When Hema Malini said she ‘never competed with Dharmendra’s other family’: In love you give

Mumbai, Dec 6 – Veteran actress and talk‑show host Simi Garewal shared a clip from an old episode of her hugely popular show “Rendezvous with Simi” on her social‑media feed. The short video shows Bollywood legend Hema Malini reflecting on her marriage and love story with her husband, superstar Dharmendra.

Simi asked Hema how she first met Dharmendra, and Hema recalled, “I met him for the first time at the premiere of one of the films. I thought I had never seen such a handsome man in my life. And later, I heard him saying the same thing about me.”

When Simi inquired whether Hema ever tried to resist Dharmendra knowing he was already married, Hema replied, “In the beginning, I never bothered. Somewhere in my mind, I used to think, ‘If I ever marry, I must marry somebody like him.’ Not him, but somebody like him.”

She added, “He constantly used to tell me that he loved me a lot, and I would just say, ‘Okay, okay,’ without giving much importance to it, knowing the consequences.”

Simi probed what finally led Hema to accept the relationship. “It was destiny,” Hema said. “We were together for so long, and then suddenly thinking of marrying someone else just didn’t feel right. So one day, I called him and said, ‘You have to marry me now.’”

Dharmendra answered, “Yes, I’ll marry you.” And that’s how it happened.

Hema also explained why she always stayed clear of Dharmendra’s first family affairs. “I never tried to compete with his other family for his time or attention, not at all. In love, you are supposed to give, not demand. When you love a person so much, and you also receive so much love from them, how can you torture someone for small, petty things?”

She went on, “That’s the reason I never bothered, never irritated him, never put pressure on him. I wanted the love to continue. And that’s how it still is today; we love each other so much, nothing can come between us. I understand his problems, and I adjust everything according to him, because of which he loves me even more.”

“The actress said, ‘When you give so much, you receive so much. That is love; you must give respect to the love you have.’”

Simi captioned the exchange: “I watched our Rendezvous again recently to revisit the Hema‑Dharam love story. It was poignant & courageous, considering the circumstances.”

She added, “Marrying a married man is not an option most women of today would settle for. But having chosen to follow her love, Hema‑ji handled the relationship with a rare degree of selflessness & grace. Today, she must feel a great sense of loss without him. I hope the happy memories will comfort her & fill the void.”

For those unfamiliar, Dharmendra and Hema are regarded as one of the most romantic love sagas in Bollywood history. The two stars first met in the early 1970s while working together, and their on‑screen chemistry blossomed into a deep personal bond. Despite extreme societal judgment and strong opposition from both families, the couple married in 1980. Dharmendra was already married to Prakash Kaur and was the father of four children: Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol, Ajit Deol, and Vijayta Deol.

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