‘Well done, beta…’ Director M Padmakumar recalls Dharmendra praising his Joju George starrer ‘Joseph’

Director M Padmakumar has paid an emotional tribute to the late legendary actor Dharmendra, recalling the warmth and affection he received during their meetings. Sharing his memories on social media, Padmakumar recounted how Dharmendra and his family watched ‘Joseph’, the Malayalam film he directed, and how deeply moved the veteran actor was.

Padmakumar said Dharmendra became visibly emotional after watching the film, embraced him and enquired about its lead actor, Joju George. The filmmaker described the moment as one of the greatest acknowledgements of his career.

Padmakumar’s recollection, posted on Facebook, reads, “Dharmendra has bidden farewell…

The great ‘He-Man’ of Indian cinema – the superstar who conquered a generation with the intensity of his romantic roles and his extraordinary action performances. My meeting with Dharamji, as he was fondly known, was profoundly emotional.

I first met him in 2022 when I travelled to Manali to meet Sunny Deol to discuss the Hindi remake of ‘Joseph’, which I had directed. Dharamji received me far more warmly than I had expected. He spoke with admiration about Malayalam cinema, Mammootty and Mohanlal.

While Sunny and I were in discussion, Dharamji and his family watched ‘Joseph’ on their home theatre. When we returned to the living room after our meeting, Dharamji was waiting for us. He asked everyone else to sit down, but when I approached, he stood up. The great actor looked at me for a moment—his eyes filled with affection and kindness—before embracing me and saying, ‘Well done, beta… well done…’ I could barely hear the rest because of the emotion of the moment. He then asked who had played the role of Joseph. I told him about Joju George. Those words and that embrace remain among the greatest honours I have received.

I met Dharamji twice more on subsequent visits to Manali, and each time he showed me the same warmth.

One fond memory: during the casting discussions, when the topic of the heroine came up, we finally asked Dharamji who he thought would be suitable. Without a moment’s hesitation, he replied, ‘Don’t ask me about heroines. I like all heroines! Equally!’ The room burst into laughter. That laughter resounds in my ears to this day.

The Hindi remake of ‘Joseph’ is now complete. The film’s title was to be announced on Dharamji’s birthday in early December, but he passed away before that day arrived. He never got the chance to see how brilliantly Sunny Deol has portrayed the titular role. Still, I am certain he will bless us from wherever he is. Just as he held me close, he will hold this film close to his heart. I am sure of it.”