'Indian Idol 16' to honor Dharmendra with special tribute
29 Nov 2025

The popular music reality show Indian Idol 16 will pay tribute to the late Bollywood icon Dharmendra in its upcoming episodes.

In a new promo, the show's judges Shreya Ghoshal, Abhijeet Bhattacharya, Vishal Dadlani, and rapper Badshah were seen lighting candles in his memory.

They also sang the title track of Apne as a musical tribute to the legendary actor who passed away at 89 on November 24.

Badshah's heartfelt tribute on 'Indian Idol 16'
Emotional tribute

Badshah, in another video shared by the makers, remembered Dharmendra as the "real essence of Punjab."

He said, "Dharam paaji was the real essence of Punjab, and now it feels as if that beautiful fragrance and essence has been lost from the soil of our own Punjab. He was Dharam Paaji, everybody's ideal idol."

Hema Malini's emotional tribute to her late husband
Personal loss

Earlier this week, Dharmendra's wife and actor Hema Malini also paid tribute to him on social media.

She wrote, "Dharam ji. He was many things to me. Loving husband, adoring father of our two girls, Esha & Ahaana, friend, philosopher, guide, poet."

"My personal loss is indescribable and the vacuum created is something that will last through the rest of my life."

Dharmendra's health complications and last film
Health struggles

Dharmendra had been suffering from age-related ailments.

His condition worsened in mid-November, leading to a hospitalization in Mumbai. He was discharged after a few days but continued to deteriorate until his death.

His funeral was attended by several Bollywood celebrities, including Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, and Abhishek Bachchan, among others.

Dharmendra will be seen posthumously in Sriram Raghavan's upcoming film Ikkis. The movie also stars Agastya Nanda and Jaideep Ahlawat and will release on December 25.