Hema Malini says Dharmendra didn’t approve of her political career, recalls Vinod Khanna taught her to give a speech: ‘Dharamji didn’t want me to contest’

Veteran actor and politician Hema Malini is contesting the Lok Sabha election for the Bharatiya Janata Party. This marks her third candidacy for the Lok Sabha seat with the BJP. In a recent interview, she shared how her husband Dharmendra, also a veteran actor, initially didn’t approve of her political career and expressed concerns for her safety. She also fondly remembered late actor Vinod Khanna and acknowledged how his early guidance in politics contributed to her own political journey.

Speaking about her husband Dharmendra’s concerns, Hema told News18, “Dharamji didn’t like it. He told me not to contest election as it’s a very difficult task. He said, ‘I have experienced that.’ So when he said that it’s difficult task, I thought let me take it as a challenge. He faced a problem because he had to travel a lot of distance but he still did a lot of work. But when you are a film star working in politics, people have a lot of craze about you and want to approach you and you can imagine the craze people had about Dharamji. So it used to trouble him. I also face such problems which Dharamji doesn’t like. Because I am a woman so I am able to manage properly.”

Dharmendra himself served as an MP from BJP representing Bikaner, Rajasthan, from 2004 to 2009. Despite his political stint, he rarely attended Parliament sessions, opting to focus on his film career and personal commitments, which drew criticism.

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Hema also remembered the late actor Vinod Khanna’s influence on her political journey. She said, “I was inspired by Vinod Khanna because he took me with him for his election campaign. He taught me a lot, how to give a speech, how to face the public. It’s not a joke to give a speech between 5000-6000 people, you get scared the first time.” Vinod Khanna, a BJP member, was two-time MP from Gurdaspur and served as Union Minister of State for Tourism and Culture, as well as Minister of State for External Affairs.