Tarana prepares for mega show with Dharmendra

Tens of thousands of film buffs would have a rare opportunity of brushing shoulders and shaking hands with one of the foremost film stars of India this weekend.

Dharmendra Deol, who has turned heads and hearts with his own brand of acting in more than 285 films, will appear at the ‘Radio Tarana Manukau Diwali’ scheduled to be held at the Vodafone Events Centre, 770 Great South Road, Manukau on October 19, 2014.

Unlike many other programmes that remain beyond the affordability of common people, the forthcoming Tarana event will be free and open to all. Dharmendra would be present at the venue, and present himself for photo opportunities to his fans.

The event, which begins at 12 noon will feature continuous entertainment and fun, with a formal ceremony estimated to begin at 230 pm.

Stalls dealing in food items, crafts, henna and other items and amusement for children are among the features of the ‘Tarana Manukau Diwali 2014,’ which will culminate at a spectacular fireworks at 9 pm.

Worldwide fans

Tarana Managing Director Robert Khan said that Hindi filmgoers can be found among almost ethnic groups in New Zealand including those of European and Pacific descent.

“We have always seen thousands of people of varying countries of origin, subscribing to a multitude of cultures at Radio Tarana events. Dharmendra is a mega star of the Indian film industry with a long list of box-office hits. Our team has been working hard for the past several weeks to put together a show of such magnitude,” he said.

Mr Khan said that Dharmendra continues to enjoy the patronage of millions of fans all over the world and that his films are always awaited with anxiety.

“Diwali is an occasion at which we share the joy of the festive season with people. While celebrities including film stars speak to our listeners on air regularly, we have always endeavoured to bring at least some of them in person at our shows. We had the pleasure of the presence of Bobby Deol, Dharmendra’s youngest son at the Tarana Diwali last year (held at the same venue on October 28, 2013 and published in Indian Newslink November 1, 2013 issue), this year we have the honour of hosting one of the biggest film stars of all times. We thank our sponsors, advertisers, patrons, well-wishers and listeners of Radio Tarana for their support,” he said.

Community service

Mr Khan said that Radio Tarana was committed to serving the community and that organising such events with popular Indian film personalities underscored the Station’s objective of promoting goodwill and joy.

“We enjoy the experience of offering the best to our patrons. Organising such major programmes takes considerable time, effort and money but the pleasure of seeing a sea of humanity is absolute. More than 60,000 people attended our Diwali Festival in 2013 and this year we expect even more,” Mr Khan said.

Radio Tarana will provide more details of ‘Tarana Manukau Diwali 2014’ from time to time on its frequency (1386 AM) and on its website (www.tarana.co.nz).

About Dharmendra

Since his debut in 1960, Dharmendra has remained one of the most sought-after actors in the Hindi film industry. Although not all his films made it to the box-office, his popularity never waned. He was a major contributor to the runaway success of Nasir Hussain’s ‘Yaadon Ki Baaraat’ (1973) and Ramesh Sippy’s ‘Sholay’ (1975) and his punchy, angry dialogues in the respective roles as Shankar and Veeru have been imitated by almost all mimic artistes in India and other countries. Amitabh Bachchan, who later became a superstar, received a lease of film life in ‘Sholay’ (in the role of Jai Dev), thanks to the strong recommendation of Dharmendra.

He continues to act, albeit in selective roles. He appeared with his two sons Sunny and Bobby in ‘Yamla Pagla Deewana’ (2011) and its sequel ‘Yamla Pagla Deewana 2’ in 2013. He also acted with his daughter Esha in his wife Hema Malini’s directorial venture ‘Tell Me O Khuda’ in 2011.

The following has been sourced from koimoi.com

Dharam Singh Deol, known popularly as Dharmendra was born on the December 8, 1935 to Kewal Kishan Singh Deol and Satwant Kaur in the North Indian state of Punjab.

He spent his childhood days at Sahnewal, a village.

After winning the Filmfare New Talent Award, he shifted to Mumbai.

He began his career with the Arjun Hingorani directed ‘Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere’ (1960), which featured Balraj Sahni and Kum Kum. Thereafter he appeared in various black and white romantic movies and got his major breakthrough with ‘Phool Aur Patthar’ (1966) directed by O P Ralhan. Apart from being a major hit, the film brought him his first Filmfare Nomination for Best Actor.

He worked with several top actresses of the time including Nutan (‘Bandini’), Meena Kumari (‘Kaajal,’ ‘Phool Aur Patthar,’ ‘Poornima,’ and ‘Main Bhi Ladki Hoon’); Mala Sinha (‘Pooja Ke Phool’ and ‘Anpadh’) and Saira Banu (‘Ayee Milan Ki Bela’ and ‘Shaadi’). Among his other heroines were Hema Malini, Zeenat Aman, Sharmila Tagore, Rekha, Asha Parekh and Mumtaz.

The Hema affair

His affair with Hema Malini was labelled ‘The Great Romance’ and together they acted in several megahits including ‘Raja Jani,’ ‘Sharafat,’ ‘Seeta Aur Geeta,’ ‘Tum Haseen Main Jawaan,’ ‘Dost,’ ‘Jugnu,’ ‘Charas,’ ‘Chacha Bhatija,’ ‘Maa,’ ‘Sholay’ and ‘Azad.’

His most noteworthy performance was in Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s ‘Satyakam’ (1969), apart from ‘Sholay.’

Besides Hindi films, Dharmendra had also appeared in several Punjabi films. These include ‘Kankan De Ole’ (1970) ‘Dukh Bhanjan Tera Naam’ (1974), ‘Do Sher’ (1974), ‘Teri Meri Ik Jindri’ (1975), ‘Qurbani Jatt Di’ (1990) and ‘Putt Jattan De’ (1982).

‘Ghayal’ (1990), ‘Barsaat’ (1995), ‘Indian’ (2001), Shaheed’ (2003), ‘Socha Na Tha’ (2005) and ‘Apne’ (2007) were among his own productions.

The Home affair

Dharmendra married Prakash Kaur when he was 19 years old and she bore two sons – Sunny and Bobby, both of who have made it big in Hindi films. His romance with Hema Malini encouraged him to convert to Islam and this marriage produced two daughters namely Esha and Ahana.

Honours & Awards

Dharmendra has won many industry awards and citations but ‘Padma Bhushan,’ a high civilian award conferred on him by the Indian Government is the most prestigious.

He has also won a number of Television Awards.

The Parliament Affair

Like many of his contemporaries such as the late Rajesh Khanna and Shatrughan Sinha, he entered politics and won the Parliamentary seat in Rajasthan in 2004 on a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket. Khanna and Sinha also served as MPs curiously from the same constituency in Delhi at different periods from opposing political camp. Khanna was a Congress Party supporter, while Sinha continues his work with BJP.

2. The Star in ‘Yamla Pagla Deewana 2’ (2013)