Aamir Khan Reveals Dharmendra Watched Sunny Deol’s Lahore 1947 Before His Death: ‘It’s Not Released Yet…’

At the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) on Thursday, Aamir Khan shared a touching detail about the late Dharmendra, revealing that the veteran actor had the opportunity to watch "Lahore 1947," a film produced by Khan starring Sunny Deol, before his passing. Dharmendra died on Monday at the age of 89.

Khan, speaking at a session titled 'The Narrative Architect of Social Transformation,' expressed his admiration for Dharmendra, calling him an "institution" and a "great actor" who was often underrated. He lauded Dharmendra's versatility across genres, including action, romance, and comedy.

Aamir Khan, who has produced Sunny Deol-starrer "Lahore 1947", is happy that he had the chance to show the yet-unreleased movie to Dharmendra. "In fact, 'Lahore', the film we've made with Sunny. I had the good fortune of showing him the film, so he's seen the film". He also added, "It's not released yet, of course, but I was so glad, because this was one of his favorite scripts. so I'm so glad he got to see the film".

"Lahore 1947" is an upcoming Hindi-language period drama directed by Rajkumar Santoshi and produced by Aamir Khan Productions. The film is set against the backdrop of the partition of India in 1947 and stars Sunny Deol, Preity Zinta, Shabana Azmi, Karan Deol, Ali Fazal and Abhimanyu Singh. The film is based on Dr. Asghar Wajahat's drama – Jis Lahore Nai Vekhya, O Jamya E Nai. Principal photography began in February 2024 and wrapped up in October 2025.

The film reunites Sunny Deol with director Rajkumar Santoshi after nearly 30 years since "Ghatak". Aamir Khan and Santoshi have also worked together in the past on "Andaz Apna Apna".

According to Sunny Deol, "Lahore 1947" was delayed due to Aamir Khan's perfectionism in the editing process. Deol mentioned that Khan wants to take his time to ensure everything is perfect.

Khan also reminisced about his personal interactions with Dharmendra, saying he enjoyed the veteran star's company and even took his youngest child, son Azad, to meet him. He remembered Dharmendra as a "gentle giant" and a "great human being," highlighting his loving nature.

Aamir Khan and Dharmendra worked together in the 1973 film "Yaadon ki Baarat". Khan stated that the country has lost an "amazing talent" and people can learn a lot by watching Dharmendra's movies.

"Lahore 1947" was initially planned for release on January 26, 2025, but was delayed due to post-production work. The cinematography is by Santosh Sivan, with music by A. R. Rahman and lyrics by Javed Akhtar.