Veteran journalist and film critic Bhawana Somaaya recently reflected on an era when Bollywood celebrities fiercely protected their private lives, and even intimate milestones like weddings and pregnancies were kept away from public scrutiny. While opening up on how stars also maintained secrecy earlier, she recalled Hema Malini’s marriage to Dharmendra. She further added how they even managed to keep the pregnancy under wraps. “Earlier, everything was personalised. There were a handful of newspapers and a handful of magazines. Everybody knew everybody by name. In our time, we were more friendly to each star individually than the stars were to each other. Nobody told you that this is off-record and this is on-record. You came from that kind of family, that kind of values and tradition, that you would not betray your own sister or your aunt. It was just so organic,” Somaaya recalled in an interview with ANI. As an example of the discreet culture that once prevailed, she remembered Dharmendra and Hema Malini’s wedding, which was widely known within the industry yet kept away from headlines. Sharing how their union was finally confirmed, she said, “Everybody knew about their marriage. The first time Dharamji said, ‘I’m married to her’, it was for my magazine. I was not the editor; I was a reporter. We went to Film City and just had to take one line from them – ‘I’m married to her’. We waited for four hours. As soon as we got that, we left.” The veteran journalist revealed that it was Dharmendra who first shared the news with everyone and not Hema Malini. She further revealed that Hema Malini’s pregnancy was handled with similar secrecy, with multiple hospitals booked to avoid attention. “Nobody knew where Hema Malini was going to deliver. She was acting when she was pregnant. She used to say how everybody realised that she had gained weight. But she has such a beautiful face, and nothing about her appearance gave away her pregnancy. She used to get into that costume and even performed Bharatanatyam,” Somaaya said. She further added, “When she was pregnant, he booked many hospitals so nobody knew where would deliver. This was to mislead the media.” Dharmendra and Hema Malini first met in 1970 on the sets of ‘Tum Haseen Main Jawan’, where they played the lead pair. Their love gradually blossomed, culminating in their wedding in 1980. The two went on to become parents to daughters Esha Deol and Ahana Deol.Dharmendra, affectionately referred to as Hindi cinema’s “He-Man,” passed away on November 24, 2025, leaving fans, colleagues, and the entire nation grieving his demise.
