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Hema Malini and Dharmendra’s marriage in 1980 sparked significant controversy, given Dharmendra’s existing marriage to Prakash Kaur.
Hema Malini and Dharmendra’s 1980 marriage stirred considerable controversy, primarily due to Dharmendra’s prior marriage to Prakash Kaur.
Hema Malini and Dharmendra’s marriage in 1980 stirred significant controversy in the media and public. At the time, Dharmendra was already married to Prakash Kaur and had four children—Sunny, Bobby, Ajeeta, and Vijaya. This raised questions about how he could marry Hema while still being married to Prakash. Rumors began to spread, suggesting that the couple converted to Islam, had a nikaah, and later participated in a traditional Iyengar wedding ceremony.
In Hema Malini’s biography, Hema Malini: Beyond the Dream Girl, written by Ram Kamal Mukherjee, it is noted that there were doubts about the legality of Hema and Dharmendra’s marriage under the Hindu Marriage Act since he had an existing marriage. The book mentions the widespread speculation that the two stars had converted to Islam, adopting the names Dilawar and Ayesha Bi, and had a nikaah in 1979. These rumors resurfaced in 2004 when Dharmendra contested the Lok Sabha elections, with the Congress party pointing out that he only mentioned his first wife Prakash Kaur’s properties in his asset declaration, omitting any mention of Hema.
When questioned about Dharmendra’s omission, Hema addressed the issue, saying, “This is extremely personal between us. And we will sort it out between ourselves. Nobody else should bother about this.” At the time, Hema was a member of the Rajya Sabha, and the Congress party sought the cancellation of her nomination, alleging that she had provided false information about her name and religion. Hema dismissed these claims, stating, “There is no truth in these allegations. I have nothing more to say about this.”
The biography also sheds light on Dharmendra’s perspective, where he denied the allegations of religious conversion. In a 2004 interview with Outlook, Dharmendra firmly stated, “This allegation is totally incorrect. I am not the kind of man who will change his religion to suit his interests.”
Dharmendra, one of Bollywood’s most iconic actors, has had a complex personal life, especially in terms of his marriages. He first married Prakash Kaur in 1954, long before he became a film star. The couple had four children together: two sons, Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol, both of whom followed in their father’s footsteps into acting, and two daughters, Ajeeta and Vijaya. Throughout his rise to stardom, Prakash Kaur largely remained out of the public eye, focusing on raising their children.
In the 1970s, while working in the film industry, Dharmendra met actress Hema Malini, and their on-screen chemistry translated into a deep off-screen bond. The two became one of Bollywood’s most celebrated couples, with their romance blossoming on the sets of films like Sholay. Their relationship faced intense public scrutiny, as Dharmendra was already married to Prakash Kaur at the time. Despite the controversies, Dharmendra and Hema Malini decided to marry in 1980. They had two daughters together, Esha Deol and Ahana Deol.
