Like in Sholay where Veeru came to Basanti's rescue and took on Gabbar Singh, Dharmendra, 83, went out in the unrelenting summer heat to work his charm on Mathura's voters.
If Basanti is in trouble can Veeru be far behind? Bollywood veteran Dharmendra came out in support of his 'dream girl' and wife Hema Malini to campaign for her in Mathura, her Lok Sabha constituency. The Member of Parliament has been in a bit of a spot owing to tepid responses to her campaign rallies. Like in Sholay where Veeru came to Basanti's rescue and took on Gabbar Singh, Dharmendra, 83, went out in the unrelenting summer heat to work his charm on Mathura's voters.
The octogenarian addressed a public meeting in Sonkh town in Mathura district and asked people not be "misguided". He also thanked voters for delivering a historic victory to Hema Malini in the 2014 elections. The senior actress and classical dancer had defeated Rashtriya Lok Dal's Jayant Chaudhary by over 3.3 lakh votes.
Dharmendra told Mathura residents that since he could relate to them because his father, too, was a farmer and a teacher. "Since I was a 4-year old child, I have been a patriot. My mother encouraged me to join the rallies and protests against the British and she would hand me a tricolour," the Jat actor said. Mathura has a sizeable population of Jats.
"I have harvested crops, ploughed fields and cut fodder for animals. That's why I understand the problems and hard work of farmers," he added. Hema Malini's campaign and photo-ops with locals in fields have been the subject of social media discussions, jokes and even some memes. She has faced a lukewarm response and locals feel she seldom visits the constituency.
In this election, Hema Malini is facing a three-cornered fight. Rashtriya Lok Dal's Kunwar Narendra Singh and Congress party's Mahesh Pathak are her chief opponents. Mathura goes to polls in the third phase of the Lok Sabha election on Thursday.
— With agency inputs
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In this election, Hema Malini is facing a three-cornered fight. Rashtriya Lok Dal’s Kunwar Narendra Singh and Congress party’s Mahesh Pathak are her chief opponents.
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