Dharmendra and Hema Malini's love story is far from ordinary. They got married despite Dharmendra already having a wife and four children. Dharmendra died on November 24. Ever since then, several bygone snippets from his life have been resurfacing.
In the biography Hema Malini: Beyond The Dream Girl, authored by Ram Kamal Mukherjee, the actress shared a warm experience of meeting Dharmendra's mother, Satwant Kaur.
When Dharmendra's Mother Came To Meet Hema Malini
In the biography, Hema Malini mentioned how Dharmendra's mother visited her after she conceived her elder daughter Esha Deol. She described how Satwant Kaur hugged her and blessed her.
Hema Malini wrote, "Dharam ji's mother Satwant Kaur was equally warm and kind-hearted. I remember how she came to meet me once at a dubbing studio in Juhu after I had conceived Esha. She hadn't informed anyone in the house. I touched her feet, and she hugged me and said, 'Beta, khush raho hamesha (Be happy always).' I was happy that they were happy with me."
On Dharmendra's Father And Her Father Bonding
Furthermore, Hema Malini shared that Dharmendra's father, Kewal Kishan Singh Deol, and her father, V. S. Ramanujam Chakravarthy, used to arm-wrestle.
She said, "He would drop by and meet my father or brother for chai. Instead of shaking hands, he would arm-wrestle them, and after defeating them, he would jokingly say, 'Tum log ghee-makkhan-lassi khao, idli aur sambhar se taqat nahin aati (Have butter, lassi, ghee. Idli and sambhar won't make you strong).' My father would join in the laughter. He (Dharmendra's father) was a very jovial person."
Dharmendra And Hema Malini's Relationship
Hema Malini married Dharmendra in 1980. At the time, Dharmendra was already married to Prakash Kaur and had four children with her-sons Sunny and Bobby Deol, and daughters Ajeeta and Vijeta Deol. Dharmendra had two daughters with Hema Malini, Esha and Ahana Deol.
Their relationship was among India's most talked-about. The actors worked together in several films, such as Tum Haseen Main Jawaan, Seeta Aur Geeta, Sholay, Jugnu, and Dream Girl. There was a relationship that began on the silver screen and turned real. Dharmendra and Hema Malini first met on the sets of Tum Haseen Main Jawaan in 1970. By then, Dharmendra was already married to Prakash Kaur and was the father of four children.
However, that did not stop Dharmendra from marrying Hema Malini. In 1980, the couple reportedly converted to Islam to marry each other, a claim that film magazines of the time went berserk over. Later, in an interview, Dharmendra denied the claim.
They eventually married in a traditional Iyengar ceremony to honour the actress's roots.
Dharmendra's Death
Dharmendra died in Mumbai on November 24 at the age of 89. The legendary actor, Bollywood's iconic 'He-Man' and star of over 300 films, passed away 12 days after being discharged from Mumbai's Breach Candy hospital. Dharmendra was cremated at the Pawan Hans crematorium in Mumbai on November 24 amid tight security. From Amitabh Bachchan to Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan, several Bollywood stars gathered at the crematorium to pay their last respects to Dharmendra.
The actor's prayer meet took place on November 27 at 5 PM at the Taj Lands End hotel in Mumbai.
Dharmendra's final screen appearance will be in Sriram Raghavan's upcoming film Ikkis, where he plays the father of Agastya Nanda. The movie will release on December 25.
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