New Delhi:
Veteran actor Dharmendra, one of Indian cinema’s most celebrated stars, died on November 24 at the age of 89 at his Mumbai home, 12 days after he was discharged from Mumbai’s Breach Candy Hospital where he was admitted late October after he complained of breathlessness.
With a career spanning more than six decades and over 300 films, Dharmendra was often hailed as Bollywood’s original “He-Man” and one of its most enduring screen icons.
Beyond his prolific career, Dharmendra’s personal life, particularly his marriages, remained a subject of public curiosity and media attention for decades.
Dharmendra’s First Marriage To Prakash Kaur
Dharmendra’s first marriage was to Prakash Kaur in 1954, when he was just 19 years old, long before he entered the film industry.
The couple had four children – two sons, Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol, both successful actors, and two daughters, Vijeta and Ajeeta.
When Dharmendra made his acting debut in 1960 with Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere, he was already married and a father to his first son, Sunny.
Over the years, he became one of Hindi cinema’s biggest stars, with hits such as Phool Aur Patthar, Sholay, Chupke Chupke, Mera Gaon Mera Desh and Dharam Veer.
Dharmendra And Hema Malini’s Love Story
By the 1970s, his growing closeness with actress Hema Malini began making headlines. The two starred together in several films, including Seeta Aur Geeta, Raja Jani, Jugnu and the iconic Sholay. Their on-screen chemistry soon turned into a real-life relationship.
In 1980, Dharmendra married Hema Malini while still legally married to Prakash Kaur. The marriage sparked controversy, with reports suggesting that Dharmendra and Hema Malini had converted to Islam to solemnise their union under Muslim personal law, which permits polygamy.
The move was said to have been made to circumvent the Hindu Marriage Act, which allows only monogamy. Both Dharmendra and Hema Malini publicly denied the conversion claims.
Dharmendra’s first wife, Prakash Kaur, never divorced him and continued to live with him and their children. She publicly defended her husband. In a 1981 interview with Stardust, Prakash said, “Why only my husband? Any man would have preferred Hema over me.”
She further questioned, “How dare anyone call my husband a womaniser when half the industry is doing the same thing?” Prakash also said, “All heroes are having affairs and getting married a second time. He may not be the best husband, though he is very good to me, but he is certainly the best father. His children love him a lot. He never neglects them.”
What Prakash Kaur Said About Hema Malini
Speaking about Hema Malini, Prakash said, “I can understand what Hema is going through. Even she has to face the world, her relatives and her friends. But if I were in Hema’s place, I would not have done what she did. For as a woman, I can understand her feelings. But as a wife and a mother, I do not approve of them.”
“He may not be the best husband, though he is very good to me, but he is certainly the best father,” she reiterated, adding that Dharmendra was the first and last man in her life. She said she would continue to respect him as the father of her children and that she did not know whether to blame him or her destiny.
With Hema Malini, Dharmendra had two daughters – Esha Deol and Ahana Deol. Over the years, the families maintained a unique arrangement: Dharmendra continued to live with Prakash Kaur and their children, while Hema Malini and her daughters lived separately in Mumbai. The actor would occasionally visit Hema and their daughters, but both families largely led independent lives.
Dharmendra is survived by his wives Prakash Kaur and Hema Malini, and his six children – Sunny, Bobby, Vijeta, Ajeeta, Esha and Ahana.
