Hema Malini

Hema Malini (born 16 October 1948) is an Indian actress, director, producer, and politician.^[5] She is primarily known for her work in Hindi films. Known for starring in both comic and dramatic roles, she is one of the most popular and successful leading actresses of mainstream Hindi cinema.^[6][7][8] She is known as Dream Girl of Hindi cinema.

Hema Malini
Malini in April 2007
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
Incumbent
Assumed office 16 May 2014
Preceded by	Jayant Chaudhary
Constituency	Mathura
Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha
In office 4 March 2011 – 2 April 2012
Preceded by	M. Rajasekara Murthy^[1]
Constituency	Karnataka
In office 16 November 2003 – 15 November 2009
Preceded by	Mrinal Sen
Succeeded by	Javed Akhtar
Constituency	Nominated
Personal details
Born	(1948-10-16) 16 October 1948 (age 74)^[2] Ammankudi, Madras State, Dominion of India (present-day Tamil Nadu, India)
Political party	Bharatiya Janata Party^[3]
Other political affiliations	National Democratic Alliance
Spouse	Dharmendra ​ (m. 1980)​ ^[4]
Children	2 (Esha Deol and Ahana Deol) 4 step-children (including Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol)
Occupation	Actress producer director politician
Awards	Padma Shri (2000)

Malini made her acting debut in 1963 with the Tamil film Idhu Sathiyam.^[9] Malini first acted in a lead role in Sapno Ka Saudagar (1968), and went on to feature in numerous Hindi films, frequently opposite Dharmendra, whom she married in 1980.^[10][4] Malini was initially promoted as the "Dream Girl", and in 1977 starred in a film of the same name.^[4]

During her career, she received eleven nominations for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress, winning the award in 1973.^[11] In 2000, Malini won the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award and in 2019 Filmfare Special Award for 50 Years of Outstanding Contribution to Cinema.^[12] She is also honoured with the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian honour awarded by the Government of India.^[13] In 2012, the Sir Padampat Singhania University conferred an Honorary Doctorate on Malini in recognition of her contribution to Indian cinema.^[14] Malini served as chairperson of the National Film Development Corporation. In 2006, Malini received the Sopori Academy of Music And Performing Arts (SaMaPa) Vitasta award from Bhajan Sopori in Delhi for her contribution and service to Indian culture and dance. In 2013, she received the NTR National Award from the Government of Andhra Pradesh for her contribution to Indian cinema.^[15]

From 2003 to 2009, Malini was elected to the Rajya Sabha, the upper House of parliament, as a representative of the Bharatiya Janata Party.^[16] In 2014, Malini was elected to the Lok Sabha. Malini has been involved with charitable and social ventures. Currently, Malini is also a life member of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).^[17]

Early life and family

Malini was born in a Tamil Iyengar Brahmin^[18] family to Jaya Lakshmi and VSR Chakravarti Iyengar in Srirangam.^[19][20] She attended the Andhra Mahila Sabha in Chennai where her favourite subject was history.^[21] She studied at DTEA Mandir Marg until the 11th Standard after which she pursued her acting career.^[22]

Her first film with Dharmendra was Tum Haseen Main Jawaan (1970).^[23] The two got married in 1980.^[4][10][24] Dharmendra already had two sons and two daughters with his first wife, two of whom later became Bollywood actors – Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol. Malini and Dharmendra have two children, Esha Deol (born 1981)^[25] and Ahana Deol (born 1985).^[26][27][28]

Madhoo Raghunath, who played the female lead in Phool Aur Kaante, Roja and Annayya, is Malini's niece.

On 11 June 2015, Hema Malini became grandmother when her younger daughter Ahana Deol gave birth to her first child, Darien Vohra. On 20 October 2017, she became grandmother for the second time when her elder daughter, Esha Deol Takhtani gave birth to a girl, Radhya Takhtani.^[29]

Film career

1960–1970 (Early work)

Malini had played small roles in Pandava Vanavasam (1965) and Idhu Sathiyam (1962). In 1968, she was chosen to play the lead opposite Raj Kapoor in Sapno Ka Saudagar^[30] and promoted as Dream Girl.^[30]

1970–1979 (Established actress)

Malini played the lead in Johnny Mera Naam (1970). Roles in subsequent films like Andaz (1971) and Lal Patthar (1971)^[30] established her as a leading actress. In 1972, she played a double role opposite Dharmendra and Sanjeev Kumar in Seeta Aur Geeta^[31] which earned her a Filmfare Best Actress Award for the film.^[32] The list of successful films she starred include Sanyasi, Dharmatma and Pratigya, Sholay, Trishul to name a few.

Malini and Dharmendra, acted together in 28 films including Sharafat, Tum Haseen Main Jawan, Naya Zamana, Raja Jani, Seeta Aur Geeta, Patthar Aur Payal, Dost (1974), Sholay (1975), Charas, Jugnu, Trishul, Apna Khoon, Azaad (1978) and Dillagi (1978).

Her chemistry with Rajesh Khanna was appreciated in Andaz and Prem Nagar. Their subsequent films like Mehbooba and Janta Hawaldar however did not do well at the box-office.

1980–1997 (Commercial success)

In the 80s Malini continued to star in big budget films like Kranti, Naseeb, Satte Pe Satta and Rajput, most of which proved successful at the box-office. She continued to work in heroine-centric roles after becoming a mother, in films like Aandhi Toofan, Durgaa, Ramkali, Sitapur Ki Geeta, Ek Chadar Maili Si, Rihaee and Jamai Raja.^[30]

During this period, her films with Dharmendra included Alibaba Aur 40 Chor, Baghavat, Samraat, Razia Sultan, Baghavat, and Raaj Tilak. She continued to be paired with Rajesh Khanna in movies like Dard, Bandish, Kudrat, Hum Dono, Rajput, Babu, Durgaa, Sitapur Ki Geeta and Paap Ka Ant, some of which were major successes in her career.

In the 1990s, she produced and directed the 1992 film Dil Aashna Hai, starring Divya Bharti and Shah Rukh Khan in the leading roles. She also produced and directed her second feature film Mohini (1995), starring her niece Madhoo and actor Sudesh Berry in the leading roles. She then focused on dancing and television work, only occasionally appearing in films.^[30] In 1997, she acted in Vinod Khanna's production Himalay Putra.

2000(s)–present

After taking a break from films for a number of years, Malini made a comeback with Baghban (2003),^[30] for which she earned a Filmfare Best Actress Award nomination. She also made guest appearances in the 2004 film Veer-Zaara and the 2007 film Laaga Chunari Mein Daag, in addition to a supporting role in the 2006 film Baabul. In 2010, she acted in Sadiyaan alongside fellow veteran actress Rekha. In 2011, she produced and directed her third feature film Tell Me O Khuda which featured both her husband Dharmendra and her daughter Esha Deol, which was a box office failure.^[33] In 2017 she acted in the film Ek Thi Rani Aisi Bhi in the role of Vijaya Raje Scindia of Gwalior, with Vinod Khanna as her husband, unfortunately it was Khanna's last film. The film was directed by Gul Bahar Singh. The film was released on 21 April 2017. Her latest film is Shimla Mirchi, starring Rajkummar Rao and Rakul Preet Singh.^[34] The movie was theatrically released in India on 3 January 2020. And it was made available on Netflix on 27 January 2020.

In 2021, she was honored with Indian Film Personality of the Year Award at 52nd International Film Festival of India.^[35]

Political career

In 1999, Malini campaigned for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate, Vinod Khanna, a former Bollywood actor, in the Lok Sabha Elections in Gurdaspur, Punjab. In February 2004, Malini officially joined the BJP.^[36] From 2003 to 2009, she served as an MP to the upper house – the Rajya Sabha, having been nominated by the then President of India, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. In March 2010, Malini was made general secretary of the BJP, and in February 2011, she was recommended by Ananth Kumar, the party general secretary.^[37] In the 2014 general elections for the Lok Sabha, Malini defeated the Mathura incumbent, Jayant Chaudhary (RLD) by 3,30,743 votes.^[38][39]

Association with social causes

Malini is a supporter of the animal rights organization, PETA India. In 2009, she wrote a letter to the Mumbai Municipal Commissioner urging him to ban horse carriages from Mumbai's busy streets.^[40] In 2011, she wrote to the Union Minister for Environment and Forests, Jairam Ramesh, urging him to ban bull fighting (jallikattu).^[41] She said, "My friends at PETA have organised investigations at Jallikattu events and documented that bulls are pulled roughly by their nose rings, punched, pummelled, hit with sharp sticks and crammed into trucks so tightly that they can barely move".^[42] PETA named Malini their "PETA Person of the Year" for 2011.^[43] As a vegetarian, she said, "Knowing that my food choices are helping the planet and animals too, makes me happy".^[44]

Other works

Dance

 

Malini performing at a concert in 2011

Malini is a trained Bharatanatyam dancer. Her daughters Esha Deol and Ahana Deol are trained Odissi dancers. They performed with Malini in a production called Parampara for charitable events.^[45][46] She also performed with her daughters at the Khajuraho Dance Festival.^[47]

Malini studied Kuchipudi with Vempati Chinna Satyam and Mohiniattam with Kalamandalam Guru Gopalakrishnan. She has played a number of dance roles including Narasimha and Rama in Tulasidas's Ramcharitmanas.^[48] In 2007, she performed in Mysuru on the eve of Dussehra, where she played the roles of Sati, Parvati and Durga.^[49]

Malini owns the Natya Vihar Kalakendra dance school.^[50]

Television

Malini has appeared in television serials such as Jai Mata Ki (2000), directed by Puneet Issar. She played the role of goddess Durga.^[51] Other television series appearances include Kamini Damini on Sahara One where she played twin sisters and Noopur which Malini directed and in which she played a Bharatanatyam dancer.^[30] Malinialso starred in Yug, a fictional series depicting the story of Indian freedom fighters and their struggle to win freedom for India.

Production and promotional work

Malini was the editor of New Woman and Meri Saheli, Hindi women's magazine.^[52][53] In 2000, Malini was appointed as the first female chairperson of the National Film Development Corporation for a term of three years.^[22][54]

In 2007, Malini entered a promotional contract with Kent RO Systems, makers of a mineral water purifier system.^[55] Malini also became a brand ambassador for Pothys, a textile showroom in Chennai.^[56]

Accolades and recognition

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Hema Malini

Legacy

As of June 2021^[update], three biographical books about Malini have been published: Hema Malini: Diva Unveiled (2005)^[57] and Hema Malini: Beyond the Dream Girl (2017) by Ram Kamal Mukherjee,^[58] and Hema Malini: The Authorized Biography (2007) by Bhawana Somaaya.^[59]

Filmography

Main article: Hema Malini filmography

Bibliography

• Mukherjee, Ram Kamal (2005). Hema Malini: Diva Unveiled. Magna Publishing Co. Ltd. ISBN 978-81-7809-286-7.
• Somaaya, Bhawana (2007). Hema Malini: The Authorized Biography. The Lotus Collection. ISBN 978-81-74366-50-4.
• Mukherjee, Ram Kamal (2017). Hema Malini: Beyond the Dream Girl. HarperCollins India. ISBN 978-93-5277-323-7.

See also

• List of awards and nominations received by Hema Malini
• List of Indian film actresses

References

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2. "rediff.com: A dream called Hema Malini". Rediff.com. 16 October 1958. Retrieved 14 June 2011.
3. "Members : Lok Sabha". 164.100.47.194. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
4. "A dream called Hema Malini". Rediff.com. Retrieved 24 September 2009.
5. "Hemaji @ Hemamalini, ever dream girl turned 65". cinemanewstoday.com. 17 October 2013. Archived from the original on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
6. . Archived from the original on 17 October 2013.
7. gangadhar, V (1 May 2009). . The Hindu +access-date=14 June 2011. Archived from the original on 6 May 2009.
8. "Hema Malini was one of the highest-paid actresses in 1976–1980". The Times of India. 30 July 2015. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
9. "Hema Malini: Lesser known facts". The Times of India. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
10. "Hema Malini Drives into Mathura Nagari". The New Indian Express. 2 April 2014. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
11. "Filmfare Awards". IMDb. 1973. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
12. "Winners of the filmfare awards 2019". filmfare.com. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
13. The Hindu 27 January 2000 Accessed 14 June 2011.
14. . The Times of India. 2 October 2012. Archived from the original on 17 October 2012. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
15. Correspondent, Special (5 April 2017). "S.P. Balasubrahmanyam, Hema Malini bag NTR awards". The Hindu.
16. Smt. Hema Malini, Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha)- Bio Data Press Information Bureau of India. 22 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine
17. "Janmashtami 2019: BJP MP Hema Malini sings bhajan, offers prayer at ISKCON temple; video goes viral". CatchNews.com. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
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20. Hema Malini. Living Media International Limited 2004 p23.
21. . The Telegraph. 29 June 2011. Archived from the original on 6 September 2013. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
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24. "From Hema Malini-Dharmendra, Rekha-Vinod Mehra to Aamir Khan-Reena: Bollywood's most controversial and secret marriages". Daily News and Analysis. 3 January 2014. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
25. Times of India 30/6/12
26. Joshi T. Ahana Deol and boyfriend VJ Aditya working together in Guzaarish. Mid-day.com 26 May 2009 Accessed 6 July 2011.
27. The Hindu 10 October 2009 Accessed 6 July 2011.
28. . The Telegraph. 3 March 2011. Archived from the original on 16 November 2011. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
29. "First Child". The Times of India. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
30. "Hema Malini: Bollywood's dreamgir". Rediff.com. 25 October 2002. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
31. Revisiting Seeta Aur Geeta. Rediff.com 25 May 2009 Accessed July 2011
32. The Winners – 1972– The 51st Filmfare Awards. The Times of India. 14 June 2011.
33. . Hindustan Times. 25 October 2011. Archived from the original on 28 November 2011. Retrieved 4 December 2011.
34. "Shimla Mirchi trailer: Rajkummar Rao romances Hema Malini, Rakul Preet in Ramesh Sippy's comeback directorial". timesnownews.com. 26 December 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
35. "Hema Malini, Prasoon Joshi to be honoured with 'Indian Film Personality of the Year' award at IFFI". India TV News. 18 November 2021. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
36. The Hindu 20 February 2004 Accessed 14 June 2011.
37. The Hindu 19 February 2011 Accessed 14 June 2011.
38. PTI (16 May 2014). "Hema Malini makes dream debut in Mathura". Zee News. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
39. "Constituency wise – ECI results". eciresults.nic.in. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
40. "Hema Malini campaigns for being vegetarian". Zee News. 8 October 2013. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
41. Singh, Vijay (4 July 2011). "Ban Tamil Nadu's jallikattu: Hema Malini". Times of India. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
42. "Hema Malini urges ban on Tamil Nadu's Jallikattu". News18. IANS. 1 July 2011. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
43. "Hema Malini named PETA Person of the Year". Deccan Herald. 19 December 2011. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
44. Sharma, Garima (9 October 2013). "Hema Malini stars in PETA ad". The Times of India. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
45. . The Hindu. 16 June 2002. Archived from the original on 10 November 2012. Retrieved 14 June 2011.
46. . The Hindu. 25 March 2011. Archived from the original on 10 November 2012. Retrieved 14 June 2011.
47. . The Hindu. 3 February 2011. Archived from the original on 10 November 2012. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
48. . The Hindu. 7 April 2006. Archived from the original on 26 March 2009. Retrieved 14 June 2011.
49. Kumar, R. Krishna (22 October 2007). . The Hindu. Archived from the original on 24 October 2007. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
50. "Hema Malini enthrals audience". The Hindu. 13 September 2010. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
51. "Godly choices". The Sunday Tribune. 30 March 2003. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
52. "India as a writer's market". Writing-world.com. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
53. "Which business family owns Outlook?". Rediff.com. 1 July 2011. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
54. "Are You surprised?". Rrtd.nic.in. 15 October 2000. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
55. . The Hindu. 20 February 2009. Archived from the original on 23 February 2009. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
56. . The Hindu. 31 December 2010. Archived from the original on 4 January 2011. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
57. Tankha, Madhur (10 March 2005). "'Dream girl' unveiled". The Hindu. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
58. Rao, Sandhya (9 March 2018). "Book Review: Dream Girl dreams". Business Line. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
59. Kumar, Anuj (17 March 2007). "The making of a dream". The Hindu. Retrieved 20 June 2021.

Further reading

• Somaaya, Bhawana (2007). Hema Malini: The Authorized Biography. Lotus Collection. ISBN 978-81-7436-467-8.
• Raheja, Dinesh. "Hema Malini: Bollywood's Dreamgirl". Rediff. Retrieved 15 June 2011.

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hema Malini.

 

Wikiquote has quotations related to Hema Malini.

• Hema Malini at IMDb
• Hema Malini on Twitter