Looking back at classic Dharmendra brand associations in Indian advertising

During the mid 1980s, he appeared in a Rajdoot commercial that leaned into his rugged no nonsense image. The brand positioned the bike as a tough, reliable work companion made for real Indian roads, and his persona made that promise believable.

In the early 1980s, the National Egg Coordination Committee launched the iconic campaign “Sunday ho ya Monday, roz khao ande” to revive a struggling egg market. Dharmendra’s energetic and macho presence amplified the message, reinforcing eggs as an everyday source of strength for Indian families.

In 1993, Bagpiper tapped into Dharmendra’s Sholay era charisma and mass connect. The campaign strengthened the brand’s macho non metro image, built around the now famous line “Khoob jamega rang…”, with his presence adding familiarity and celebration to the narrative.

Dharmendra was among the earliest major Bollywood names to endorse an agricultural product. In the late 1980s and through the 1990s he featured in Ford New Holland tractor campaigns, playing a sturdy farmer’s son working in real fields. This grounded portrayal helped the brand build genuine trust with rural consumers.

In 2005, Emami cast him as the face of its Sona Chandi Kesar Chyawanprash, presented as a double power health supplement. His long standing image of strength, reliability and family values made the product especially attractive to middle class health conscious buyers.