Nevertheless, Hema took on the role and it has to be said, made it her own. A take off from the French film, A Man And A Woman (1966), it was a role turned down by most actresses, who did not want to risk an image change by playing a widow and a young mother. The same year, she dared to convincingly play a young widow with a son falling in love with a widower, played by Shammi Kapoor, in Andaaz (1971). As Raaj Kumar’s scheming mistress in Lal Patthar (1971), she not only made the audience empathize with her negative character but also stole a march over no less an actress than Raakhee in the film! It is still perhaps her best realized and nuanced performance till date. But to be fair to her, she did occasionally show that she could give a performance of much depth were she directed properly.
The fact that the two of them also fell in love with each other helped tremendously.Įven as Hema reached the highest rung of stardom, film critics dismissed her as generally a one-note actress.
SAPNON KA SAUDAGAR MOVIE
It was also a pairing that began in 1970 with films like Sharafat and Tum Haseen Main Jawaan, and one that captured the imagination of the movie going public at the time.
She also won the Filmfare Award for Best Actress for her fine work in the film.Ī string of successful films, particularly opposite Dharmendra ( Raja Jani (1972), Jugnu (1973), Dost (1974), Sholay (1975), Charas (1976), Dream Girl (1977)), followed as Hema’s stock only went higher and higher. With Ramesh Sippy’s gender twist on Ram Aur Shyam (1967) – Seeta Aur Geeta (1972), she showed splendid comic timing and perfectly played, both the timid Seeta and bindaas Geeta, becoming the the top female star in the country, taking over from Mumtaz. With Waaris (1969), opposite Jeetendra, and Johny Mera Naam (1970), where she had Dev Anand as her hero, Hema became a top star in Hindi cinema. Hema began her career replacing the great Vyjayanthimala opposite Raj Kapoor in Mahesh Kaul’s Sapnon Ka Saudagar (1968) where the posters splashed her picture with the catch phrase – ‘Dream Girl.’ The film flopped but she was appreciated and survived. Not only did she do so, but when she did, the very same Sridhar had to eat humble pie and come back to her for Hema to star in his Gehri Chaal (1973). Born on October 16, 1948, her first director, CV Sridhar, threw her out of a Tamil film that he was directing in 1964, saying she had no star appeal! Stung by this, Hema resolved she would make it big where it mattered the most – the world of Hindi cinema.
Ironically, for someone who ruled the Hindi film industry, her career almost ended before it began. When Rajesh Khanna’s films started sinking, her Prem Nagar (1974) with him gave him a new lease of life, even if temporarily. When Dev Anand’s films in the 70s, particularly those with Zeenat Aman crashed, Ameer Gareeb (1974) with Hema Malini was a hit and kept him going as a leading man. At her peak, she wielded such strong commercial clout that top actors like Dev Anand and Rajesh Khanna had to turn to her to give them that much wanted hit. Hema Malini was the third South Indian actress after Vyjayanthimala and Waheeda Rehman to be a major Hindi film star.
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