When Dharmendra Consumed 12 Bottles Of Alcohol In A Day On Set: ‘Would Sit Behind And Secretly Drink…’

Bollywood’s beloved He-Man, Dharmendra, was admired by his fans for his rugged look, charming style, his performance and vulnerability. The evidence of his open nature was when he shared that he drank 12 bottles of beer on the sets of Sholay. During his younger days, Dharmendra was reportedly called the biggest boozer of Bollywood. Reacting to the tag, once he recalled one such incident from the sets of Sholay, when his cameraman used to bing a stock of 5 to 6 bottles. He used to sit behind him and drink. One day, a production member actually informed him that he had 12 bottles.

When Dharmendra talked about his drinking habit in an interview with Aap Ki Adaalat, the veteran actor recalled, “Our cameraman, Jim, who was working with us on Sholay, had the habit of carrying 5-6 bottles of beer. I would sit behind him and secretly drink from his stock. “ When the people from the production told him that he had consumed 12 bottles, baffled, he reacted, ‘How did it happen? I don’t know!’ One day he caught me. You should enjoy life.” He also reacted to the tag of the biggest boozer in Bollywood and he laughed, “Mera liver bahot strong hai!” The actor doesn't drink anymore, though. But once he was also caught drinking on a film set by co-star Moushumi Chatterjee. Dharmendra confessed, “Beer peene ka dil kiya dopahar ko… I had told them to make the beer frothy so that it looked like lassi. Moushumi saw this and said, 'Aye, Dharmendra, yeh kya peeta hai?’ I lied by saying that I was having lassi. She knew I was lying so she asked me, ‘Thodi mujhe bhi dena.’ I burst out laughing and admitted that I was enjoying my beer. Beer peene se kuch nahi hota.'”

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Dharmendra also called himself an extremist. He shared that he would quit alcohol for six months in a row, play badminton and get into fitness. In 2010, he suffered from some health issues. His daughter, Esha Deol, said that he would never drink again, even if it's for a movie.