Another valiant giant has left the arena: Amitabh Bachchan on Dharmendra's death
Mumbai (PTI): Dharmendra remained unsoiled throughout his glorious career in a fraternity that witnessed changes every decade, megastar Amitabh Bachchan said on Tuesday as he mourned the death of his friend and co-star of classics such as "Sholay" and "Chupke Chupke".
Dharmendra, 89, passed away at his Juhu home on Monday after prolonged illness.
"...another valiant Giant has left us .. left the arena .. leaving behind a silence with an unbearable sound," Bachchan wrote about Dharmendra, who played Veeru to his Jai in the 1975 classic and defined onscreen brotherhood through the song "Ye dosti hum nahi todenge".
Bachchan attended the last rites of the actor with grandson Agastya Nanda and son Abhishek Bachchan. Nanda plays Dharmendra's son in the yet to release "Ikkis", which is possibly the late actor's last movie role.
"Dharam ji .. the epitome of greatness, ever linked not only for his renowned physical presence, but for the largeness of his heart , and its most endearing simplicity .. he brought with him the earthiness of the village in Punjab he came from, and remained true to its temperament .. un soiled throughout his glorious career, in a fraternity that witnessed changes every decade .. the fraternity underwent changes .. not him," Bachchan wrote in his official blog post.
Bachchan said Dharmendra's "smile, his charm and his warmth" extended to all that came in his vicinity, which, according to the megastar, is a rarity in the profession.
"The air about us swings vacant .. a vacuum that shall ever remain vacuus.. prayers," Bachchan wrote.
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Pune airport runway restored after IAF aircraft snag; ops resume
Pune (PTI): The runway at Pune airport, which was temporarily unavailable due to an incident involving an Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft, has now been restored and declared operational, the Air Force said on Saturday.
The authorities at the Pune International Airport had earlier said that around 10.25 pm on Friday, a fighter aircraft experienced an undercarriage failure during landing, causing the runway to be blocked.
As many as 91 flights of airlines, including IndiGo, Air India, SpiceJet, Akasa, and Air India Express, were affected due to the incident, they said.
Earlier on Friday night, the Air Force had stated that the runway at Pune airport was temporarily unavailable following an incident involving one of its fighter aircraft. The aircrew are safe, and there is no damage to civil property, it had said.
"The runway at Pune Airport, which was temporarily unavailable due to an incident involving an Indian Air Force aircraft, has now been restored and declared operational. All necessary safety inspections and clearances have been completed. Operations are resuming in a phased manner," it said in a post on X.
Flight operations at Pune airport are being gradually restored. The situation has been brought under control with the highest priority given to the safety of citizens, a Defence PRO said.
