At his age Dharamji needs to be cautious

By Subhash K Jha

To imagine Dharmendra in anything but in the pink of health is impossible. When the Yamla Jat was rumoured to have suffered a heart attack while shooting in Punjab, the initial response among his friends and family was disbelief.

But yes, Bollywood's first he-man was indeed hospitalized on Wednesday while shooting for the family film Yamla Pagla Deewana in Punjab.

Says director Samir Karnik, " Dharamji complained of uneasiness. We thought it was some food that didn't agree with him. But Dharamji suggested that a check-up would be advisable. That's when me, Sunny and Bobby got worried."

Since there were no really topnotch hospital in Patiala the local doctors suggested the Deol patriarch be taken to Chandigarh.

Says Karnik, "It's all clear now. He's absolutely fine. In fact he's shooting this evening (Wednesday) in Patiala again though we suggested he rest. But Dharamji can't slow down. He has more energy than all of us put together."

Adds Sunny Deol shyly, "Papa is fine. Yes he was a little unwell this morning. He had gone into the hospital for a check-up, nothing else. People needn't get alarmed."

Hema Malini who is in Hardwar says she got to know of her husband's health scare when her phone started ringing with anxious inquiries.

Says Hema, "I'm here for a dance performance. I started getting calls about Dharamji. I just rang him up. He said he was fine. I asked if he was hiding anything. Only when he assured me he was well did I feel relieved. Now I'm doing Ganga Aarti and of course I'll pray for his long life. Good he got a thorough check-up done. At his age he needs to be cautious."