Anyone who has seen the Amitabh Bachchan-starrer Mard would vividly remember the entry of the film’s villain, played by Dan Dhanoa. Introduced riding a horse, he delivers the unforgettable line: “Main hoon General Dyer ka beta Danny (I am General Dyer’s son, Danny),” a moment that became legendary in Hindi cinema. Dan, who portrayed the evil Danny Dyer in Mard, quickly rose to fame and became a go-to villain for Bombay’s film producers. Interestingly, Dan never intended to enter the film industry. His father, Major General Dr. Sardar Singh Dhanoa, had hoped he would follow in his mother’s footsteps, and become a doctor. However, since academics didn’t interest him, Dan opted for a career in Merchant Navy.
Dan Dhanoa: The accidental actor
Due to a shortage of job opportunities at the time, he turned to modelling instead. Even then, films were never on his radar. As, during his years at The Doon School, he preferred watching Western films and remained largely unfamiliar with mainstream Hindi cinema. Fate, however, had other plans. In 1984, legendary filmmaker Feroz Khan organized a silver jubilee celebration for his hit film Qurbani. It was at this event that Feroz noticed Dan and, impressed by his looks and personality, approached him with a film offer. In a recent interview on Chai Ke Saath Dil Ki Baat, Dan recounted the meeting: “Feroz Khan came up to me at the party and quickly asked, ‘Do you act?’ I said, ‘Sir, I don’t know how to act.’ To this, he replied, ‘That’s my lookout.’”
Dan Dhanoa shared screen with Jackie Shroff and Prem Chopra. (Photo: Express Archives)
Feroz Khan even conducted a test shoot with Dan Dhanoa and enrolled him in a short-term acting workshop alongside actresses Mandakini and Reema Kapadia. He also suggested changing Dan’s birth name, Indrapreet, to Dan. However, the original version of Janbaaz, in which Dan was to be launched, was shelved. When the film was eventually revived in 1986 with a different script and cast, there was no role for Dan. Soon after parting ways with Feroz Khan on amicable terms, Dan met director Manmohan Desai, who was casting for Mard. Desai saw potential in him and offered him the role of the main villain opposite Amitabh Bachchan.
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In an interview for the YouTube channel Chai Ke Saath Dil Ki Baat, Dan Dhanoa spoke fondly of working with Amitabh: “He was very welcoming and supportive. He constantly helped me throughout the shooting process and was a thorough gentleman despite being a superstar.” Mard was a massive hit, and Dan’s portrayal of Danny Dyer made him a household name. From there, there was no turning back. He went on to appear in several notable films, Shahenshah, Tridev, Toofan, Phool Aur Kaante, Vishwatma, and even worked alongside legends like Dilip Kumar in Karma. Dan witnessed the transition of Hindi cinema from the Bachchan era to the rise of stars like Sunny Deol, Salman Khan, Ajay Devgn, and Akshay Kumar. He also revealed in the same interview that he was once offered a role in Ravi Chopra’s Mahabharat television series but turned it down, preferring to stay focused on films.
Gulshan Grover, Mahendra Verma and Dan Dhanoa in Jaan Ki Baazi. (Photo: Express Archives)
His growing fame also brought with it a massive female fan following. “There used to be instances where women fans would call on my landline just to get a chance to meet or speak with me,” he recalled.
Why Dan Dhanoa left Bollywood
However, by the late 1990s, Dan Dhanoa chose to walk away from the industry. Tired of being typecast and disillusioned with the internal workings of the film world, he decided to return to his original profession. “I wasn’t a film industry man… I was an outsider. I didn’t understand the ways of the industry, like going around asking for work and later asking for payment. That just wasn’t for me.”
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Disillusioned by how some producers treated him, Dan Dhanoa left Bollywood around the year 2000, returned to the seas, and resumed his career with the Merchant Navy, where he went on to have an illustrious career as a naval officer, traveling across the globe. Now a full-time sailor, Dan leads a quiet life away from the limelight in Chandigarh. He recently made a comeback to acting after 23 years with a role in the Tamil film Soorarai Pottru. He played a negative character loosely inspired by fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya, marking his return to cinema with the same intensity that once made him a star villain.
