Vinod Khanna & Dharmendra Movies Together List — 6 Films

The shape of the work

The 1980s belonged to The Burning Train; the 2010s to Tell Me O Kkhuda. Vinod Khanna acted in every film; Dharmendra acted in all of them. Strictly Hindi cinema — they never crossed industries together.

Partnership facts

• They first shared screen space in The Burning Train (1980), but the film that actually paired them as leads was Khuda Kasam (1981). That film was a remake of a Tamil hit — and the director, S. Ramanathan, specifically wanted two actors who could match the original's macho energy. He got Dharmendra first, then Dharmendra suggested Vinod Khanna for the other lead.
• In Batwara (1989), Dharmendra played the loud, impulsive feudal lord while Vinod Khanna played the quiet, brooding brother. The director, J.P. Dutta, later said he deliberately cast them against type — Dharmendra had to rein in his natural energy, and Khanna had to let his anger simmer. The result was a tension that didn't exist in their earlier buddy films.
• Kshatriya (1993) was the only film where they played father and son — Dharmendra was the patriarch, Khanna his rebellious son. That film also launched a young Sunny Deol and Sanjay Dutt into multi-starrer territory, but the real ripple was that it marked the last time the two shared a meaningful scene together. After this, they only reunited for the disastrous Tell Me O Kkhuda (2011), where they barely interacted.
• Despite making six films together, they were never close friends off-screen. A crew member from Farishtay (1991) recalled that they'd show up separately, shoot their scenes efficiently, and leave without hanging out. The only exception was The Burning Train — during the train-on-fire climax, they actually bunked in the same hotel room for three days because the outdoor shoot was in a remote location.
• Vinod Khanna once said about Dharmendra: 'He is the only co-star who could make me laugh so hard during a serious scene that we'd have to retake. In Khuda Kasam, we ruined seven takes of a funeral scene because he kept whispering jokes.'