It is common knowledge that Dharmendra and Hema Malini, Bollywood's golden couple, live separately. Dharmendra, who was discharged from the Breach Candy Hospital on Wednesday, lives with his first wife Prakash Kaur, with whom he shares four children, including actors Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol.
On Tuesday, Hema Malini rubbished the news reports of 89-year-old Dharmendra's death, calling them "false".
In an earlier interview, the 77-year-old actor and BJP MP had candidly spoken about living separately from Dharmendra.
"I do not feel bad about it, nor am I sad. I am happy with myself. I have two children and I have raised them very well. Of course, he (Dharmendra) was always with me. No husband and wife like to live separately, but sometimes circumstances are such that a person has to accept it," Hema Malini told Lehren.
She also detailed her relationship with Dharmendra and Prakash Kaur in her authorised biography, Hema Malini: Beyond the Dream Girl, penned by Ram Kamal Mukherjee.
Hema Malini and Prakash Kaur had briefly met at social events before she married Dharmendra, but they never crossed paths thereafter.
"I did not want to trouble anyone. I am happy with what Dharam ji did for me and my daughters. He played the role of a father, like any father would. I think I am satisfied with it," says the actor, as quoted in the authorised biography.
Hema Malini, who shares daughters Esha Deol and Ahana Deol with Dharmendra, said she holds Prakash Kaur in high regard.
"Today I am a working woman and I maintained my dignity because I dedicated my life to art and culture. If the situation had been slightly different, I might not be what I am today. Although I never spoke about Prakash, I respect her greatly. My daughters also respect Dharam ji's family. The world wants to know everything about my life, but that is not for others to know. It is no one's business," the book quotes Hema Malini.
Hema Malini and Dharmendra tied the knot in 1980 when the latter was already married to Prakash Kaur and was a father of four kids. Dharmendra married Prakash Kaur six years before his 1960 acting debut Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere. He was just 19 at the time of his first marriage.
Also Read | Prakash Kaur On Dharmendra's Second Marriage With Hema Malini: "Any Man Would Have Preferred Her Over Me"
