Superstar Dharmendra, loved across generations of Hindi film fans, breathed his last on 24 November 2025, at the age of 89. He was one of the most handsome actors in the world and was loved not just for an endless number of hit films, but also for his simplicity and humility. He is considered to be one of the most successful actors in the history of the Hindi film industry. Bandini, Haqeeqat, Phool Aur Patthar, Satyakam, Chupkey Chupkey, Pratigya, Sholay, the list goes on and on. He is known for both his romantic and action roles. Not many actors could carry a Gladiator-style skirt so confidently, like he did in the 1977 film, Dharamveer. One of his less-mentioned films was Dillagi, released a year after that, in 1978. It was the opposite of Dharamveer, which was an out-and-out action film.

Dillagi was a romantic comedy directed by Basu Chatterjee, one of the finest film Directors of Indian Cinema. The film was based on the Bengali novella “Kalidas O Chemistry” written by Bimal Kar. Dharmendra played a bespectacled, kurta-pyjama donning, newly appointed Sanskrit lecturer, Swaran Kamal. Opposite him was Hema Malini, playing the role of Phoolrenu, a no-nonsense Chemistry lecturer. Phoolrenu was also the warden of this girls’ only college. You can imagine their characters by their nicknames. The girls nicknamed Phoolrenu “Carbon dioxide” and Swarn Kamal “Jijaji”.

Swarn Kamal instantly fell in love with his colleague, Phoolrenu. She did not reciprocate his feelings. He keeps wooing her and wins her over after many funny situations and a bit of chaos. Swarn Kamal teaches poems of love and longing as part of his curriculum. Phoolrenu is strict and disciplinarian. Dharmendra, contrary to his image, plays a restrained, understated role and displays his brilliant comic timing. Hema Malini as Phoolrenu looks very beautiful and graceful. Shatrughan Sinha, in a cameo as Swaran Kamal’s friend, was Shatrughan Sinha, not an inch more or less. Preeti Ganguly made viewers laugh in her role as a fat student madly in love with her lecturer. It might not be considered politically correct these days, but it was funny.

No real villains; the only character who could be called villainous is played by Deven Verma, a Bengali lecturer vying to marry Hema Malini. The film flows smoothly, with no unnerving twists and turns. The comic fighting scenes at the end were funny. Dharmendra being beaten up by small-time goons may sound unbelievable, but it made viewers laugh. Like other Basu Chatterjee films, this film gently entertains the viewers. Songs are written by Yogesh, music composed by Rajesh Roshan.