Veteran superstar Hema Malini has been married to megastar Dharmendra since 1980. While it was Hema Malini's first marriage, it was Dharmendra's second. Dharmendra and Hema Malini who have been married for decades have two children - Esha Deol and Ahana Deol.
While Hema Malini and Dharmendra have been happily married now, there was a time when her mother Jaya Chakravarthy wanted someone else to be her son-in-law.
For those who are unaware, Jaya Chakravarthy was a producer and costume designer who is well-known for films like 'Dream Girl' (1977), 'Swami' (1977), and 'Dillagi' (1978). Hema Malini's mother always wanted to become a dancer but when she couldn't succeed, she made sure that make her daughter a superstar.
Hema Malini worked in more than 150 films during her career and has worked with several superstars such as Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor, Rajesh Khanna, and Dev Anand. Hema Malini entered the film industry in 1963 with the Tamil film 'Idhu Sathiyam' and her Bollywood debut with 'Sapno Ka Saudagar' (1968).
Hema Malini first worked with Dharmendra in 'Tum Haseen Main Jawaan' (1970). The couple then got married 10 years later. At the same time, Dharmendra was already married to Prakash Kaur and was father to two sons - Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol.
Hema Malini's parents were against the marriage of Dharmendra and Hema Malini because of his marriage to Prakash Kaur. Hema Malini's mother thought of Jeetendra and Sanjeev Kumar as a better match than Dharmendra but there was someone else who she wanted as her son-in-law.
As per Mayapuri's 250th issue, Hema Malini's mother wanted Girish Karnad to be her son-in-law. He was an established Indian actor, film director, Kannada writer, and playwright. Hema Malini's mother greatly appreciated Girish Karnad's work and his acting skills.
To establish a connection between Hema Malini and Girish Karnad, Hema Malini's mother also pushed them to work together in the 1979 film 'Ratnadeep'.
However, Hema Malini and Dharmendra were madly in love with each other and then eventually got married.
Hema Malini is presently focused on politics. She has been representing the Mathura constituency since 2014 and is serving as a member of the Lok Sabha from the BJP.
