Dharmendra & Asrani Movies Together List — 10 Films

The shape of the work

The 1980s account for 60% of everything they made together. The 1980s belonged to Jhutha Sach; the 2020s to Ikkis. Dharmendra acted in every film; Asrani acted in all of them. Strictly Hindi cinema — they never crossed industries together.

Partnership facts

• Dharmendra personally asked Asrani to play the comic sidekick in Jaani Dost (1983) after seeing his work in Sholay. Asrani later said he signed the film without even reading the full script.
• In Nyaydaata (1999), Asrani improvised an entire comic sequence where he tries to hide from the villain under a table. Dharmendra saw the rushes and insisted the director keep every single take — even the blooper where Asrani hit his head.
• Between Jaani Dost and Nyaydaata, the two didn't speak for nearly a decade. Asrani later revealed it was because of a misunderstanding over a missed phone call. They only reconciled when Dharmendra called him out of the blue in 1998 to offer the Nyaydaata role.
• Asrani once said in an interview: 'Dharam ji is the only hero who would let a comedian steal the scene and then clap for him after the shot. He never once asked me to tone it down.'
• The success of their comic track in Jaani Dost directly inspired the makers of Khalli Balli (2022) to reunite them after 23 years. The director said he wrote the entire second half around their banter.
• On the set of Khalli Balli, Dharmendra would deliberately flub his lines just to make Asrani laugh. The director had to shoot multiple takes because Asrani kept breaking character — and Dharmendra would wink at the crew every time it happened.