When Hema Malini allegedly asked Dharmendra to distance himself from the 27-years-younger actress Anita Raj amid affair rumours

Dharmendra and Hema Malini’s relationship has always been one of the most talked-about romances in Bollywood. Their on-screen chemistry was electric, but it was their real-life bond that stirred both admiration and controversy. When the two fell in love, Dharmendra was already married to Prakash Kaur and the father of four children. Yet the connection he shared with Hema Malini was undeniable, and after years of resistance, family pressures and public scrutiny, the two eventually married in 1980. Their journey was complicated, but their commitment to each other endured.

Even after marriage, their relationship wasn’t free of challenges. One of the most widely discussed episodes came in the late 1980s, when rumours surfaced about Dharmendra’s growing closeness with the younger actress Anita Raj. Known for films like Zalzala, Karishma Kudrat Ka and Insaniyat Ke Dushman, Anita was a rising star at the time. Industry chatter suggested that Dharmendra was spending increasing time with her, enough for gossip columns to speculate about a possible affair.

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For Hema Malini, who had already fought significant social and personal battles to marry the actor she loved, this rumoured link came as a moment of concern. According to reports, including those carried by Moneycontrol, the whispers around Dharmendra and Anita Raj did not sit well with the Dream Girl. Hema had maintained dignity and composure through every storm, but this was personal. She felt the need to intervene before rumours hardened into something more damaging.