India, Nov. 24 -- Hindi film icon and former Member of Parliament (MP) Dharmendra died at his home in Mumbai on Monday. The actor, widely considered to be one of the most successful stars in commercial Hindi cinema, had been ailing for the last several weeks. He would have been 90 on December 8.

Born to a government school teacher in rural Punjab, the actor, who went by his mononym, starred in some of Hindi cinema's most memorable films, including 'Sholay', 'Mera Gaon Mera Desh', 'Haqueeqat', 'Bandini', 'Anupama', 'Mamta', 'Chupke Chupke', to name but a few. No other actor in the Mumbai film industry has had a career spanning six decades in which they delivered commercial hits in every successive decade.

One of Dharmendra's first hits w...