The Fateful First Encounter
The legendary romance between Hema Malini and Dharmendra didn't begin on a film set draped in romantic lighting, but during the interval of a K.A. Abbas film premiere. Hema was still the fresh, luminous face that had everyone in the industry talking, while Dharmendra had already established himself as the kind of man who made other men glance twice in the mirror before entering any room.
With his broad shoulders, classic movie-star jawline, and old-school manners that could make anyone forget what they were about to say, Dharmendra made quite the impression. When he first laid eyes on Hema, she overheard him telling Shashi Kapoor in Punjabi, "Kudi badi changi hai" (The girl is quite pretty). This casual remark would mark the beginning of one of Bollywood's most enduring love stories.
The Relentless Pursuit and Growing Romance
Their first professional meeting on set came soon after that initial encounter. In 1970, when they were cast together in Tu Haseen Main Jawan, Dharmendra's interest became impossible to ignore. By Hema's own admission, she turned him down more times than she could count. Yet each time she refused his advances, he returned even more charming and insistent than before.
This wasn't Dharmendra's first brush with romance rumors. Before Hema entered his life, his name had frequently appeared in gossip columns alongside legendary actress Meena Kumari. During the early phase of his career, rumors swirled about their relationship extending beyond screen chemistry, particularly during a difficult period in Meena Kumari's personal life.
Dharmendra always downplayed these rumors, stating: "I was not in love with Meena Kumari. She was a huge star and I was her fan. If you call the relationship between a fan and a star as love, then consider it as love." Their film Phool Aur Patthar had catapulted him to stardom, but his connection with Hema would prove to be entirely different.
Becoming Bollywood's Dream Pair
Throughout the 1970s, Hema Malini and Dharmendra became an unbeatable on-screen combination. Films like Seeta Aur Geeta, Jugnu, Raja Rani, Sholay, and Azad solidified their status as Bollywood's golden pair. The more rumors circulated about their off-screen romance, the more magnetic their on-screen chemistry became, providing endless fodder for gossip columns.
For Hema, stepping into this love story wasn't easy. Her mother, Jaya Chakravarthy, maintained close supervision over her daughter—monitoring film sets and public appearances alike—and Hema had never questioned this arrangement until Dharmendra entered her life. The typically compliant Hema suddenly found herself ready to challenge the world for the man who, in her words, made her happy.
In her biography Hema Malini: Beyond the Dream Girl, she revealed: "I just knew that he made me happy. And all I wanted was happiness." This simple yet powerful realization would shape the course of her life.
The Secret Wedding and Unconventional Arrangement
In May 1980, the curtain finally lifted on their relationship when the two married away from flashbulbs and media scrutiny. However, this wasn't the beginning of a conventional fairy-tale domestic life. Dharmendra was already married to Prakash Kaur and had four children: Sunny, Bobby, Vijeeta, and Ajeeta. Divorce wasn't considered an option, yet all parties involved remained tight-lipped about how they arrived at their unique arrangement.
What followed became one of Hindi cinema's most unconventional marriages. Hema moved into her own home while Dharmendra continued living with his first family. Even today, she resides in the house across the road from him in Juhu. Throughout this arrangement, Hema faced the label of "the other woman," yet she stood her ground, faced public scrutiny, and refused to be defined by it.
In an old Lehren interview, she explained their living situation: "Nobody desires to live apart from their spouse, but sometimes circumstances force such situations, and one has to accept them. I am happy with myself. I have my two children, and I have brought them up very well. Of course, he (Dharmendra) was always there, always. Everywhere."
Building a Blended Family
With Hema, Dharmendra would father two more daughters—Esha in 1981 and Ahana in 1985—and remain deeply involved in their lives. Despite the complexity of their situation, they created a blended family that bewildered outsiders but somehow found its own unique balance.
Though they were romantically paired in 28 films, their on-screen partnership never regained its pre-wedding momentum. Razia Sultan (1983), their first release after marriage, underperformed at the box office, and scripts for the pair gradually dried up. While both continued working individually, Bollywood had moved on, pairing these reigning stars with newer faces. The last time they appeared on screen together was the same year as Razia Sultan.
For Dharam and Hema, the hyphen between their names now belonged more to life than to cinema. Yet their partnership endured through early drama—from parental disapproval to headlines dissecting their relationship—they remained together, proving that their bond transcended both conventional marriage and Bollywood conventions.
