Revisiting Hema-Dharmendra love story

In a world where love stories are often confined to the silver screen, there's one love story that has stood the test of time and continues to inspire us - the evergreen romance of Hema Malini and Dharmendra. Their journey from reel to real life is the stuff that Bollywood legends are made of. Today, as the actress celebrates her 75th birthday, we take a look at their unconventional-but-evergreen love story.

Dharmendra and Hema Malini met for the first time on the sets of 'Tu Haseen Main Jawaan' in 1970. The duo, who played the lead roles in the movie, loved spending time with each other on the set. And by the end of the shoot, they fell in love with each other. In a throwback interview with Deccan Chronicle, Hema revealed that the minute she saw Dharmendra, she knew that he was the man for her and wanted to spend the rest of her life with him.

While it was a love at first sight for both Dharmendra and Hema Malini, they were both sceptical about their love story as Dharmendra was already married to Prakash Kaur at the time and had four kids - Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol, Vijeta Deol and Ajeita Deol. However, this did not prevent Dharmendra from falling for the Dream Girl of Bollywood and pursuing her. According to reports, Hema had many suitors including Sanjeev Kumar and Jeetendra whom she apparently turned down.

Owing to Dharmendra's marital status, Hema Malini's father was adamant that the couple shouldn't be together. In her interview with Deccan Chronicle, Hema said that the veteran actress also wanted to make sure that the marriage hurt nobody. According to her, Dharmandra's first wife and children have never felt Hema's intrusion in their lives. She added that she married the actor, but she never took him away from his first family.

Despite familial conflicts, the couple dated for five long years before finally deciding to take the plunge. Hema Malini and Dharmendra tied the knot in 1980. However, as Dharmendra's first wife Prakash Kaur didn't not agree for divorce, he could not have married again as per the Hindu Marriage Act. So the actor secretly got converted into Islam before marrying Hema. They married in an Iyengar style wedding ceremony. The couple has two kids Esha and Ahana Deol.

Hema and Dharmendra welcomed their elder daughter, Esha Deol into their lives on November 2, 1981. Almost four years later, on July 28, 1985, they became parents for the second time to Ahana Deol. Currently, both their daughters are happily married. Dharmendra's kids from his first marriage and his kids from his second marriage have maintained a cordial relationship over the years. Although they rarely make public appearances together, when they do, they are a sight for the sore eyes.