Hema Malini was given her name, and her first vocation, before she was born. On 16 October 1948, in Ammankudi, Tamil Nadu, her mother Jaya Lakshmi already believed her third child would be a daughter, had chosen the name Hema Malini, and wanted her to become a classical dancer.
A childhood built for the stage
Jaya Lakshmi supervised that future closely. She moved Hema between dance teachers if the instruction fell short, dressed her in ghagra choli with flowers in her braided hair, and eventually persuaded her husband V.S.R. Chakravarty to move to Madras for better classical training. Hema began performing on stage early, and Tamil filmmaker C.V. Sridhar noticed her during a performance. He offered the 13-year-old a role, then dropped her after two days of shooting; the makers reportedly felt she was too thin and considered renaming her Sujata.
Her mother turned the rejection into a challenge. Hema returned to dance and later appeared in a dance sequence in the 1963 Tamil film Idhu Sathiyam, before small roles brought her towards Hindi cinema.
From a rejected teenager to the Dream Girl
Her Hindi debut came with Sapnon Ka Saudagar (1968), opposite Raj Kapoor. The film itself was not a major success, but its publicity introduced her as “Raj Kapoor’s Dream Girl” — a label that outlived the film. During her screen test she admitted she knew nothing about acting; Raj Kapoor reportedly saw potential and predicted she would go far.
The breakthrough was Seeta Aur Geeta (1972). After several actresses reportedly turned down the lead, Hema played the contrasting characters of Seeta and Geeta and won the Filmfare Award for Best Actress. The Dream Girl image solidified further with her 1977 film of that name.
- Born 16 October 1948 in Ammankudi, Tamil Nadu
- First Tamil film appearance: a dance sequence in Idhu Sathiyam (1963)
- Hindi debut: Sapnon Ka Saudagar (1968)
- Filmfare Best Actress for Seeta Aur Geeta (1972)
- Married Dharmendra in 1980 after converting to Islam
- Joined BJP in 2004; won Mathura in 2014, 2019 and 2024
The love story and the Sholay lore
Hema first saw Dharmendra at a premiere before her Hindi debut. They were paired in Tum Haseen Main Jawan (1970); the association deepened despite his existing marriage to Prakash Kaur and her family’s objections. Family members accompanied her to sets to keep the couple apart.
The Sholay casting anecdote has survived in more than one telling. In one version, Dharmendra pushed to play Veeru because Veeru shared romantic scenes with Basanti; in another, he initially wanted Thakur and was persuaded toward Veeru with the promise of those scenes. Either way, the part kept him opposite Hema. He reportedly bribed the cameraman to call repeated “cut”s during romantic takes so he could keep holding her while her family watched from the set. The couple converted to Islam and married in 1980; their daughters are Esha and Ahana.
The fan intrusion and a father lost
In July 1978 a man who claimed to have travelled from Pakistan came to the family home hoping to meet Hema. He returned the following night, allegedly threatening a maid with a Rampuri knife. When Hema appeared, the intruder stared at her and the knife slipped from his hand; household staff overpowered him. As her father moved toward the living room to alert the police, he collapsed. A doctor declared him dead of a heart attack. In the chaos, the intruder fled.
Around the same period, Raj Kapoor offered Hema Satyam Shivam Sundaram, telling her, according to the account, “I know you will refuse, but I want you to do this film.” She declined; Zeenat Aman took the role. Hema instead continued as a leading lady in Kranti, Naseeb and Satte Pe Satta.
Beyond the screen
Hema moved into production with Dil Aashna Hai (1992), casting Shah Rukh Khan after noticing him in Fauji. He initially thought the call was a prank. She later directed Tell Me O Khuda (2011), and remained associated with Baghban, Veer-Zaara and Baabul. In politics, she joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2004, served as a Rajya Sabha MP, became the party’s general secretary in 2010, and has won the Mathura Lok Sabha seat in 2014, 2019 and 2024.
Her arc is a reminder of how a carefully managed early image, a demanding mother, and the willingness to stay in the room carried her through the industry’s many changes.
Source: Bhaskar English
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