Dharmendra shared this video on his X account.
The ghazal in question strongly upholds his pain in staying away from his loved ones and his country.
Veteran Bollywood star Dharmendra has a poetic side to his personality. He is known for penning shayaris, a skill which he has displayed over years on TV shows as well as his own social media handle. The 88-year old refuses to let age catch up to him and is still young at heart, finding solace in verses, poems and ghazals. The most recent video of him doing the rounds is one where he is seen lip syncing to a ghazal that was penned by the Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar. Sharing the video on his X account, Dharmendra was seen lip syncing to the rendition of the ghazal sung by legendary singer Mohammad Rafi from the 1960 film Lal Qila. Dharmendra added a caption in Hindi to the video which says, “I am sitting here narrating the reality of life, people of my family. My fans cannot see me sad”.
The ghazal was originally written by Bahadur Shah Zafar when he was exiled to Rangoon, now Myanmar. After he grudgingly signed his name to the 1857 uprising, the British tried him for treason and banished him to Burma, where he ultimately passed away. Bahadur Shah Zafar cut a melancholic figure in his final moments. His eulogy lamented the fact that he could not even be buried in the “two yards” of his beloved country. The ghazal in question strongly upholds his pain in staying away from his loved ones and his country. The ghazal was used in the 1960 film Lal Qila in the song Lagta Nahi Dil Mera.
Talking of Dharmendra’s work, he has worked in over 300 films in his 6 decade long career. He was most recently seen in the ensemble film Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani, directed by Karan Johar and Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya, starring Shahid Kapoor and Kriti Sanon.