The film industry is mourning the loss of actor Dharmendra, who has died at the age of 89. As soon as news of his death broke, the last picture of him with his wife, Hema Malini, went viral.
The actor's passing has left fans and the film industry in grief. He died 15 days before his 90th birthday.
Hema Malini, who is an actress and director, is Dharmendra’s second wife. He had two children with her, Esha Deol and Ahana Deol.
They got married in 1980 and had an unusual love story. The two had chosen to live apart after their marriage.
In her biography "Hema Malini Beyond the Dream Girl", she shared details of their relationship.
When they met, Dharmendra was with Prakash Kaur, whom he married in 1954 at the age of 19. They had four children together, sons Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol and daughters Vijeta and Ajeita.
Since he was already married to Prakash, Hema’s mother had tried to convince her to marry Jeetendra instead of Dharmendra.
The two actors had met on the set of the film Tu Haseen Main Jawan and had since shared a strong bond.
When they married in 1980, many criticised Dharmendra and called him a womaniser.
However, his first wife, Kaur, defended him, saying that any man would be attracted to a woman like Hema Malini. She also questioned the double standards of calling him a womaniser when others in the industry did similar things.
Despite his marriage to Hema, Dharmendra stayed with Prakash Kaur. Their son Bobby had said that the two lived together peacefully at their Khandala farmhouse. They lived together for about 71 years in 2025.
Last year on his 89th birthday, Hema Malini shared pictures of their celebrations. In a social media post, she said, “A day to celebrate! Happiest Birthday to the man of my dreams. I hold your heart as you hold mine ever since we first met many years ago. We have been through good times and bad, always together, steadfast in our love for each other. I look forward to being dazzled by your charm for many more years to come. May God bless you with good health and happiness always”
Hema Malini was seen at the actors cremation grounds on Monday. Actors Aamir Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar and Anil Kapoor were also present to pay respects to the legendary actor. The actors oldest son, Sunny Deol lit the funeral pyre.
