The Versatile Hema Malini

Hema Malini, (born October 16, 1948 in Ammankudi, Tamil Nadu, India) is an Indian actress and Bharatanatyam dancer, who starred in several successful Bollywood films in the 1970s, most notably the extremely successful Sholay.

Hema Malini was educated at Andhra Mahila Sabha, Chennai, Hema first tried to enter films in 1964, but was rejected; Tamil director Sridhar said she had no star appeal. She persisted and found her niche in Bollywood. She debuted in a 1968 film Sapnon ka Saudagar ("The Dreamseller), playing a young teen opposite the ageing superstar Raj Kapoor. With Dev Anand in Johnny Mera Naam (1970), Hema became a top star and with Dharmendra in Seeta Aur Geeta (1972) she was the top female star in Bollywood and became one of the reigning divas of the Bollywood film industry. Her fans called her The Dream Girl of Bollywood (an allusion to her first film, and one of her big hits).

She starred in many movies and is perhaps best remembered for her large breasts, style, and accomplished classical dancing. She formed a hit pair with Dharmendra and the duo gave a number of hit movies. She also achieved some strong dramatic or comic moments in films like "Trishul", "Joshila" Lal Patthar, Seeta Aur Geeta, Sholay, Meera and Satte Pe Satta. She wore bell-bottom pant-shirts in films like Trishul and Joshila, which was uncommon for women of that time.

After having a back seat from films for a number of years, she has recently made a comeback of sorts. She co-starred with Amitabh Bachchan in the successful film Baghban, and played a cameo role (also opposite Bachchan) in the 2004 blockbuster Veer-Zaara. In both films, she played a beautiful, self-possessed, middle-aged married woman rather than the ingénue role of her earlier career.

She tried her hand at directing and made the 1992 film Dil Aashna Hai which featured an all-star cast including Shahrukh Khan and the late Divya Bharti.

She also directed and starred in the TV Serial Noopur, in which she was depicted as a Bharatanatyam dancer going to .

Hema Malini is a dedicated Bharatnatyam artiste, a classical dance of . Her two daughters have trained in the related Odissi School of dance, and the three have performed together at several charity dance concerts.

Top Bollywood stars like Sanjeev Kumar and Jeetendra proposed marriage to her, but she married Dharmendra (who never divorced his first wife) and they have two children:Ahana Deol and Esha Deol (born 1982), who is a successful Bollywood actress as well.

In 2005, on the TV show Koffee with Karan, she said that she taught her daughters Tamil very well, but had to hire a tutor to help her daughter Esha Deol learn Punjabi for a film. Apparently, Esha's father Dharmendra, whose mother tongue is Punjabi, converses with Hema and his daughters only in Hindi and English.

She is the daughter of Shrimati Jay a Chakravarthy who was a film producer. Shrimati Jay a Chakravarthy passed away on June 11th, 2004.

She and her husband have been involved in politics, as members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). She was elected to the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Parliament of India, with the support of the BJP. In February 2004, she joined the party officially. With her film career less hectic, she has been an active member of the party, attending party meetings and rallies and campaigning for the party through various elections.

She has once said in an interview that she would never wear revealing outfits in movies, and has been true to her words. It is said that after she shot for a swimsuit scene in a movie, her mother was so offended that she promised never to repeat it. She exposed her navel in a low-waist sari for the first time on camera only in 2006, after over 30 years of acting.

Awards and Honurs

1973 - Filmfare Best Actress Award, Seeta aur Geeta

1999 - Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award

2000 - Padma Shri, 's fourth highest civilian award from the Government of India.

2003 - Star Screen Award Jodi No. 1, Baghban (with Amitabh Bachchan)

2003 - 'Lifetime Achievement Award for Distinguished Contribution to the Movie Industry' at the 'Bollywood Awards' scheduled at Trump Taj Mahal Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey , on May 3.

Filmography

1. list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in">Sapno ka sudagar

    

2. Sholay

    

3. Naya Zamaana

    

4. Seeta Aur Geeta

    

5. Kasauti

    

6. Sharaafat

    

7. Johnny Mera Naam

    

8. Razia Sultan

    

9. Naseeb

    

10. Charas

     

11. Patthar aur Payal

     

12. Chacha Bhatija

     

13. Andaz

     

14. sanyasi

     

15. Raja Jani

     

16. Mehbooba

     

17. Baghbaan

     

18. The Burning Train

     

19. Aas Pass

     

20. Dream Girl

     

21. Lekin

     

22. Khushboo

     

23. Do Aur Do Paanch

     

24. Alibaba Aur 40 Chor

     

25. Baghawat

     

26. Dharmatma

     

27. Dus Numbri

     

28. Jugnu

     

29. Justice Chaudhury

     

30. Satte Pe Satta

     

31. Kudrat

     

32. Hum Dono

     

33. Haath Ki Safai

     

34. Premnagar

     

35. Joshila

     

36. Desh Premee

     

37. Gora Aur Kala

     

38. Hey Ram

     

39. Abhinetri

     

40. Ameer Garib
41. Dost

     

42. Dus Numbri

     

43. Himalay Putra

     

44. Jaaneman

     

45. Veer-Zaara (special appearance)

     

46. Baghban

     

47. Baabul

     

48. Trishul

Courtesy: wikipedia