Veteran star and one of Hindi cinema’s most cherished icons, Dharmendra, passed away this month at 89. To honour his memory, Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol hosted a special prayer meeting at a Mumbai hotel on Thursday. On the same day, Hema Malini held a Gita path at her residence. Govinda’s wife, Sunita Ahuja, visited Hema Malini’s home and later shared her emotional experience. Sunita said, “Hema ji had kept a path of Bhagavad Gita and bhajans. So, we all listened to the bhajans. I couldn’t stop crying in front of Hema ji.” When asked how Hema Malini was dealing with the loss, she added, “What can one say… It’s a huge loss. He was such a legend. I couldn’t stop crying. He was my childhood crush. I respect their family so much. I am really broken at the moment.”Recalling a cherished moment with Dharmendra, Sunita shared, “I had performed with Dharam ji on Sony TV to ‘Chalkaye Jaam’. I had shared the stage with him… it was so special for me. I respect him and his family a lot. I’m very close to Esha Deol too… my whole family is. We are big fans of Dharmendra ji.”She further revealed a personal connection, saying, “In fact, I got married to Govinda because I felt he resembled Dharmendra. He is not that handsome; Dharmendra ji was the most handsome man in the industry. He was a true He-Man of the industry and worked till the very last. He was a true desi, a largehearted man.”Sunita went on to remember her last meeting with the legendary actor: “I met him two months earlier during Ganpati. I went with my son, Yashvardhan. Esha had invited me for Ganpati. When Yash was born, I always wished that he had the qualities and looks of Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra.”Speaking about her bond with the family, she mentioned, “Yash and I are very much in contact with Esha. Hema ji also loves us a lot. After Dharmendra ji passed away, Govinda visited Sunny and Bobby Deol to pay condolences. I couldn’t go then as I was not in Mumbai. When I returned, I got to know about the prayer meet. So I went there on Thursday.”Sunita explained that she could attend only the prayer meet at Hema Malini’s residence and not the one at the hotel. However, Govinda did make it to the Deols’ gathering. “I couldn’t go there. I just met Hema ji and Esha. Govinda went to pay tribute to Dharam ji at the prayer meet,” she concluded.
