Biography
Who is Hema Malini?
Early life and background
Hema Malini was born on October 16, 1948, in Ammankudi, India, to parents Jaya Lakshmi and VSR Chakravarti Iyengar. She grew up in a Tamil Iyengar Brahmin family and has two elder brothers. She attended school in Chennai and later studied at DTEA Mandir Marg until the eleventh standard before starting her professional career in cinema.
She follows Hinduism and later became a life member of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Her father passed away in 1978, and her mother passed away in 2004. Her early education provided a foundation, but she left formal schooling early to pursue performing arts.
Acting career and rise to fame
Hema Malini made her acting debut in the Tamil film Idhu Sathiyam in 1963 and later played a lead role in Sapno Ka Saudagar in 1968. Promoted as the Dream Girl, she quickly established herself as a leading actress in mainstream Hindi cinema through commercial hits like Johny Mera Naam and Andaz.
In 1972, she played a famous double role in the comedy Seeta Aur Geeta, which earned her the Filmfare Award for Best Actress. She starred alongside Dharmendra in numerous films, including Sholay, which became one of the most influential Indian films of all time. Her career spanned decades, including well-known later performances in films like Baghban in 2003, for which she received another Filmfare nomination.
Political career
Hema Malini entered politics by campaigning for the Bharatiya Janata Party in 1999. She officially joined the party in February 2004 and subsequently served as a member of the upper house of parliament, the Rajya Sabha, from 2003 to 2009 after being nominated by President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.
She later served as a general secretary of the party. In the 2014 general elections, she won a seat in the Lok Sabha representing the Mathura constituency. She successfully retained her Mathura Lok Sabha seat in the 2019 general elections with a comfortable margin.
Family and personal life
Hema Malini married actor Dharmendra in 1980 after working together on multiple film projects. The couple had two daughters together, Esha Deol and Ahana Deol. Her husband Dharmendra had children from a previous marriage, including actors Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol.
Her family grew with the births of her grandchildren through her daughters. Her husband passed away on November 24, 2025, after a career and marriage spanning decades in the film industry.
Birthday and age
Hema Malini was born on October 16, 1948, which makes Hema 78 years old today. That birthday falls under the Libra sign. Hema shares the date with 17 other famous people.
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