Srinagar, Nov. 24 -- Majeed Khan recalls the time when Dharmendra was everyone's hero in Kashmir.

Sitting in a cafe near Lal Chowk, he watches people check their phones as the news spreads that the actor has passed away at 89.

A part of Majeed travels back to the days when he collected Dharmendra's posters, memorized his dialogues, and copied his confident stride.

"He made us believe a man could be strong and still have a soft heart," Majeed, a retired teacher, says. "We all wanted to be like him. He was our He-man."

He remembers a film shoot he once saw in serene seventies. Dharmendra stood in a meadow wearing a short-sleeved shirt and long boots. The actor smiled at the locals who gathered behind the camera. "He walked among us," ...