The entire country is mourning the death of Dharmendra. This legendary actor of Hindi cinema passed away on November 24. Currently, there are many rumors surrounding his two wives and family, especially Hema Malini, who is Dharmendra’s second wife. Despite being married, she never lived with her husband. Dharmendra lived with his first wife Prakash Kaur, while Hema lived with her daughters in another house. Hema Malini once explained the reason behind her separation from Dharmendra.
Dharmidhar and Hema Malini were a hit couple of Bollywood. They fell in love while shooting countless shoots and outdoor scenes. Although Hema Malini tried her best to stay away from Dharmendra, who was already married, she succumbed to his love. Although Dharmendra was previously married to Prakash Kaur, he got married a second time in 1980.
Dharmendra also refused to divorce his first wife. To avoid family troubles, Hema Malini and Dharmendra decided to live separately. In Hema’s biography, “Hema Malini: Beyond the Dream Girl”, she revealed that she did not want to offend anyone, and was happy with everything Dharmendra had done for her and their daughter. This decision was a sign of respect for Dharmendra’s first wife Prakash Kaur and their children. Hema Malini was also referred to as the “second woman”, a fact she mentioned in her book. Hema said, “Fingers were being pointed at me. We were being blamed. I knew people talked about me behind my back. All I knew was that they made me happy. And all I wanted was happiness.”
Speaking about the environment and loneliness of their marriage, they said that Dharmendra always knew his role as a father and he never needed to remind Dharmendra about it. “I’m not a police officer watching over them, I don’t need to show people the roll-call register of how many days they see me. They know their duty as a father, and I’ve never had to remind them of that,” he said.
Regret to be apart
In an interview with Lehren Retro in 2023, Hema Malini talked about living with Dharmendra. He admitted that no one wants to be like that, but it happened to him. He said that no one wants such a life. Hema Malini further said that every woman wants to have a husband, have children and live like a normal family, but that was not the case in our lives. She added, “Every woman wants to have a husband, have children and live like a normal family. But somewhere, it didn’t happen. I don’t feel bad about it, nor am I angry about it. I’m happy with myself. I have two children, and I’ve raised them very well.”