December 3 marks the death anniversary of evergreen superstar Dev Anand. His charm and influence were unmatched, inspiring millions—including Dharmendra, who passed away recently. When Dharmendra entered the film industry, Dev Anand was already a towering name. Along with him, legends like Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Shammi Kapoor, and Guru Dutt ruled the screen. Dharmendra often said that from the age of 19, he dreamt of becoming a film hero after watching these greats on screen. But despite becoming a major star himself, he never got the chance to deliver a memorable film alongside Dev Anand or Dilip Kumar.

Dharmendra’s early dream and passion for films

Dharmendra would often recall how the Frontier Mail passing through Sahnewal (Ludhiana) filled him with dreams of reaching Mumbai one day. Watching Dev Anand and Dilip Kumar on screen ignited his passion to act. Dilip Kumar was his idol, and Dev Anand his favourite—yet fate never allowed a strong on-screen pairing with either of them.

Dev Anand admired Dharmendra too

Dharmendra was not discovered by any director—he won the Filmfare Talent Contest, rising above thousands of contestants across India. His combination of rugged physique and innocent charm made him a benchmark of male beauty in the industry. Even Dilip Kumar and Dev Anand praised his looks. Dharmendra often said he was shocked when his idols complimented him.

Dev Anand once said he wished he had Dharmendra’s face. Dilip Kumar also echoed a similar thought during a Filmfare Lifetime Achievement event, saying,
“I wish my face was as handsome as Dharmendra’s.”
This left Dharmendra both amused and embarrassed.

Why they never appeared in a memorable film together

Although Dharmendra worked incredibly well with many top actors of his time—Rajkumar (Kajal), Rajendra Kumar (Aayi Milan Ki Bela), Sanjeev Kumar, Sunil Dutt, Rajesh Khanna (Rajput), Amitabh Bachchan, Vinod Khanna, and Mithun Chakraborty—no major director dared to cast him opposite Dilip Kumar or Dev Anand in a strong, central pairing.

By the 1970s, Dharmendra had become a superstar. Dev Anand and Dilip Kumar were also at their peak. Yet no filmmaker crafted a big project bringing them together meaningfully.

The few forgotten collaborations

The two legends did appear briefly together in some films, but none left an impact:

• Dharmendra played a memorable circus manager in Raj Kapoor’s Mera Naam Joker, but Dilip Kumar wasn't in that one.

• Dharmendra and Dilip Kumar did feature in Bengali filmmaker Jagannath Chatterjee’s film Paari (1966), where Dilip Kumar had a cameo. It did not gain wide attention.

• Chatterjee cast Dharmendra in Anokha Milan (1972), but the film went unnoticed.

• Dharmendra and Dev Anand shared screen space only once in Return of Jewel Thief (1996), a film so obscure that very few remember when or where it released.

A missed cinematic dream

Both Dev Anand and Dharmendra admired each other deeply, but despite decades of stardom, audiences never got to see them create magic together in a memorable, mainstream film. It remains one of the rare missed opportunities of Hindi cinema’s golden era.