Hema Malini has spent nearly six decades in the spotlight, but she says her journey was never driven by the pursuit of stardom. From films and classical dance to family and politics, the veteran actress has built a life guided by passion. Looking back at her career, she says, “I never expected to become a star. My only aim was to prove that I am good, so I worked hard. At that point, there was no time to think much, I simply started enjoying what I was doing.”

Ask if she would like to return to acting and Hema replies, “It’s difficult to answer that because I don’t think about it anymore. I’m happy with whatever I’m doing. I spend time in my constituency, working for people, and then I’m at home with my children and grandchildren. They need me. I am also living with memories of Dharam ji. That itself fills my life.”

Talking about Dharmendra, she says, “I got such a wonderful soulmate. I have memories of him that I will cherish till the end of my life. He supported me in everything I did. He would say, ‘Go ahead. Don’t stop. Continue with your dance.’ He believed dance was spiritual, and that it brought me happiness and kept me healthy. If I am doing anything today, it is because of his support and strength. Now I miss that. He is not there and this void can never be filled. I think of him every minute. People ask whether I have processed the loss, but I don’t think grief ever goes away. I miss him so much.”

Over the decades, Hema and Dharmendra’s relationship remained under public scrutiny, but she says they never allowed outside opinions to dictate how they lived. “We never bothered about any of that. We lived our lives according to us, not for people who wanted to criticize or judge us. We lived with true love. Right from the beginning, we knew we were meant for each other. Nobody could change that,” she shares.

Responding to rumours of differences within the Deol family, Hema says much of what circulates online today is fabricated. “Ours is a very united family. That’s all I can say. We are all happy with each other. Please don’t believe everything that is created through AI,” she says.

Hema’s love for creativity has remained constant throughout her life, finding expression not just in films but also in direction, television and classical dance.

“When I decided to get married and have children, films naturally became fewer. But I never stopped working. I turned to direction, making the television serial Noopur, which became popular, followed by the film Dil Aashna Hai and other television projects, including Women of India. I also immersed myself in dance, creating ballets such as Durga, Mahalakshmi, Radha Krishna and Draupadi. They were all based on mythology and classical dance. I have never performed film songs on stage. If I had, I would have earned much more, because classical dance doesn’t bring that kind of money. But I had decided that I would perform only classical dance on stage, and I stood by that decision.”

Over the years, Hema has turned down several films. Among them was Satyam Shivam Sundaram, for which Raj Kapoor had approached her. “After Sapno Ka Saudagar, I always wanted to work with Raj Kapoor saab again. After some years, he wanted me to do Satyam Shivam Sundaram. But he himself told me, ‘I know you won’t do it.’ I told him that I would love to work under his direction, but I wouldn’t be able to do this film.”

She also reveals that Raj Kapoor had once envisioned another collaboration. “There were discussions about another part after Mera Naam Joker, but since the film didn’t do well, that never happened.”