Dharmendra: The Towering Jat Who Conquered Afghan Pathan Hearts – A Childhood Tribute from Ahmad and Sher Tookhi/ Introduction and Curation Irfan/Soundtrack Courtesy Saregama/
Last year, Dharmendra—or as we say, Dharam Prahji—who was known as the He-Man of Hindi films, bid farewell to this world at around 90 years of age.
Coming from a typical village in Ludhiana, Punjab, Dharmendra never formally learned acting anywhere and relying on his innocent face and well-built body, he played all kinds of roles in more than 300 films.
Without worrying about wins or losses, he worked as if acting was his labor and continued working in films until his last breath.
On this chequered board of flops and hits, he left behind moves that film lovers across the Indian subcontinent will always remember.
Ahmad and Sher Tookhi, brothers born in Afghanistan and living in America for the past 40 years, have paid tribute to Dharam Ji by refreshing memories related to the film culture of Afghans, drawing from their childhood recollections.
One end of these memories starts from the era of 1955, connecting to their uncle and father, while the other end trails off into their own boyhood until 1983—that is, until they left Afghanistan.
How a towering Jat like Dharmendra becomes a companion in the imagination of towering Afghan Pathans is not rocket science to understand.
It is the shared expanse of common values between the two countries, personal beliefs, character strengths, love for justice, and hearts beating with love.
The passion that Sher Tookhi has for films, books, music, and languages is becoming rare these days. You have already heard many of his recordings here, and in the coming days, this series will expand even further—I am fully confident of that.
For now, stepping aside from between you and Sher Bhai, I take you, with the support of Dharam Prahji, to Afghanistan—where Sher spent his childhood, and why he never wants to return there again?
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