At the time, Dharmendra was already married to Prakash Kaur and had four children — Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol, Vijeeta, and Ajeeta.
Bollywood has witnessed many love stories, but few have stirred as much debate as the romance between Dharmendra and Hema Malini. Their relationship began on the film sets of the 1970s, blossomed amidst fame, and later became one of Hindi cinema’s most talked-about unions.
At the time, Dharmendra was already married to Prakash Kaur and had four children — Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol, Vijeeta, and Ajeeta. Yet, he fell deeply in love with Hema Malini, the “Dream Girl” of Indian cinema.
Their bond strengthened while shooting for films like Sholay and Seeta Aur Geeta. Audiences admired their on-screen chemistry, unaware that it would soon turn into a real-life love story. Despite Dharmendra’s marital status, the connection between him and Hema grew stronger, making headlines across the nation.
In 1980, Dharmendra and Hema Malini got married, sparking widespread controversy. Many questioned how Dharmendra could marry another woman while still married to Prakash Kaur. Reports at the time suggested that since Prakash was unwilling to divorce him, Dharmendra and Hema allegedly converted to Islam to marry.
According to Hema Malini, Beyond the Dream Girl, a biography by Ram Kamal Mukherjee, Dharmendra and Hema’s marriage was “invalid under the Hindu Marriage Act” since he was already married. The book further claimed that the two stars had a nikah in 1979, changed their names to Dilawar Khan and Ayesha Bi, and later married again in a traditional Iyengar ceremony.
Years later, the issue resurfaced in 2004 when Dharmendra entered politics. The Congress party questioned his declaration of assets, noting that only his first wife, Prakash Kaur, was listed, while there was no mention of Hema Malini.
When asked about this, Hema calmly responded, “This is extremely personal between us. And we will sort it out between ourselves. Nobody else should bother about this.”
The Congress party even tried to challenge her nomination to the Rajya Sabha, claiming she provided false information about her religion. Hema dismissed the allegations, stating, “There is no truth in these allegations. I have nothing more to say about this.”
Dharmendra too spoke out against the conversion claims. In an interview with Outlook magazine in 2004, he firmly said, “This allegation is totally incorrect. I am not the kind of man who will change his religion to suit his interests.”
Despite all the rumours, the couple remained together, proving that their bond went beyond social and political controversies. Decades later, Dharmendra and Hema Malini continue to be regarded as one of Bollywood’s most iconic and enduring couples — a love story that faced storms but never sank.
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