Dharmendra was rejected for Love In Simla opposite Sadhana: 'I was called for a screen test to be her first hero'

Actor Dharmendra on Thursday took a trip down memory lane as he remembered late actor Sadhana on her 80th birth anniversary. Taking to Instagram, Dharmendra recalled giving a screen test for Love In Simla, to be paired opposite Sadhana as her 'first hero'. However, he was rejected.

Dharmendra shared a black-and-white throwback picture of himself. He channelled his Sholay character Veeru and wrote, "Gaaoon waalo (people of the village)" and continued, "Kapil ke show mein Chala gaya tha peet mein bal pad gaye (I went on The Kapil Sharma Show)….."

Reacting to his post, a fan wrote, "Dharam ji, today (Sep 2) is Sadhana ji's 80th birth anniversary. Can you please share any beautiful memories of you with her."

He replied, "@sadhanaxshivdasani_fp Sadhana, a lovely person, a versatile artist. I was called for a screen test to be her first hero in Love In Simla. But rejected!!! Unfortunately, I could do only one film with her. On her Birth anniversary……'we will miss you, dear Sadhana'."

Love In Simla was a 1960 romantic film starring Joy Mukherjee and Sadhana in the lead roles. It marked Sadhana's debut in Hindi films as a lead actor. The film was directed by RK Nayyar and produced by Joy's father Sashadhar Mukherjee under his production house, Filmalaya.

Dharmendra and Sadhana featured together in only one film, Ishq Par Zor Nahin, throughout their careers. The film, released in 1970, was a romantic movie directed by Ramesh Saigal and produced by Suresh Saigal. The film also starred Biswajeet, Kamini Kaushal, Leela Mishra, Abhi Bhattacharya, Jagdeep, Nadira and Helen.

Last month, Dharmendra along with Shatrughan Sinha appeared on The Kapil Sharma Show. The duo spoke about a host of topics including the love life of Dharmendra. As per Indian Express, Shatrughan had said, "Jitna kaam kiya, kitna naam kiya, kitna handsome, jitna chah logon mein rahi, apart from all that, usne ek kaam zabardast kiya — ishq kiya (Apart from all the respect and love he has earned, there’s one thing he’s done even better: love). He has always remained a one-woman man, at a time." Dharmendra responded, “Bahut shararati ho gaya (You’ve become very naughty)."

Also Read | Dharmendra says he spoke to Saira Banu four days ago: 'She told me she has not been keeping well'

Meanwhile, Dharmendra will be seen in Apne 2 by Anil Sharma. He will reunite with his sons Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol, and feature alongside his grandson Karan Deol for the first time. He will also feature in Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani along with Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Shabana Azmi and Jaya Bachchan.