Sanjay Leela Bhansali is a huge fan of ‘Dream Girl’ Hema Malini. “She is and always will be the most beautiful actress ever The camera loves Hemaji’s face. Every actor/actress has a best profile. With her there is no favourite profile.She looks just as beautiful from every angle.”
Speaking of his favourite Hema Malini films , Bhansali says, “I especially love her in her early films like Johnny Mera Naam, Abhinetri, Raja Jani,Gehri Chaal , Sharafat and Andaz and of course Seeta Aur Geeta.I’ve seen these films over and over again and I know every frame by heart. Oh yes, and I love her chulbuli songs especially Duniya jab jalti hai hai re bada maza aata hai in Dost and Prem ka rog bada bura in Dus Numbri.”
Bhansali recalls her boxoffice clout in the 1970s and 80s. “Movies were bought by distributors solely because of her presence. It didn’t matter who the hero was , if Hemaji was in a film.”
The filmmaker’s one regret is that he has so far not worked with her. “I don’t know how I’ll direct her. One can’t tell Hemaji what to do and what not to do. The camera loves her so much. Who am I to intervene?”
Hemaji too loves Bhansali’s cinema. He recalls how at the premiere of one of his films that Hemaji attended , there a delay in starting the screening because a certain actress was late in arriving.
Hemaji had arrived on the dot at 9 pm.When there was a delay she got restless wondering aloud why people need to be fashionably late keeping everyone else waiting. Hemaji did wait for the unpunctual actress to arrive, but gave her a mouthful before settling down to watch the film.
