Hema Malini

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Image:Hema.jpg Hema Malini (born October 16 1948 in Tamil Nadu) is an Indian actress and Bharatanatyam dancer, who starred in several successful Bollywood films in the 1970s, most notably the super-hit, Sholay.

1 Career
2 Personal life
3 Filmography
4 External links

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Career

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, playing a young teen opposite the ageing superstar Raj Kapoor.

Her career took off, and she became one of the reigning divas of the Bollywood film industry. Her fans called her "The Dream Girl of Bollywood" (a title taken from her 1977 film of the same name).

She starred in many movies and is perhaps best remembered for her glamour, style, and accomplished dancing. She also achieved some strong dramatic or comic moments in films like Lal Patthar, Seeta aur Geeta, Sholay, Meera and Satte pe Satta.

After retiring 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 handsome, self-possessed, middle-aged married woman rather than the ingenue role of her earlier career.

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

In 2000, she was awarded the Padma Shri.

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Personal life

After a long and controversial affair, she married the actor Dharmendra in 1980, as his second wife. Their marriage recently came under media and legal scrutiny, as it was rumoured that the pair had declared themselves Muslims in order to marry under Islamic marriage rules. They have two children Esha Deol (born 1982), who is also an actress, and Ahana Deol. Hema is stepmother to Dharmendra's children by his first wife, who include Bollywood actors Bobby Deol and Sunny Deol.

She and her husband have been involved in politics, as supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party. She was elected to the Rajya Sabha with the support of the BJP.

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