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In today’s era, when one or two films of a Bollywood superstar prove to be a box office hit or blockbuster in a year, his name starts making waves on social media for weeks. He is given titles like ‘King of Box Office’ or ‘Superstar’. But there was a period in the history of Hindi cinema when, without any social media or PR agency, theaters used to remain houseful for months just by seeing the poster of an actor’s name. We are talking about the late actor Dharmendra, who was called the ‘He-Man’ of Bollywood, before whose storm the entire film industry was once forced to kneel.
Year 1987: When Dharmendra became the messiah for sinking Bollywood
This historical incident is of the year 1987. At that time, Indian cinema was going through a very difficult phase. Instead of going to theatres, people started watching movies on video cassettes (VCR) at home. Because of this, theaters remained empty, there was silence at the ticket windows and many big film makers were on the verge of bankruptcy. In such times of crisis, Dharmendra single-handedly took the burden of the entire Bollywood on his strong shoulders. In the year 1987, Dharmendra’s 12 films were released back-to-back, out of which 7 films proved to be all-time blockbusters and superhits. In the last 39 years till date, no Indian actor has been able to break this magical record of giving 7 blockbuster films in a calendar year.
That fear of ‘Government’, due to which other makers trembled
In the year 1987, Dharmendra collaborated with director Anil Sharma for the film ‘Government’ Had made. This film created such a stir on the single screens of the country that it became the highest grossing film of that year. The craze of ‘Hukumat’ and Dharmendra was so strong that the makers of other big films were postponing their release dates because they knew that it was not possible for anyone to compete with Dharmendra at the box office.
Those 7 blockbuster films of Dharmendra, which swallowed the box office:
In the 80s, there was an absolute rule of strong dialogues and dashing action films in Hindi cinema and Dharmendra was the only Sultan of that empire. People used to rush towards theaters just by hearing his name:
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Rule: The biggest and historical blockbuster film of the year 1987, which had destroyed all the old earning records.
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Fire is fire: Chunky Pandey made his Bollywood debut with this film, but everything proved to be pale in comparison to Dharmendra’s strong action.
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Iron: This film, adorned with the spirit of patriotism, tremendous star cast and strong dialogues, was a super hit at the ticket window.
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Guardians of the country: This was a very heavy multi-starrer film, which got a bumper opening only on the name and screen presence of Dharmendra.
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Enemies of humanity: This action-drama film also attracted huge crowds in the theaters and made the makers rich.
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Who will do justice: Based on family drama and revenge, this film was warmly received by the audience.
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Bullying: This film had earned silver at single screen theaters for several weeks and months continuously.
Dharmendra’s box office report card of the year 1987
Why is it impossible for today’s superstars to break this record?
Today’s top and A-list superstars (like Shahrukh, Salman, Aamir or Ranbir) are seen in barely 1 or 2 films a year. Today’s stars fear that appearing more on screen will reduce their brand value and fees. In today’s time, films depend on social media reviews, PR strategy and ‘word of mouth’. In such an environment, it seems completely impossible for any actor today to even come close to the huge record of ‘7 blockbusters in 1 year’ made by Dharmendra.
End of the cinematic era: Dharmendra, Bollywood’s most beloved and veteran actor, breathed his last on 24 November 2025 at the age of 89 at his Mumbai residence, ending a golden era of cinema. His last rites were performed with full state honors at the Pawan Hans cremation ground in Vile Parle, Mumbai. After the actor’s demise, his last film ‘Ikkis’ was released in theaters on January 1, 2026, which left the audience in tears. Even though ‘He-Man’ is not physically present among us today, his historical record will always remain immortal.
