After completing 50 remarkable years in the Hindi film industry, Bollywood's charismatic star Dharmendra is now gearing up to make his debut on the small screen in the third season of India's Got Talent on Colors channel later this month. For a change, the heartthrob of millions will not be showcasing his talent but judging the talent of India's budding artistes.
Dharmendra says he was never averse to the idea of appearing on the small screen. “I refused a show earlier because it needed someone who could judge dancers and I have never been one. Then the channel approached Jeetendra. As a judge I know what a contestant goes through. I can read their minds and hearts because I was also a contestant in Filmfare's talent hunt. So I can empathise with their fears and apprehensions.”
Initially the actor felt out of place but slowly began to enjoy the show. “In films, we sit down and discuss every shot but here it is different. Judging emerging talent is not a difficult exercise. Cinema-goers are not script writers yet they give their judgment after coming out of theatres. The Almighty has given every person an instinct to judge. The difficult part is rejecting a contestant.”
Once a contestant got angry with co-judge Kirron Kher for rejecting him, forcing Dharmendra to intervene. “I told him, if you are strong you must learn to respect your mothers and sisters… If a contestant is below average then I tell Sonali and Kirron to say no and I give him the nod. I tell the rejected contestants that this competition is not the end of the road. Life itself is a competition, and there will be many more in the future. One must learn to improve upon one's past mistakes.”
Sonali Bendre, who is a judge on the show for the third time, says her mother and mother-in-law are huge fans of Dharamji.
“I could never visualise his larger-than-life image before meeting him. He is an emotional and sensitive human being. He reveals so many shades of himself. He has a hidden talent for poetry. Although he has been in Bollywood for 50 years, Dharamji is unique because of the kind of life he has led and how he has supported his entire family. He exudes tremendous energy on the sets.”
The actor says she has never been disrespectful with a contestant, but if she or her co-judges have admonished a participant then it has been for their own good. “The idea is to make them realise that they must not waste their life on something which they can never master, and perhaps try their hand at another profession instead.”
Describing her senior co-judge as soft spoken and funny, Kirron Kher says Dharmendra is a livewire on the sets. “He never behaves rudely with any contestant even if he or she is not good in their field of specialisation whether it is painting, dancing, singing or any other talent.”
