Emotional Sunny and Bobby Deol perform Dharmendra’s last rites in Haridwar under tight security

Late legendary actor Dharmendra’s ashes were immersed on Wednesday, with Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol, Karan Deol and other family members performing the rituals under tight security. Videos circulating online show the family, dressed in white, visibly emotional as they carried out the final rites at a VIP ghat.

The family had arrived earlier at Pilibhit House, a 100-year-old mansion on the Ganges, where Dharmendra’s ashes had been kept before the ceremony.

The Deols had reached Haridwar on Tuesday, and a viral video from the day showed Sunny Deol drinking tea on the balcony of the riverside hotel.

Dharmendra passed away on November 24 at the age of 89 due to age-related ailments. His funeral, held at Mumbai’s Vile Parle crematorium, was deliberately private, with the media kept at a distance. Two separate prayer meetings followed — one organised by Sunny and Bobby Deol’s family, and the other by Dharmendra’s second wife, Hema Malini, along with daughters Esha and Ahana Deol.

Following his death, Hema Malini had penned an emotional post: “He was many things to me. Loving Husband, adoring Father of our two girls, Esha and Ahaana, Friend, Philosopher, Guide, Poet, my ‘go to’ person in all times of need - in fact, he was everything to me! And always has been through good times and bad. He endeared himself to all my family members with his easy, friendly ways, always showing affection and interest in all of them.

She added, “As a public personality, his talent, his humility in spite of his popularity, and his universal appeal set him apart as a unique icon unequalled among all the legends. His enduring fame and achievements in the film industry will last forever.”