Dharmendra is known for being the ‘He-man’ of Bollywood. Not only was he popular among women in his younger days for his handsome looks, Dharmendra’s movies and dance steps also continue to be remembered over the years. At one point in time, Dharmendra was also called the biggest boozer in Bollywood. The actor had once opened up on his reputation of drinking and how he manages it.
He had recalled in an interview once as to how he would secretly steal beer from his camera man Jim during the shoot of ‘Sholay’. He had said when he appeared on ‘Aap Ki Adaalat’, “Our cameraman, Jim, who was working with us on Sholay, had the habit of carrying 5-6 bottles of beer. I would sit behind him and secretly drink from his stock. When the people from the production told him that he had consumed 12 bottles, baffled, he reacted, ‘How did it happen? I don’t know!’ One day, he caught me. You should enjoy life.”
When asked about being the biggest boozer in Bollywood, he said, “Mera liver bahot strong hai.” The actor further joked about how once Moushumi Chatterjee caught him drinking on a shoot in the afternoon. He said, “Beer peene ka dil kiya dopahar ko… I had told them to make the beer frothy so that it looked like lassi. Moushumi saw this and said, ‘Aye, Dharmendra, yeh kya peeta hai?’ I lied by saying that I was having lassi. She knew I was lying so she asked me, ‘Thodi mujhe bhi dena.’ I burst out laughing and admitted that I was enjoying my beer. Beer peene se kuch nahi hota.”
Dharmendra was last seen in Shahid Kapoor starrer ‘Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya’.