As tributes pour in for Dharmendra, fans are rediscovering his honesty, humility and the rare vulnerability that made him larger than life. In an old episode of Aap Ki Adalat, he revealed a story that showed just how close he once came to choosing an entirely different path, far from the bright lights of cinema.
While it is a difficult time for his fans, Dharmendra's old interview reminds us all of his zeal, sense of self and his groundedness. Like most of us, even the legendary actor had the question in his mind: what if he fails?
'What if it doesn't work out?'
When Rajat Sharma asked whether he ever feared that his dream might collapse, Dharmendra didn't hesitate. He shared a memory that felt equal parts funny and heartbreaking, a glimpse of a young struggler balancing ambition with responsibility.
He recalled, "When I started earning a little, I bought a Fiat. It cost around Rs 18,000. My brother Ajit said, 'Paaji, you should have bought a Herald; an open car suits a hero better.'"
But beneath the joke was a deeper truth about uncertainty.
Also read: Dharmendra, veteran actor and Bollywood's He-Man, dies at 89 in Mumbai weeks before his birthday
'I'll turn this car into a taxi'
Smiling, he explained what he told his brother that day: "I said, Ajit, this industry can't be trusted. I don't want to leave, but if I have to, I'll leave having become something. And if time takes longer than expected, we'll turn this Fiat into a taxi. We'll drive it together."
It's a story that instantly reminds you that the superstar who later ruled Indian cinema once stood on the brink of survival — calculating risk, planning for real life, thinking like an ordinary young man who couldn't afford to fall.
"I always had a sense of responsibility," he added. And you can hear the weight behind the words.
The man who would have driven a taxi became the nation's hero
It feels almost cinematic now: The hero who imagined his future behind the wheel of a taxi would one day be chased by millions trying to catch a glimpse of him outside cinema halls. Dharmendra's legacy wasn’t built on privilege or luck; it was built on fearlessness, humility and the wisdom to prepare for failure without letting it win.
Also read: When Dharmendra was rejected by filmmakers: 'Hockey player nahi, hero chahiye'
