Rajesh Khanna was one of the most successful actors of his time. But his arrogant attitude towards his co-actors and his habit of stalling the shooting for hours often troubled those who worked with him. Famous actress Hema Malini of that era was also one of the troubled people. Despite differences, Hema and Rajesh worked together in 13 films. The reason for this was Hema’s friendship with Dimple Kapadia, who at that time was newly married to Rajesh Khanna. When Dimple met Hema, she was a teenager. Hema was 9 years older than Dimple. Since both were struggling in their personal lives, they developed a warm friendship.
There used to be differences between Rajesh and Hema
Hema Malini In her biography ‘Hema Malini: Beyond the Dream Girl’, the actress had shared that Rajesh Khanna used to behave ‘strangely’ with her. Since she did not give him any special attention, he considered her ‘arrogant’. Hema also felt the same about him. But during this time, Hema often saw Dimple, who used to come for shooting with her husband. Both became each other’s comrades. Dimple and Rajesh got married when Dimple was only 16 years old and Rajesh was 32 years old. There were challenges in this marriage from the very beginning and Hema could see it closely. This period was equally difficult for Hema because she was in love with Dharmendra, who was already married and had four children.
Dimple was left alone after marriage
Hema told in her biography that she had a ‘warm feeling’ towards Dimple. She looked at her like a ‘younger sister’. Recalling Dimple’s lonely state after her new marriage, Hema said, ‘This girl was wrapped in a big saree, tied in a bun and had bangles on her wrists. Then soon she also had a child. During outdoor locations, she would sit there, smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol. But I never felt it was wrong or indecent. I knew she was going through a lot of stress and was very lonely. Rajesh used to shoot the whole day and in the evening he used to talk and drink alcohol with his friends till late night. Dimple had no partner.
Dimple needed company and since Hema often traveled with her parents, Dimple spent time with them. He had told, ‘I think he liked that family atmosphere. That’s why she spent a lot of time with us. Hema hinted that her personal life was also going through many obstacles and she used to take advice from Dimple. She told, ‘There was a lot of tension in my personal life in those days and I used to talk to Dimple about it. See, I was not married while she was. So there were some things or advice that she could give me.
Dharmendra was not trusted
On the other hand, Dimple was also struggling with her own problems. She married a superstar at a very young age. Despite his hit debut film ‘Bobby’, he was forced to leave films. She also embraced motherhood at a very young age. She had a lot of responsibilities, but despite this she was Hema’s true friend.
Dimple recalled in the same book that she believed that Dharmendra would never marry Hema. She had said, ‘See, I was so angry in those days that I used to get very angry on his problems. I used to tell them that this man (Dharmendra) will never marry you. You have to wake up and do something about it. And if he had listened to me…’ Let us tell you that Dharmendra and Hema got married in 1980. He has two daughters- Isha and Ahana Deol.
—- End —-
