Sanjay Dutt & Dharmendra Movies Together List — 5 Films
Complete Movies List & Collaboration History
Last updated: 2026-06-05 · Data sources: Wikipedia, TMDB
Sanjay Dutt and Dharmendra appeared together in 5 Hindi films between 1988 and 1993. Their highest-rated collaboration was Kshatriya (1993 — 5.4/10). Films span Khatron Ke Khiladi (1988) through Kshatriya (1993).
The Sanjay Dutt & Dharmendra partnership
Between 1988 and 1993, they barely worked apart — 5 films in 5 years. For 5 years, a Sanjay–Dharmendra film arrived almost every year. They saved their best for last — Kshatriya (5.4/10) came 5 years in.
From Khatron Ke Khiladi (1988) to Kshatriya (1993). The spanned closed with Kshatriya in 1993.
The shape of the work
The 1980s account for 80% of everything they made together. The 1980s belonged to Mardon Wali Baat; the 1990s to Kshatriya. Sanjay Dutt acted in every film; Dharmendra acted in all of them. Strictly Hindi cinema — they never crossed industries together.
Partnership facts
- Dharmendra personally recommended Sanjay Dutt for the lead in 'Khatron Ke Khiladi' (1988) after the original choice backed out. That film became their first pairing.
- In 'Mardon Wali Baat' (1988), Dharmendra deliberately slowed down his dialogue delivery to match Sanjay's raw, untrained energy. Sanjay later said that gesture taught him how a senior actor can lift a co-star without making it obvious.
- During the shoot of 'Hathyar' (1989), Sanjay Dutt was going through his mother Nargis's recent death. Dharmendra would sit with him between shots, not to talk about the film, but just to keep him company. No one on set knew about it until years later.
- The success of 'Ilaaka' (1989) directly led to the trend of 'father-son duo' action films in the early 90s. Producers started pairing older and younger stars together, copying the Dharmendra-Sanjay template.
- Sanjay Dutt once said in an interview: 'Dharam ji ne mujhe set pe kabhi actor ki tarah treat nahi kiya. Woh mere saath baap ki tarah khade rahe.' (Dharam ji never treated me like an actor on set. He stood with me like a father.)
- In 'Kshatriya' (1993), the only film where they played rivals, Dharmendra insisted on rehearsing the climax fight scene for three days straight. He told the director that if the audience didn't believe the hatred, the whole film would collapse. Sanjay matched his intensity shot for shot.
5 films across 2 decades
The 1980s accounted for 4 films, averaging 4.3/10.
The 1990s accounted for 1 film, averaging 5.4/10.
- Mardon Wali Baat
- Ilaaka
- Kshatriya
The partnership in numbers
Partnership Pattern
5 films across 5 years represents consistent collaboration.
Language Distribution
Linguistic diversity: 1 language, with Hindi being their primary medium.
Where each was in their career
When they first worked together, Sanjay Dutt had 14 films behind them; Dharmendra had 51. After Kshatriya, Sanjay Dutt kept going for 113 more films; Dharmendra stepped back.
Before Khatron Ke Khiladi, Sanjay Dutt had starred in 14 films, including Vidhaata (1982) and Rocky (1981).
After Kshatriya, Sanjay Dutt went on to appear in 113 more films, including P.K. (2014) and Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006).
Before Khatron Ke Khiladi, Dharmendra had starred in 51 films, including Cinema Cinema (1979) and Baghavat (1982).
After Kshatriya, Dharmendra went on to appear in 51 more films, including Johnny Gaddar (2007) and Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (2023).
Collaboration Journey
A chronological view of Sanjay Dutt & Dharmendra's professional partnership
Actors and musicians who worked on most of their films
People who worked on Sanjay Dutt & Dharmendra's films together
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