Amitabh Bachchan and Hema Malini took audiences back to those days in a light-hearted episode of Kaun Banega Crorepati, sharing memories filled with laughter, humility, and nostalgia.
Hema Malini revelaed that once, she and Dharmendra took a small trip on a cycle to avoid the waiting time.
When Big B teasingly asked Hema Malini if she had ever been in a difficult situation with her husband, the actress broke into a laugh and shared her own story.
“Jaipur main aisa hua, train crossing tha, toh uske liye wait nhi krne ka tha, toh voh ek aadmi cycle se jaa rha tha, cycle lelia aur mujhe bola aao betho, so we both sat and went there you know.”
The conversation began on a playful note, with Amitabh Bachchan recalling an incident involving his dear friend and colleague Dharmendra, fondly known as Dharam ji. He smiled as he described how the two often travelled together to film shoots in the same car.
“Dharam ji aur main toh dono ek hee gaadi main aate the aur vaapas bhi aate the aur bhaisaab ek baar ajeeb hogya, aisa hua ki Dharam ji aur hum log nikle aur Bangalore main sabse bheed bhaad waali jagah hai na udhar se gaadi jaani thi, voh gaadi hogyi kharaab aur teen-chaar aadmi aagye dharam ji ko dekhne aur ekdm gher liya, Dharam ji ne kha ki koi baat nahi koi baat nhi tu chal, mere saath chal, toh hum log aise hee dono bhaar nikle, aur bagal main ek auto jaa rha tha aur auto pr gye hum dono raam garan.”
The image of two of India’s biggest film stars casually hopping into an auto-rickshaw to escape a crowd is both endearing and symbolic of the simplicity that defined their time.
The audience couldn’t help but laugh — the Dream Girl of Indian cinema, elegant and composed, riding a stranger’s cycle through the streets of Jaipur.
But beyond these charming anecdotes lies a more personal story — one that has long captured public imagination: Hema Malini’s enduring love for Dharmendra. Behind her poise and perfection is a woman who chose love over convention, and grace over controversy.
Their relationship began on film sets in the 1970s. Dharmendra was already a married superstar with four children, while Hema was one of the most sought-after actresses of her time. What started as on-screen chemistry soon blossomed into a deep and lasting affection — a love that defied social norms and gossip columns alike.
When Dharmendra married Hema without divorcing his first wife, Prakash Kaur, it caused a media storm. Yet, through it all, Hema chose silence, dignity, and understanding. In her authorised biography Hema Malini: Beyond the Dream Girl, she reflected with remarkable honesty:
“I did not want to trouble anyone. I am happy with what Dharam ji did for me and my daughters. He played the role of a father, like any father would. I think I am satisfied with it.”
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