It is hard to believe that the Dream Girl of Indian cinema , the only actress who ruled the boxoffice, is 75 .
Tell her this, and she chuckles, “Even I find it hard to believe. It seems like the other day when I started out. I had to face none of the hurdles that newcomers do. I started getting offers immediately and soon I was shooting in Nalanda,close to where you stay, for Johnny Mera Naam.”
Hemaji who has sharp memory remembers the fans who came to Patna airport in 1969. “They came to mob Dev Saab. They couldn’t recognize me. But there was this curiosity. ‘Who is that girl?’ the crowds were whispering.”
Dev Anand and Hema went on to do many films together. When there was slump in Dev Anand’s career in the 1970s he requested her to do Amir Garib with him. It was a superhit.Not only Dev Anand, Rajesh Khanna and Manoj Kumar’s careers were also revived with Hema as co-star in Premnagar and Sanyasi, respectively.
Film distributors in the 1970 would say,if there is Hema Malini in a film they don’t have to think twice before buying it.
Looking back at her superstardom Hema says, “I never thought about how being a star I was. I just did my work. There was no life beyond the studios.”
The secret of aging gracefully is accept it. “Aging is inevitable. At 75 I can’t look what like what I did when I was 30 or 40.I can’t tell age to stop . ‘Arrey bhai ruk jao’.Aisa toh nahin bol sakti na. There is no secret at all to how I look. Just eating sleeping properly and on time. Dancing takes care of the rest. It is very important at this stage to stay fit. Nowadays my grandson keeps me on my toes. He is the only who is allowed to do anything he wants with me.”
But Hema Malini is still a stunner, isn’t she? “It is a different phase of my looks. I can’t look now as I did when I was 25.My brother tells me I looked different when I was younger. In every stage of one’s life one looks different.During those days the cinematographers loved their heroines’ faces. They made sure I looked my best. Look how beautifully(cinematographer) K Vaikunth shot me in Andaz, Seeta Aur Geeta and Meera.Nowadays the cinematographers just do their job professionally. There is no emotional attachment to the actors.Actresses like Rekha, Madhuri and I don’t fit in at all.I will do a film only if it is worthy of me.”