are happy about his success.

1. Jaya Bachchan’s Current Complex: Jaya Bachchan seems to be suffering from a complex lately, constantly losing her temper. Her own party, the Samajwadi Party, is embarrassed by the MP, finding themselves in a tough, “swallowing a snake” sort of situation.The main target of Jaya’s anger is her daughter-in-law, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.

The relationship between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law has hit rock bottom. Apparently, Abhishek was forced to move to a different bungalow.And yet, this is the same Jaya who introduced Arshad Warsi to Bollywood. Otherwise, Arshad Warsi would still be selling lipsticks door-to-door!Jaya loses her cool every time she sees the press. I don’t know the cure for this disease—do you?

2. The Energizer Khans and Singh: There was a time when Mahesh Bhatt was the man—full of energy, and incredibly quick-witted in interviews. I remember interviewing him and seeing him effortlessly drop quotable quotes and clever remarks. That’s why Mahesh was, and is, the darling of the press.Then, a young man from Delhi entered the arena. He caused a sensation by signing five films in a single day. That newcomer was Shah Rukh Khan. Shah Rukh, too, was bubbling with energy, much like Mahesh Bhatt. Interviewing him was tough, but according to journalists, Shah Rukh was also a master of the quotable quote. He’s incredibly well-read and can speak on any subject for hours.The newest member of this club is Ranveer Singh.

This bundle of energy can give Shah Rukh or Mahesh Bhatt a run for their money. He’s a motor-mouth. While he might not be as articulate as Mahesh or Shah Rukh, he’s always clowning around in colorful outfits.Ranveer is completely honest; he says whatever is on his mind. If someone makes fun of him, he laughs it off and accepts it with a smile. In this regard, Ranveer Singh has surpassed both Shah Rukh Khan and Mahesh Bhatt. He married the famous actress Deepika Padukone and is now a father to a daughter, but our dear Ranveer is still the same.

3. The Singer Who Shot Himself in the Foot: This singer was once quite good, but his career was ruined after getting involved with the wrong people. This artist, who always craved the spotlight, tried to become a hero like Himesh Reshammiya. But he’s a better singer than he is a hero—just like Himesh.Our leading man, or rather, our singer, left his home and is now in self-imposed exile abroad because of an affair with a divorced woman from the family of a former ruling party in Maharashtra.

Dubai is only three hours from Mumbai, but everyone is afraid to offer him songs because of the potential trouble. This singer, who so desperately wanted publicity, destroyed his own career by making controversial and thoughtless remarks. He’s as good a singer as he is a controversial person.As physics dictates, nature abhors a vacuum.

Therefore, our Bengali boy, Arijit Singh, took advantage of the opportunity and is now the number one playback singer. And now, the pencil is in that singer’s hand (meaning Arijit is now ruling the roost).Can you guess the name of the exiled singer?

Let me know if you can—there’s an exciting prize for the correct answer!