The Dream Couple

Hema was nervous on the first day of the shoot. “I was intimidated by him because he asked me ‘sab aata hai na?’,” she laughs. Dharmendra smiles,“She is one of the best directors I have worked with. She knew every little detail about the film.”

Even after four decades,Hema and Dharmendra dote on each other. Their passion seems to have only grown and the mutual respect is evident in the way they praise each other’s work. There is a strong buzz that the couple will be seen together on screen for Tell Me O Kkhuda after almost two decades. Hema laughs it off,

saying,“Why don’t you watch the film?”

In the 1970s,when a particular pair was a box-office hit,they were cast in many films simultaneously. That’s what happened

after Hema and Dharmendra’s first film Tum Haseen Main Jawaan (1970),which did well at the box office. The next couple of years saw them in Sharafat,Naya

Zamana,Seeta Aur Geeta and Raja Jani. “Together we acted in 28 films,out of which,15 were jubilee hits and 10 golden jubilees. Directors wanted to cast us

together because it meant the film would be a hit,” says Dharmendra.

Hema reminisces the wonderful time she had with Dharmendra then. “In

those days,the romance was so different. Our love scenes in films were so genuine because we were actually in love. We wanted to work together so that we could spend time together,” she smiles. Dharmendra has one regret though. “We did not do as many romantic films as we should have done. We were stuck in the commercial genre for too long.”

The off-screen romance,however,is said to have bloomed during the making of Sholay (1975). But daughter,Esha Deol,insists that her parents were attracted to each other during their first film itself. “I love watching Tum Haseen Main Jawaan,because I can notice the spark between them,” she winks.

Filmmaker Ramesh Sippy,who worked with the pair,benefitted from this association. “When I decided to make Seeta Aur Geeta,I was in a bit of a dilemma about

approaching male actors for a heroine-oriented film. Fortunately,Dharam was fond of Hema and readily agreed to be part of the film,” says Sippy.

Their love affair apart,Dharmendra enjoyed working with Hema because she was very “non-filmi”. “She never behaved like she was a famous star even at the peak of her career,” he says. Hema too had similar thoughts. “He was extremely good looking; he still is. Although he was cast as the action hero,his emotional scenes moved me almost always,” she says. Their chemistry continued in films like Charas,Jugnu,Dost,Maa,Patthar Aur Payal.

Their popularity was such that the

casting of Veeru and Basanti in Sholay

was decided during the scripting stages itself. “I needed someone with a sparkling chemistry and did not see any other pair fitting in there.” Film exhibitor Manoj

Desai reminisces. “Although Sholay was the biggest blockbuster in terms of profits,the pairing of Dharmendra and Hema pulled in a large crowd for their

1977-superhit film,Dream Girl. Their

romance was at its peak then,” Desai says.

For Hema,the credit for the films’ success goes to its content. That could be

the reason why the films they did after marriage in the ’80s,such as Alibaba

Aur 40 Chor,Baghavat,Samraat and

Razia Sultan,were not as successful as their previous ones. Despite the success ratio,the pair stopped working together in mid-eighties. “It just happened one day,” says Hema. Dharmendra has a more

philosophical explanation for it. “Life doesn’t remain the same at all times.

Past is always beautiful,but we must

learn to live in the present,” he says.