She debuted in 1968 with Sapnon Ka Saudagar and soon became the Dream Girl (1977). 55 years later, actor Hema Malini’s charm and grace are just the same.

When we ask her about spending more than five decades in the industry, she replies, “I keep wondering yeh samay kahaan nikal gaya! You look back on these 55 years, it is so nice and beautiful. But you have to keep moving ahead. I am busy with my constituency. However, if any good offer comes for acting, I would definitely love to work.”

When the actor stepped into the industry, all actors would work in multiple shifts in a single day. But, things have completely changed since then and social media as well as other mediums of entertainment have become all pervasive now. “In those days, I was continuously working. I didn’t even know how important I was, how people were crazy about me. It was just about ‘arre yeh film ki shooting yahaan hai, jaana hai’... I couldn’t enjoy my stardom. I was engrossed in work. After I got married, career slowed down a bit, and after having a child, it slowed down further. Now, when I finally look back, I feel nice. I feel proud that I worked so much. Jeene ka ek maqsad hota hai, duniya mein aaye ho toh kuchh kaam kiya,” she adds.

And the work continues. She brought her ballet Ganga to Mumbai for the first time recently. “Before Covid, we had done five shows. It is weird that I had performed at other places but never in Mumbai! The Maharashtra government has taken it up for their 75 river-cleaning project. They felt it would fit perfectly,” she beams.

Ask her if we would see her on OTT soon and she answers, “After working on the big screen all my life, it will feel a bit funny. Chhoti screen pe dikhega, maza nahin aayega. I don’t know how the public will take it.”