- Hema Malini stated she never earned the high fees that today's actors receive
- She said money was never a driving factor in her acting career
- Her mother managed her finances and accepted whatever payment was given
Hema Malini, who was last seen in the 2020 film Shimla Mirchi, is believed to have been one of the highest-paid actors in her day. However, dismissing that popular perception, Hema Malini said during a recent podcast that she never earned the exorbitant remuneration that today's actors do. She also said money was never a driving factor. In fact, when her mother handled her finances, she would take whatever was given to her in an envelope, like alms.
When she was referred to as one of the highest-paid actors, the senior actress vehemently opposed the claim.
“No, not at all. Kisne bola yeh? (Who said that?) We used to get a very small amount. Itna kuch nahin dete the (They didn't pay us much). Directors and producers liked me a lot, but I never worked for money. Jaise jaise naam hota hai (As your popularity grew), they would increase the payment a little. That's all. I never got the exorbitant fees that today's stars receive. Uska itna bhi nahin milta tha humko (We didn't even get a fraction of that),” she said on the podcast Hindi Rush.
She added, “But uske baat hi alag hai. Jo mila usmein jo hum logon ne pictures kari, that is more earning than actual money. (But that's a different story altogether. Whatever we gained from the films we worked on was worth much more than the actual money.) Whatever a producer could afford to pay was fine. Otherwise, I never demanded, ‘Itna hi chahiye varna nahi karungi picture' (I want this amount or I won't do the film). I never did that.
“My mother handled everything, and she was very liberal with all the producers. If a producer said, ‘I can't pay much for this film,' she would say, ‘No problem.' We never insisted on money. Whatever little envelope they gave us, we accepted it, almost like bheeksha (alms),” Hema Malini added.
Hema Malini made her acting debut in 1968 with Sapno Ka Saudagar and rose to superstardom during the 1970s and 1980s with blockbuster films such as Seeta Aur Geeta, Sholay, Dream Girl, Satte Pe Satta and Baghban.