With a charisma that has enthralled millions over the decades, Hema Malini is rightfully, Indian cinema`s `Dream Girl`. Born on 16th October, 1948, Hema has been a part of the arts & cultural scene in more ways than one. A versatile actress, and a stunningly graceful dancer, Hema Malini made her promising debut in Bollywood opposite Raj Kapoor in Sapno Ka Saudagar, in 1968. An actress, a mother, a politician, a social activist, Hema Malini is all this and more, epitomising the power of a person who can handle it all! She is the recipient of the fourth highest civilian award, Padma Shri, in 2000.

Early Life
Hema Malini was born to Jaya Lakshmi and VSR Chakravarti, in Tamil Nadu. She completed her schooling from Andhra Mahila Sabha in Chennai, where she developed an interest in the subject of History. She continued till the 12th at DTEA Mandir Marg, after which she discontinued her education to completely pursue her acting career. Her mother, a film producer, encouraged her to follow her passion and was the driving force behind Hema`s career. Hema Malini`s training in Bharatanatyam started during her childhood, as did her training in paatu, a form of musical story telling.

Personal Life
Hema Malini worked with her future husband, Dharmendra, on the film Sharafat in 1970 and the two fell in love. Nine years later, the two got married and the couple has two daughters named Esha Deol, a Bollywood actress and Ahana Deol who works as an assistant director. She is the step-mother to popular actors Sunny Deol and Boobby Deol, who are Dharmendra`s son from his earlier marriage.

Movie Career
Hema Malini faced the cameras for the first time in a Tamil film, albeit as a dancer. Her first cinematic breakthrough was made possible by the highly perceptive Raj Kapoor who thought that Hema Malini has what it takes to be a superstar. Hema`s first Filmfare Best Actress award came by for her immensely entertaining and believable role as the eponymous twin characters of Seeta Aur Geeta, in 1973. A film that allowed the actress to pull off two extreme personalities catapulted her to new heights and showcased her as an actress of multiple masks. The year 1974 saw her being nominated for not one, but two Filmfare awards for the films Amir Garib, Prem Nagar. She dominated the award show yet again in 1975 with two nominations in the same category for role in the Gulzar- directed Khushboo, and Sanyasi. However, her most memorable role of that year came in the form of village belle, Basanti, in the cult classic Sholay co-starring Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Sanjeev Kapoor and Amjad Khan. The year 1976 saw her nominated for her next Filmfare Best Actress award for her performance as a hauntingly beautiful "Ratna" opposite another Bollywood veteran, Rajesh Khanna. In 1977, she was nominated for a Filmfare award for her film Kinara. For the year 1979, Hema Malini`s road to the Filmfare Best Actress category was paved by another film by Gulzar- Meera. She was again nominated for the same category in 1981 for the film Naseeb, for Rihaee in 1990. In 1999, she was felicitated with a Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award for her contribution to Bollywood through her many roles and performances.

Hema Malini also directed the Shah Rukh Khan starrer, Dil Aashna Hai (1992), after she was floored by his performance on TV. The year 2003 saw her comeback to films with the family drama, Baghban, opposite Amitabh Bachchan. Her heart-warming performance as a wife who is separated from her husband by her children and her trials and tribulations, earned her yet another nomination for the Filmfare award.

Her other commendable performances have been in the epic love story Veer- Zaara (2004) as Shah Rukha Khan`s character`s highly supportive aunt. Her next performance was in the social drama, the revolutionary film, Baabul (2006). She made a guest appearance in the socio-political drama, Aarakshan in 2011. The same year, she played the role of an estranged wife to the age old underworld don played by Amitabh Bachchan in the action comedy film Bbuddha_ Hog a Terra Baap co-starring Sonu Sood, Prakash Raj, Sonal Chauhan, Raveena Tandon and Charmy Kaur. In her solitary release in 2016, the veteran star shared the screen with Dev Anand, Javed Jaffrey, Aashif Sheikh and Ekta Sohini in the Bollywood action film Aman Ke Farishtey. The film, which was initially supposed to be released in 1992, due to reasons unknown got delayed and released in 2016. The film turned out to be a massive flop at the box office. Her 2017 release includes Gautamiputra Satakarni, a Telugu epic historical action film directed by Krish. The film, featuring Nandamuri Balakrishna and Shriya Saran in the lead roles was highly appreciated by the critics and emerged to be a box office hit. Her 2020 releases include Shimla Mirchi, a romantic comedy starring Rajkummar Rao and Rakul Preet Singh.

Television Career
Hema Malini made her television debut in the year 2000, in Jai Mata Ki, a show directed by Puneet Issar. Her next TV appearance was in Kamini Damini where she played the role of the twin protagonists. The show Noopur, directed by Hema Malini herself, saw her play a Bharatnatyam dancer. Her 2020 release includes Shimla Mirchi, directed by Ramesh Sippy.