Dharmendra Deol’s demise left Bollywood grieving. Artists across industries remembered him with emotion and gratitude, honouring his long legacy in cinema.
During this moment, one actor found himself facing backlash online. Aamir Khan was criticised for linking Dharmendra’s passing with the promotion of his upcoming film.
While speaking at IFFI 2025, Aamir praised Dharmendra’s career and called his work inspiring. He then mentioned that Dharmendra had watched his film Lahore 1947 and loved the script, which sparked anger among viewers.
Lahore 1947 has been in development since early 2023 with Aamir producing it and Sunny Deol in the lead. The project began after Gadar 2 succeeded at the box office, and Rajkumar Santoshi joined as director in September 2023.
Aamir reportedly completed the film in October 2025 and remains fully involved in post-production. The film focuses on the India–Pakistan partition and had been gaining strong buzz before controversy struck.
Many people felt Aamir used Dharmendra’s tribute moment for publicity. One user even called him a “cheapskate,” accusing him of insensitivity rather than respect for the late icon.
Aamir has not responded to the criticism yet. His fans defend him, saying Dharmendra enjoyed cinema till the end and supported his son’s role in the film. Even so, the reaction casts uncertainty on how audiences will receive Lahore 1947.
“It’s a huge loss for our industry that #Dharmendra Ji is no more. I got the privilege to show him the #SunnyDeol starrer #Lahore1947. The script of Lahore was so close to him”#AamirKhan pays tribute to Dharmendra Ji at #IFFI2025 pic.twitter.com/WYt8zxgazQ
— RAJ (@AamirsDevotee) November 27, 2025
