Sanjeev Kumar’s ‘no career post marriage’ rule ended his relationship with Hema Malini: ‘He wanted an all-sacrificing wife’

“In one terrifying moment, the trolley came loose while both Hema Malini and Sanjeev Kumar were on it, and veered towards a cliff. Luckily, the road bent inwards and both the actors fell away from the treacherous precipice. They escaped with minor cuts and bruises. This brush with death brought them closer. The moment they recovered from the accident, they were more concerned about each other than their own well-being. Many believe that this was the moment they began developing feelings for each other.”

According to the book, Sanjeev Kumar was determined to marry Hema. However, his mother Shantaben was against having an actress as a daughter-in-law. “But, Hema won Shantaben’s heart. A humble woman despite her immense success, Hema always covered her head with her pallu, and touched Shantaben’s feet every time they met.” Hema Malini became the only actress Shantaben approved of to become her daughter-in-law.

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“The Jariwals decided to visit Hema’s family in Madras and ask for her hand. Sanjeev, Hema, and Shantaben planned the visit, fixed a date, and got their tickets. As was customary, Shantaben arrived at Hema’s home with boxes of sweets, and Hema Malini’s mother, Jaya Chakravarthy, was happy to meet Sanjeev’s family. The cultural difference did not pose a hurdle, but Hema Malini’s film career became a bone of contention.”

Hema Malini’s mother Jaya Chakravarthy declared to Shantaben that she would accept the marriage proposal only if her daughter will be allowed to continue her career as an actress post marriage.

“For the Jariwala family this was a difficult condition to accept. Shantaben and Sanjeev were clear from the start that they would not allow Hema to act in films after marriage. According to Gayatri Patel, Hema herself had promised Sanjeev that she would complete only her pending assignments before bidding farewell to the film world.”

Hema too understood the reason behind her mother’s decision as she was one of the highest-paid actresses of her time. The actress was hopeful that Sanjeev would eventually come around and allow her to carry on with her career. Meanwhile, Sanjeev hoped Hema would convince her mother. With both actors not ready to compromise, the relationship ended.

Hema herself commented on this in 1991 in the magazine Junior G, “A Sanjeev Kumar who desired a stay-at-home, all-sacrificing wife who would care for his ageing mother and support him, while he mesmerized the audience and won accolades, seems like a caricature of a male chauvinist. But before judging him too harshly, let’s consider the era we are dealing with. Back in the day, it was common to look down upon women who chose to be a part of showbiz.”

In 1980, Hema Malini married Dharmendra. The couple have two daughters, Esha and Ahana Deol. Actors Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol are Hema Malini’s stepsons.