Dharmendra Hit Movie List: Sholay, Apne & More; The Box-Office Highest Grossers that Defined His Stardom

Bollywood's most iconic actor, Dharmendra, breathed his last today and sent the entire country into a state of mourning. The 89-year-old actor was one of the most celebrated artists in India, known for his good looks and his unmatched acting skills. In his 60-year-long film career with around 300 movies in his kitty, Dharmendra has delivered some of the highest-grossing Hindi films. While Sholay (1975) is his biggest lifetime hit, films like Apne, Phool Aur Patthar, Seeta Aur Geeta, and Hukumat also played a big role in making Dharmendra one of India's greatest box-office stars.

Sholay (1975): Dharmendra's Biggest All-Time Blockbuster

Considered the highest-grossing Dharmendra film of all time, Sholay became the biggest box-office hit in India and held that record for nearly two decades. The action-adventure classic is regarded as an all-time Bollywood blockbuster, earning around Rs. 50 crore at the box office, a huge figure for that era. If we adjust it with today's inflation number, Sholay's box office collection would be around Rs. 1493.5 crore.
The movie was directed by Ramesh Sippy and co-stars Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, and Sanjeev Kumar; the film is considered a turning point in Dharmendra's career.

Apne (2007)

Among Dharmendra's recent releases, Apne, released in 2007, leads in net box-office collections. According to data, the film earned Rs. 21.9 crore in India net and Rs. 38.81 crore worldwide, making it his highest-grossing movie of the modern era. The film featured Dharmendra and his sons, Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol, and was directed by Anil Sharma. Apne was a family drama that brought huge box-office success for the veteran star.

Hukumat (1987)

Released in 1987, Hukumat was the highest-grossing Hindi film of its year and gave Dharmendra the tag of action superstar. Also directed by Anil Sharma, the movie outperformed several major releases that year and dominated the box-office rankings. Rati Agnihoturi was the female lead. According to IMDB data, Hukumat had an estimated lifetime domestic box office collection of Rs. 5.50 crore and was a blockbuster hit, with an estimated 3 crore footfalls and a budget of Rs. 1.80 crore.

Phool Aur Patthar (1966)

Dharmendra's earlier hit Phool Aur Patthar, released in 1966, is among the biggest Bollywood grossers of the decade. The film, starring Meena Kumari and directed by O.P. Ralhan, became a massive commercial success and also was a turning point in his career. The movie was made with a budget of Rs. 62.5 lakhs, and it grossed around Rs. 8.80 crore. It was the highest-grossing film of the year in India and had a significant run, with the worldwide collection jumping to over Rs. 21 crore by later re-runs.

Seeta Aur Geeta (1972)

The 1972 comedy classic Seeta Aur Geeta was also among the top-grossing films of its release year. Directed by Ramesh Sippy and starring Hema Malini in a double role, the movie gained major commercial success and is still one of the most celebrated projects of Dharmendra. Seeta aur Geeta was made with a budget of 40 lacs and grossed about Rs. 3.25 crore in India and Rs. 16.4 crore worldwide