The love story of Dharmendra and Hema Malini may be etched as one of Bollywood’s most treasured romances, but the veteran actor once revealed revealed that his first brush with love happened long before ‘Dream Girl’ Hema Malini came into his life.
Veteran actor Dharmendra passed away in Mumbai at the age of 89. The actor was admitted to the Breach candy hospital earlier this month and was discharged. However, today, Indian filmmaker and film producer, Karan Johar confirmed the news through his official Instagram account. Paying heartfelt tribute to the actor, Karan Johar called Dharmendra the embodiment of a hero in main-stream cinema. Though official confirmation from his family is still awaited.
The love story of Dharmendra and Hema Malini may be etched as one of Bollywood’s most treasured romances, but the veteran actor once revealed revealed that his first brush with love happened long before ‘Dream Girl’ Hema Malini came into his life.
Dharmendra once shared – Growing up in a small Punjabi village before the 1947 Partition, he fell for a girl named Hamida, the daughter of his schoolteacher. She was older, a class eight student, while he was merely in sixth, quietly stealing glances and innocent yearnings.
Appearing on Salman Khan’s show ‘Dus Ka Dum’ alongside his son Bobby Deol, Dharmendra reminisced how he would silently adore her from afar, confessing, “Hum man hi man mein kehte rehte the. Thandi aahen bharte rehte the. Samne wali ko maloom hi nahi tha.” Hamida remained unaware of his affection, for the shy young boy never gathered the courage to express his emotions. Instead, he immortalised those tender stirrings in a poem he penned as a student.
When Bobby mentioned this poem on the show, Dharmendra explained that he had written it before Partition. “Main jab padhta tha, partition nahi hua tha, tab ki baat hai.” He then recited the heartfelt verses woven straight from his youthful soul: “Main chhota tha, maasoom thi umar meri. Woh kya thi, pata nahi. Paas jaane ko jiske, saath baithne ko jiske ji chahta tha. Woh taliba thi aathvi ki, main chhathi ka tha. Hamare school teacher ki beti thi, naam Hamida tha.”
But fate had its own script. Their delicate, unspoken connection never took flight. When Partition erupted in 1947, Hamida and her family moved to Pakistan, leaving Dharmendra’s childhood affection frozen in time. They never crossed paths again, yet the memories remained etched in his heart.
His poem hints that they did share a few shy interactions, moments he still remembers with fond clarity. He recalled the gentle bewilderment of their exchanges: “Yuhin muskura deti, main paas chala jaata. Woh khaamosh rehti, main sar jhuka deta. Woh poochti kuch aur thi, main keh kuch aur jaata tha. Woh kehti, ‘Udaas mat ho, Dharam. Abhi waqt hai, tere imtihaan mein sab theek ho jaayega.’ Keh kar chali jaati, main dekhta rehta. Woh ojhal ho jaati, main sochta rehta, ‘Sawaal kya hai, yaar?'”